WCA recognises disability rights champion for advancing inclusion, technology and opportunities for persons with disabilities
ABUJA — The Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Network of Women with Disabilities, Ms. Lois Auta, has been inducted and conferred with Honorary Membership of the Women Community in Africa (WCA) in recognition of her sustained advocacy for disability rights, inclusion and equal opportunities.
Auta, a woman with a disability and prominent disability rights advocate, received the honour during the WCA Town Hall Meeting 2026, held on Thursday, August 6, 2026, at the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR), Abuja.
The recognition followed her participation as a panelist at the town hall, where she contributed to discussions on “Inclusion in Action: Disability Rights, Technology, and Opportunities in 2026.”
A Recognition of Disability Advocacy
In a letter addressed to Auta, the Global Leadership of the Women Community in Africa expressed appreciation for her participation and described her contribution to the panel discussion as enriching and impactful.
The organisation said her intervention left a lasting impression on participants and reflected her continued commitment to advancing disability rights and inclusion.
According to the WCA, the honorary membership was conferred on Auta in recognition of her “distinguished advocacy and continued commitment to disability rights and inclusion.”
The honour places Auta among individuals recognised by the organisation for their contributions towards building safer and more inclusive communities across Africa.
From Lived Experience to Leadership
For Auta, the recognition carries particular significance because her advocacy is informed not only by professional engagement but also by lived experience as a woman with a disability.
Women and girls with disabilities frequently encounter multiple barriers to participation in education, employment, technology, leadership and decision-making.
Auta’s advocacy has consistently focused on ensuring that disability is not used as a reason to exclude women from opportunities to lead, contribute and participate fully in society.
Her work through the Network of Women with Disabilities has also contributed to amplifying the voices and concerns of women with disabilities and placing disability inclusion within broader conversations on women’s rights and development.
Technology and Inclusion Take Centre Stage
The WCA Town Hall discussion also highlighted the growing importance of technology in advancing inclusion.
For persons with disabilities, technology can provide opportunities for education, employment, entrepreneurship, communication and independent living. However, inaccessible digital platforms, high costs and limited access to assistive technologies can also create new forms of exclusion.
The discussion therefore provided an opportunity to examine how technology and emerging opportunities can be deliberately designed to include persons with disabilities rather than leaving them behind.
Auta’s participation brought the perspective of disability rights directly into this conversation.
More Than an Award
The honorary membership is more than a ceremonial recognition. It also presents an opportunity for stronger collaboration between disability rights advocates and wider women’s and community development movements.
Speaking after the recognition, Auta expressed her gratitude for the honour and described it as a meaningful recognition of the ongoing work to advance disability rights, accessibility and inclusion.
She also reaffirmed her commitment to promoting communities where persons with disabilities can participate fully and equally.
A Call for Greater Inclusion
The recognition comes at a time when advocacy for women with disabilities is increasingly demanding greater visibility, representation and meaningful participation in decision-making.
For disability advocates, the presence of women with disabilities in leadership spaces is critical to ensuring that policies and programmes reflect their lived realities.
The WCA’s recognition of Auta therefore sends a broader message: women with disabilities are not merely beneficiaries of development—they are leaders, advocates, experts and decision-makers.
As Auta takes on her honorary membership of the Women Community in Africa, expectations will undoubtedly extend beyond the title.
The challenge now is to use the platform to strengthen partnerships, amplify the voices of women with disabilities and push disability inclusion into more spaces across Africa.
‘Nothing About Us Without Us’
The honour reinforces a principle at the heart of the global disability rights movement: Nothing About Us Without Us.
For Lois Auta, the journey continues—not simply as an honorary member of a continental women’s community, but as a woman with a disability using her voice, experience and leadership to demand a society where inclusion is not an option, but a standard.
Her recognition is personal, but its message is much bigger: when women with disabilities are given platforms, they do not simply occupy seats—they help change the conversation.
