Learning from our neighbor: Women with disabilities in Oaxaca, Mexico

The Vecinos y [Neighbors and] Rehabilitation project involved five years of research in the state of Oaxaca, Mexico. This article summarizes research from the fifth and last year of research - research that focused on indigenous women with disabilities living in the urban capital of Oaxaca City. It also describes action intervention: the development of a non-profit organization in the United States, the Women's International Leadership Institute (WILI). WILI is working with women with disabilities in Oaxaca to meet needs identified through the Vecinos research. The research processes used in the Vecinos project, coupled with the action interventions being taken by WILI, can serve as a model for international collaboration between the United States and Mexico and as a demonstration of the need for a bi-national agreement to work together as neighbors in rehabilitation.