Celebrating our differences
Zara the zebra's birthday arrived, and her friends surprised her with a marbled cake, black and white frosting swirled together. But Zara...
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Chavia Ali
- Aug 3
- 9 min
Discrimination by Association: Shedding Light on Invisible Struggles
As a person with a disability, I have encountered various challenges in my life. While I can see signs that our societies are gradually...
129 views0 comments
Chavia Ali
- May 1
- 5 min
In the face of crisis, joining hands to lead the way
On this International Workers' Day, my thoughts and good wishes go to all who are mobilising to defend workers’ rights to decent working...
108 views0 comments
Chavia Ali
- Jan 1
- 6 min
A year to move out of the shadows
As we are about to embark on a new year, I join my voice to all those who express their wishes that 2023 will finally be a year of peace...
163 views0 comments
Chavia Ali
- Mar 31, 2022
- 4 min
Don't wait for the fire to reach your front door
These last few weeks have been filled with the sad news from Ukraine and the flood of refugees escaping the war, seeking refuge across...
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Chavia Ali
- Feb 28, 2022
- 6 min
How an elevator began a revolution
There are moments in life that change everything, and nothing is the same afterwards. You will see such moments occurring in history, in...
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Chavia Ali
- Jan 31, 2022
- 3 min
The Importance of Shifting the Narrative Away From The “Inspirational Person with Disabilities”
One of the key ways to bring about social change through activism is through sharing personal stories of the people affected by the...
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Chavia Ali
- Dec 31, 2021
- 4 min
Leave space for the unexpected in 2022
I have always had a special feeling towards smoking; I both hate and love it at the same time. I have never understood this feeling....
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Chavia Ali
- Dec 3, 2021
- 5 min
Something in my coffee tastes different today...
International Day of Persons with Disabilities - 3rd December 2021 Today everything tastes different, even my coffee, but nothing has...
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Chavia Ali
- Nov 7, 2021
- 4 min
It should not be “revolutionary” for a woman in a wheelchair to wear a dress!
I am someone who loves fashion, but as a woman, and particularly as a woman who is a wheelchair user, I am acutely aware of how society...
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Chavia Ali
- Oct 31, 2021
- 4 min
Our place in the sun
At nine months old I contracted polio which altered the whole course of my life. Now having to spend most of my childhood in hospital,...
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Chavia Ali
- Oct 17, 2021
- 4 min
Future-Thinking in Social Support Systems
I recently watched House of Cards and found out that there is an old, private swimming pool underneath the White House. In fact, the pool...
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Chavia Ali
- Oct 10, 2021
- 5 min
Using persons with disabilities as a weapon of war
I know many of you are wondering why I haven’t published anything recently, and I’m really grateful to those who have contacted me after...
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Chavia Ali
- Jul 5, 2021
- 4 min
A Journey through Time #4: The Medieval Roots of the Charity-Based approach to PwD
In recent decades, advocates who work on Persons with Disabilities (PwD) issues have championed a human rights-based approach, a...
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Chavia Ali
- Jun 21, 2021
- 3 min
In our quest to empower women, we have forgotten to educate men
March was International Women’s Month but for women’s rights advocates like myself, the women’s rights movement is part of my everyday...
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Chavia Ali
- Jun 7, 2021
- 4 min
A Journey through Time #3: The Ancient Roots of Seeing Persons with Disability as 'Deformed'
In mainstream ‘Western’ discourse about the role of the past in the present, the positive legacies of ancient Greece and Rome are often...
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Chavia Ali
- May 31, 2021
- 5 min
A Message to the Medical Professionals: We're People, not 'Patients'
The nurse who was taking my blood sample asked me: are you afraid of needles? I had to smile. All my childhood was spent with doctors and...
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Chavia Ali
- May 24, 2021
- 4 min
A Journey through Time 2: My Thoughts on Persons with Disabilities during the Hunter-Gatherer Era
What does the egalitarian behaviour of Hunter-Gatherers towards Persons with Disabilities tell us about human nature? When I started this...
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Chavia Ali
- May 17, 2021
- 4 min
Dignity; the Foundation of Human Rights
Humanity, freedom, equality, and dignity are at the very core of human rights as Article one of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights...
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Chavia Ali
- May 10, 2021
- 3 min
A Journey through Time 1: Persons with Disabilities from the Past to the Present
Why are developed countries more inclusive and accessible for PWD than underdeveloped countries? This thought-provoking question came up...
57 views0 comments
Chavia Ali
- Apr 26, 2021
- 5 min
My Vaccine Adventure
A few weeks ago, I received my invitation for the Covid vaccine, as part of the Swedish national vaccination programme. I was asked to...
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Chavia Ali
- Apr 12, 2021
- 4 min
Joking about being a Token
Have you ever made a joke to try to lighten the mood or make your colleagues laugh in a serious setting and immediately wish you could...
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Chavia Ali
- Apr 5, 2021
- 4 min
Discussion with Students at Warwick University
In February 2021, I had the opportunity to talk about my life and activism to a class from Warwick University. While I always enjoy...
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Chavia Ali
- Mar 29, 2021
- 4 min
Thoughts on Women in Constitution Writing
No Peace Without Women In the twentieth century, constitutions written throughout the world have often explicitly referenced ‘Women’s...
