In this episode of the You First Podcast, hosts Maddie and Keith talk with disabled activist and attorney Marissa Ditkowsky about the challenges and inequities faced by disabled women in healthcare, employment, and financial freedom. Marissa discusses her role as Disability Economic Justice Council at the National Partnership for Women and Families and shares insights on systemic oppression, the impact of disability on financial stability, and the importance of intersectional advocacy. The episode also addresses issues like reproductive rights, bodily autonomy, and the overturning of Roe v. Wade.

Relevant links: 

• National Partnership for Women & Families Website: https://nationalpartnership.org/
• National Partnership for Women & Families social media:
  • Twitter: https://x.com/npwf, or @npwf
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/npwf/, or @npwf
  • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nationalpartnership/
  • TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@npwf?lang=en, or @npwf
  • Marissa's Twitter: @mditkowsky (https://x.com/mditkowsky)
• Systems Transformation Guides: https://nationalpartnership.org/report/disability-economic-justice-systems-transformation/
• The Intersection of Disability and Reproductive Justice - with Morénike Giwa Onaiwu, Rebecca Cokley, Keith Jones, and Heather Watkins: https://disabilityrightsflorida.org/podcast/story/episode_38
• Buck v Bell: https://disabilityjustice.org/right-to-self-determination-freedom-from-involuntary-sterilization
• #FreeBritney and Disability: https://www.hrw.org/news/2021/02/17/freebritney-shines-light-problematic-guardianship-systems
• How State Abortion Bans Harm Disabled Women: https://nationalpartnership.org/report/state-abortion-bans-harm-disabled-women/
• What Disability Reproductive Equity Day Means to Me: https://nationalpartnership.org/what-disability-reproductive-equity-day-means-to-me/
• National Women’s Law Center’s resource about Forced Sterilization of Disabled People in the United States: https://nwlc.org/resource/forced-sterilization-of-disabled-people-in-the-united-states/
• American Progress’s article ‘Rethinking Guardianship to Protect Disabled People’s Reproductive Rights: https://www.americanprogress.org/article/rethinking-guardianship-to-protect-disabled-peoples-reproductive-rights/