Empowering young women with disabilities
by Patricia
Last month I spent one absolutely awesome weekend with a group of dynamic young women in Boston. Easter Seals Massachusetts facilitated a capstone event for Thrive, a mentoring program for women between the ages of 16 and 25 who identify as having a disability.
Thrive started a few months ago with young women with disabilities being matched with adult women with disabilities. The belief was that young women with disabilities have unique needs that a mentor could address unlike anybody else. The mentors and mentees met in-person, on the phone and via electronic communication over a period of several months. The relationship between the mentors and mentees allowed for open communication, and both mentor and mentee benefitted from the relationship.
The Thrive capstone event last month was two days of workshops, guest speakers and a lot of time to socialize and develop connections. I overheard many conversations between the mentors and mentees. All stated how important it was to spend time learning from other people with disabilities and building a shared community. Conversations covered these topics and a whole lot more:
- how to be more independent,
- work tips,
- safety,
- sexuality and relationships, and
- advocating for quality healthcare.
As you can see from the pictures, the Thrive capstone event was a celebration of women, a learning opportunity and just a whole lot of fun!