Abstract

This article examines how disabled women relate to activism in Japan. It analyses the impact of the disability right movement on their life courses. The first part presents the history of disabled women’s activism, which emerged in the early 1970s, its internationalization and disabled women’s connections with feminist movements. Then, by examining the life paths of disabled female activists, this paper shows how they dealt with the specific constraints and obstacles they encountered in the areas of independent living, marriage and motherhood. It then questions some contemporary aspects of activism that may be detrimental to disabled women, and presents initiatives aimed at eliminating some of their specific problems.