The Margins to the Mainstream: preventing violence against women with disabilities project was developed in recognition of the prevalence and seriousness of violence against women with disabilities.

It builds from the collaborative work undertaken over a number of years by the Together For Equality and Respect Partnership on the primary prevention of violence against women and the commitment of the Partners to deepening intersectional practice (see TFER Strategy here) in the eastern metropolitan area of Melbourne.

The project is led by Women’s Health East, in partnership with Women with Disabilities Victoria (WDV), and the Together For Equality & Respect partnership.

Women’s Health East acknowledges the support of the Australia Government Department of Social Services.

Margins to the Mainstream Project

Preventing violence against women with disabilities

The project is designed to amplify the voices of women with disabilities, by centring their expertise in primary prevention work and building the capacity of TFER partners to contribute to the prevention of violence against women with disabilities.

The project has five objectives:

1

Strengthen partnerships for sustained work in the prevention of violence against women with disabilities

2

Elevate the voices of women with disabilities and promote their leadership and status in society

3

Build the capacity of partners to embed a focus on sexism and ableism into their prevention work, as intersecting structural drivers of violence against women with disabilities

4

Challenge intersecting sexist and ableist stereotypes across the community and other settings, such as organisations

5

Contribute to the evidence base on what works in community-led efforts to prevent violence against women with disabilities

A consortium of TFER partners committed to the project during the concept and proposal development.

These organisations were represented on the Project Advisory Group formed at project inception: Women’s Health East (as lead), Yarra Ranges Council, Boroondara City Council, EDVOS, Access Health and Community and Inspiro Community Health Service.

The Project Advisory Group also included Women with Disabilities Victoria, as a specialist and implementing partner alongside Women’s Health East, WLK Consulting as the project evaluator and a community representative, a woman with lived experience of disability.

The Project Advisory Group continues to play a key role to inform and support the project’s development and delivery.

Women with lived experience of disability, including neurodiversity, mental health and chronic health conditions are at the centre of the Margins to the Mainstream Project through the Project Experts Group (see more information about the Experts Group here).

A number of mutually reinforcing project activities are undertaken for coordinated action on addressing ableism and gender inequality in primary prevention activities. These include:

Resources co-design by women with disabilities
Workforce capacity development through training and Community of Practice sessions for TFER members and others
Social marketing and campaigns, for the 16 Days of Activism to End Violence against women
Meaningful consultations with selected TFER member organisations with the Project Experts Group on selected organisational initiatives
Presentations to regional events and other presentations showcasing the Project Experts as speakers and panelists.

The project is funded by the Australian Government Department of Social Services from 2020 to end June 2024.

We acknowledge the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung people, the Traditional Owners of the land on which we work. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and future. We affirm that sovereignty was never ceded.