Navigating Advocacy as a Disabled Woman: A Qualitative Study of Gender and Disability in Pakistan- by Mahvish Nazar
PhD in Disability Studies Dissertation Defense
January 26, 2026
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Location
Auditorium, DHSP Building
Address
1640 West Roosevelt Rd., Select
Calendar
Download iCal FileThis qualitative research examines the lived experiences and advocacy practices of urban Pakistani women with physical and sensory disabilities. Drawing on Feminist Disability Studies and Global South feminist scholarship, it explores how disabled women define advocacy, how they carry it out in everyday life, and how gendered and socio-cultural conditions shape these practices. Based on semi-structured interviews across multiple Pakistani cities, the findings reveal that participants navigate several challenges: structural inaccessibility, restricted mobility, familial surveillance, institutional exclusion, and uneven access to disability organizations. In response, they develop strategies rooted in faith, identity, and relationality that challenge Global North models of advocacy, which are often grounded in visibility and individual autonomy. By centering embodied knowledge and relational agency, this research offers an in-depth account of disability advocacy among Pakistani disabled women.
For individuals needing access accommodations, please send an email to DHDOSA@uic.edu by noon, Monday, January 12th.
Zoom Info
https://uic.zoom.us/j/84161041858?pwd=cqoEBLfrroKSnjd8cdDXVN9THhAB0y.1
Meeting ID: 841 6104 1858
Passcode: 37eaRyyP
Date posted
Jan 13, 2026
Date updated
Jan 14, 2026