We’re All Women of Worth
Earlier this year I learned that my friend nominated me for the L'Oréal Paris Women of Worth award for my work as co-founder and executive director of Disability EmpowHer Network. This award celebrates the accomplishments of incredible non-profit leaders who work on resolving the biggest issues impacting our country. I was flabbergasted when I found out that I had been nominated because this is such a meaningful award, and it was really meaningful to me that someone in my life felt that I was deserving of this honor. Needless to say, I was speechless when I learned that out of more than 2000 nominations, I was selected as one of ten women to be a part of the 2023 L’Oreal Paris Women of Worth.
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L'Oréal Paris selects honorees that they feel exemplify the L'Oréal Paris tagline: “Because You’re Worth It.” Therefore, as a part of this honor, I was asked to share why I feel that I am a woman of worth and I answered as honestly as I could. I shared that I am a woman of worth because all women are women of worth - but for far too long I didn't believe that. Growing up with a disability, I believed that because I used a wheelchair that I wasn't worthy; I wasn't worthy of people's time, or their attention, or even their respect because society already devalues women and when you have a disability that is compounded. Disabled girls hear messages all the time that we are burdens or inconveniences, and those messages just aren't true. But that doesn't mean we don't believe them when we hear them so frequently. That's why I started Disability EmpowHer Network, an organization dedicated to uplifting girls and women with disabilities, because it's so hard to see our own worth when we hear messages all the time that we're unworthy. Disability EmpowHer Network is here to tell girls and women with disabilities that they are worthy because we are all women of worth.
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Growing up, I did not have any disabled women role models and often found myself as the only disabled woman in the room. It was not until I was in my early twenties when I met my first disabled woman role model, and I will never forget the surge of confidence I felt finally being able to identify with a mentor who understood me as both a woman and a disabled person. I had dreams of doing great things, but when I finally had opportunities in front of me, I had imposter syndrome. It felt like I was not meant to be in so many of the spaces I was in, and I was always worrying that the people around me were judging me or underestimating me because of my disability. When I met my mentor, I felt like I was finally seeing what was truly possible for me. She was a confident, professional woman working in Washington, D.C. and she did not seem to care what other people thought of her. When I told her my insecurities, she could relate and give me advice based on her own experiences – this is something that I could not get from other mentors. I felt seen.
Now that’s my hope girls with disabilities today – that they feel seen. As L’Oreal Paris and other companies uplift, recognize, and celebrate disabled women, I hope girls with disabilities feel more confident and less alone. I hope that they know that they are worth just the way they are.