Yesterday, I appeared in an interview with the Swedish Arabic language media platform “Alkompis”, to talk about the challenges people with disabilities are facing in Sweden today. Sweden has long been known for its respect of human rights and progressive policies. But over the past decades, healthcare, social insurances, and a large number of other public services in Sweden have been exposed to budget cuts. This affects essential public meeting spaces - for instance libraries

In a world where identities are often challenged or misunderstood, embracing who we truly are becomes an act of courage and resilience....

In June, I had the privilege and joy of attending the 15th International Disability Summer School in Galway, Ireland. Since 2006, the...

I am sharing with you today a picture of the lovely daughter of my cousin, wearing her finest dress to celebrate the Kurdish New Year,...

When my late father reached an age where my grandmother decided that it was high time for him to marry, she invited all the prettiest...

Dear friends, As this new year begins, I would like to share with you some experiences and insights on a personal level that I have had...

Zara the zebra's birthday arrived, and her friends surprised her with a marbled cake, black and white frosting swirled together. But Zara...

As a person with a disability, I have encountered various challenges in my life. While I can see signs that our societies are gradually...

On this International Workers' Day, my thoughts and good wishes go to all who are mobilising to defend workers’ rights to decent working...

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...

These last few weeks have been filled with the sad news from Ukraine and the flood of refugees escaping the war, seeking refuge across...

There are moments in life that change everything, and nothing is the same afterwards. You will see such moments occurring in history, in...

One of the key ways to bring about social change through activism is through sharing personal stories of the people affected by the...

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....

International Day of Persons with Disabilities - 3rd December 2021 Today everything tastes different, even my coffee, but nothing has...

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...

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,...

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...

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...

In recent decades, advocates who work on Persons with Disabilities (PwD) issues have championed a human rights-based approach, a...

March was International Women’s Month but for women’s rights advocates like myself, the women’s rights movement is part of my everyday...

In mainstream ‘Western’ discourse about the role of the past in the present, the positive legacies of ancient Greece and Rome are often...

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...

What does the egalitarian behaviour of Hunter-Gatherers towards Persons with Disabilities tell us about human nature? When I started this...

Humanity, freedom, equality, and dignity are at the very core of human rights as Article one of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights...

Why are developed countries more inclusive and accessible for PWD than underdeveloped countries? This thought-provoking question came up...

A few weeks ago, I received my invitation for the Covid vaccine, as part of the Swedish national vaccination programme. I was asked to...

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...

In February 2021, I had the opportunity to talk about my life and activism to a class from Warwick University. While I always enjoy...

No Peace Without Women In the twentieth century, constitutions written throughout the world have often explicitly referenced ‘Women’s...

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...

Women’s lives are constrained and enabled by numerous factors and can obviously not be reduced to a matter of national or international...

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....

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....

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....

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...

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...

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...

In my blog post from the 2nd of November 2020, I talked about representation and human rights in connection with the appointment of Amy...

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...

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...

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...

This post is based on a part of my master’s thesis, “Forgotten Victims of Armed Conflict: Challenges Faced By 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”...

This post is based on a part of my master’s thesis, “Forgotten Victims of Armed Conflict: Challenges Faced By Persons With Disabilities”...

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...

Last Thursday, December 3rd, was the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, proclaimed in 1992 by the UN General Assembly in...

This post is based on a part of my master’s thesis, “Forgotten Victims of Armed Conflict: Challenges Faced By 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”...

This blog post is based on a speech I gave at “The Protection of Persons with Disabilities During Armed Conflicts” workshop in Lund,...