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Chavia Ali
- Mar 22, 2021
- 3 min
Towards a Kinder Future Mother's Day
Until this year, I have not posted anything for Mother’s Day, and some of you may be wondering why. Certainly, it is not due to a lack of...
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Chavia Ali
- Mar 15, 2021
- 5 min
A Single Brick Will Not Build a House
Women’s lives are constrained and enabled by numerous factors and can obviously not be reduced to a matter of national or international...
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Chavia Ali
- Mar 8, 2021
- 5 min
On The 8th of March 2021, You Can’t Wash the Sand!
So, it is the 8th of March 2021. All over social media and in the news, I have been reading about the amazing progress of women’s rights....
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Chavia Ali
- Mar 1, 2021
- 7 min
Woman and Disability in the Middle East
I wrote this post in 2009-10 (originally in Spanish), and have updated it slightly to take account of new realities in the Middle East....
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Chavia Ali
- Mar 1, 2021
- 9 min
Mujer y discapacitada en Oriente Medio
I wrote this post in 2009-10 (originally in Spanish), and have updated it slightly to take account of new realities in the Middle East....
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Chavia Ali
- Feb 22, 2021
- 4 min
What Really Matters
In 2018 I was at a public speaking event, in which I was encouraging people to be happy in their lives and to not allow their...
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Chavia Ali
- Feb 15, 2021
- 4 min
To a Stranger on Valentine's Day
Every year, on Valentine’s day, I take the opportunity to tell people that I appreciate them. I buy small presents. One year, I gave my...
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Chavia Ali
- Feb 8, 2021
- 4 min
Even Death Should Be Accessible: The Story of Lucy
Today, I want to honour the memory of my friend Lucy. When I was a child, I spent a long time in hospital in Madrid. Sometimes for a few...
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Chavia Ali
- Feb 1, 2021
- 3 min
On Diversity and Representation
In my blog post from the 2nd of November 2020, I talked about representation and human rights in connection with the appointment of Amy...
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Chavia Ali
- Jan 25, 2021
- 3 min
“Dear Theo” – Van Gogh and Loneliness
What I need is courage, and this often fails me. And it is also a fact that since my disease, when I am in the fields I am overwhelmed by...
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Chavia Ali
- Jan 18, 2021
- 5 min
Activism and Civil Society in Sweden – Missing Opportunities
As I mentioned in my blog last week, when I arrived in Sweden I was worried that there would be no work for me as an activist, as I had...
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Chavia Ali
- Jan 11, 2021
- 6 min
Crushed in the Wheels of the Administrative Machine
Before coming to Sweden, I had imagined it as a perfect place for persons with disabilities. When I arrived I thought that there would be...
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Chavia Ali
- Jan 4, 2021
- 5 min
Recommendations for Improving the Protection of Persons with Disabilities During Armed Conflict
This post is based on a part of my master’s thesis, “Forgotten Victims of Armed Conflict: Challenges Faced By Persons With Disabilities”...
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Chavia Ali
- Dec 28, 2020
- 5 min
Additional Protections Concerning Persons with Disabilities during Times of Armed Conflict
This post is based on a part of my master’s thesis, “Forgotten Victims of Armed Conflict: Challenges Faced By Persons With Disabilities”...
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Chavia Ali
- Dec 21, 2020
- 4 min
An Overview of International Humanitarian and Human Rights Law Concerning Persons with Disabilities
This post is based on a part of my master’s thesis, “Forgotten Victims of Armed Conflict: Challenges Faced By Persons With Disabilities”...
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Chavia Ali
- Dec 14, 2020
- 4 min
Experiences and Challenges to an Inclusive Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic
Last week I was invited to present via Zoom at a conference in Gaza on the pandemic and the Arab governments’ responses. This blog post...
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Chavia Ali
- Dec 7, 2020
- 3 min
A Note on the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (December 3)
Last Thursday, December 3rd, was the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, proclaimed in 1992 by the UN General Assembly in...
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Chavia Ali
- Nov 30, 2020
- 3 min
Serving the Needs of Persons with Disabilities in Situations of Armed Conflict
This post is based on a part of my master’s thesis, “Forgotten Victims of Armed Conflict: Challenges Faced By Persons With Disabilities”...
670 views0 comments
Chavia Ali
- Nov 23, 2020
- 4 min
How are Persons with Disabilities defined in International Law?
This post is based on a part of my master’s thesis, “Forgotten Victims of Armed Conflict: Challenges Faced By Persons With Disabilities”...
128 views0 comments
Chavia Ali
- Nov 16, 2020
- 4 min
The Protection of Civilians and Persons with Disabilities During the Syria Conflict
This blog post is based on a speech I gave at “The Protection of Persons with Disabilities During Armed Conflicts” workshop in Lund,...
88 views0 comments
Chavia Ali
- Nov 9, 2020
- 6 min
Flying With Balloons - In memory of my father
Today is the ninth of November. It has been exactly nine years since I last saw my father. The 10th of November 2011, I wrote in my...
268 views0 comments
Chavia Ali
- Nov 2, 2020
- 4 min
Representation and Human Rights: A Compass in Changing Times
In recent days, the eyes of the world are turned towards the US elections, which will have far-reaching effects across the globe....
288 views0 comments
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