Led by disabled women, in South Africa
Your voice. Your rights.
Your community.
Voice of Disability is a South African movement led by disabled women, advocating for equality, accessibility and meaningful participation in society. We challenge the barriers that exclude disabled people through rights advocacy, education and Universal Design.
“Nothing About Us Without Us”
Disabled women lead decisions about our lives, rights and futures. This platform amplifies our voices and collective action.
Why we exist →Who we are
Disability is created by barriers — not by people
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities recognises that disability is an evolving concept arising from the interaction between people with impairments and attitudinal and environmental barriers that hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others. This is the Convention’s approach in its Preamble, paragraph (e).Read the UN Convention (accessible PDF).
The social model
Disabled people face exclusion when environments, attitudes, institutions and systems create barriers to equal participation. Removing those barriers advances independence, dignity and inclusion.
Universal Design
Universal Design anticipates diverse needs from the outset so environments, services and technologies work for as many people as possible. Reasonable accommodation complements Universal Design by addressing individual access requirements.
Disabled women’s leadership
Disabled women are not a footnote. We lead the conversation about our own lives, rights, and futures — because we are the experts on our own experience.
“If it is not accessible, it is not equal.”
Access is a right, not a privilege. Access and accessibility are not the same: reaching a service does not mean it can be used independently, effectively or equally. We advocate for both access to services and accessibility in their use.
Why we exist
Our Founder
Voice of Disability NPC was founded in 2010 by Fadila Lagadien — a disabled Black woman, quadriplegic wheelchair user, and disability rights advocate of forty years.
Following a car accident in December 1985, Fadila was left in a hospital corridor through the night while her white partner received immediate care. Her spinal cord was severed. A specialist unit existed but was not available to her under apartheid. She was given seven years to live.
She is sixty-seven. She has spent four decades fighting structural discrimination — contributing to South Africa’s disability legislation, building organisations for disabled women, and teaching herself every new technology that could expand what was possible for a quadriplegic woman with one working hand.
She holds an MBA from the University of Liverpool, which admitted her through Recognition of Prior Learning — recognising decades of self-taught expertise that South African institutions refused to credit.
She is now an AI-Driven Accessibility & Disability Inclusion Innovator, applying AI to make the movement faster, louder, and harder to ignore.
Read her full statement →Four decades of impact
Years of disability rights advocacy
Voice of Disability NPC
A registered non-profit organisation in South Africa. Programmes, rights clinics, and accessible materials — all led by and for disabled women.
Programmes & events
What we do
Our programmes are led by and designed with disabled women. We work to ensure accessible venues, formats and communication, and respond to individual access requirements.
Rights clinics
Know your rights under South African law, the Employment Equity Act, and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
Voices Circle
A members-only space for disabled women to connect, share experiences, and support each other — held online and in person.
Digital access training
Practical sessions on using assistive technology, navigating accessible digital tools, and building digital skills on your own terms.
Advocacy workshops
Learn how to speak up for yourself in workplaces, healthcare settings, and public spaces — and how to hold institutions accountable.
Get involved
Volunteer with Voice of Disability
Help advance the rights, leadership and independence of disabled women. Disabled volunteers and allies are welcome. You can contribute remotely, in person or through occasional projects, depending on your interests and availability.
Rights clinics
Help with information sessions, administration, research and referrals. Specialist rights advice is provided only by appropriately qualified people.
Advocacy and campaigns
Support community consultations, accessible communications, research and campaigns challenging disabling barriers.
Training and digital inclusion
Assist with workshops, accessible technology demonstrations, learning resources and practical digital skills.
Tell us how you would like to help
No membership or previous volunteering experience is required to express interest. We will discuss suitable opportunities, accessibility and reasonable accommodation with you. Sending the form does not guarantee a placement.
Please do not include sensitive personal or medical information. We use your details to respond to your enquiry. See our privacy policy.
Prefer email? Write to hello@voiceofdisability.com.
Resource library
Tools for your rights
Guides, templates, and tools to help disabled women navigate systems, claim their rights, and make their voices heard.
Your rights in the workplace
A plain-language guide to reasonable accommodation and the Employment Equity Act.
Join to access guide →The 7 Principles of Universal Design
What Universal Design means, why it matters, and how to apply it.
Join to access guide →How to write a reasonable accommodation request
A template letter you can adapt for your workplace or institution.
Join to access template →Blog
Voices & views
Perspectives from the movement — on disability rights, access, AI, policy, and the lived experience of disabled women in South Africa and beyond.
Join us
Become a member
Membership is free. Add your voice, get invited to programmes, and help shape the movement. We’ll only use your details to stay in touch about Voice of Disability.
- Priority invitations to programmes and the Voices Circle
- Members-only updates and resources
- A community that puts disabled women first
Support the work
Fund a barrier-free future
Voice of Disability is a registered non-profit. Your gift funds programmes, rights clinics and accessible materials for disabled women. Every contribution helps a voice be heard.
Choose an amount (ZAR)
Secured by PayFast · South African payment processor
Get in touch
Contact us
Questions, media, partnerships or accessibility requests — we’d love to hear from you.
Cape Town, South Africa
hello@voiceofdisability.com