Carolyn Patricia Frohmader
Carolyn Patricia Frohmader, born on February 18, 1965, in Hobart, Australia, is a prominent advocate for women with disabilities. With a background in health science and a master's degree in primary health care, she has dedicated her career to addressing gender inequality and the challenges faced by women, especially those with disabilities. Frohmader is the executive director of Women with Disabilities Australia (WWDA), an organization founded in 1995 to promote the rights and needs of disabled women. Throughout her tenure, she has influenced several public policies, including the National Plan to Reduce Violence Against Women and Their Children and the National Disability Strategy, contributing significantly to the discourse on gender-based violence and disability rights.
Frohmader's work has garnered numerous accolades, such as the Australian Capital Territory Woman of the Year award and the Australian Human Rights Award, reflecting her impactful contributions to social justice and human rights. She has also served on various boards and committees, advocating for women's rights on both national and international stages, including engagements with the United Nations. Her personal experience with complex post-traumatic stress disorder and her role as a single mother further inform her advocacy work. Frohmader's efforts have not only raised awareness about the intersection of disability and gender but have also established WWDA as a vital voice in the fight for equality and justice for women with disabilities globally.
Carolyn Patricia Frohmader
Human rights activist for women and girls with disabilities
- Born: February 18, 1965
- Birthplace: Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
Significance: As one of Australia’s most influential advocates for those with disabilities, Carolyn Patricia Frohmader has made Women with Disabilities Australia (WWDA) one of the world’s leading organizations working to support and promote rights for women and girls living with disabilities. She has published articles and served on many boards and committees in support of this movement.
Background
Carolyn Patricia Frohmader was born on February 18, 1965, in Hobart in the Tasmanian province of Australia. Frohmader began her education at Sorell Primary School before attending Ogilvie High School and Elizabeth College. She completed a bachelor’s degree in health science at the University of Tasmania, attending part-time between 1989 and 1993. She began working toward a master’s degree in primary health care at Flinders University of South Australia in 1993 and, after five years of part-time study, completed the degree requirements in 1998. While earning a master’s degree, Frohmader received the Michael Crotty Prize in Primary Health Care, which is awarded to the student achieving the highest grade-point average.
Her interest in helping women, especially those dealing with a disability, an abusive situation, or anything that hampers their ability to reach full potential, was instilled in her by her mother, Wendy Frohmader. A strong proponent of social justice, her mother worked as a teacher and a principal. Frohmader herself has what is known as an invisible disability, which is a condition that is not as readily apparent yet still impairs everyday life. She suffers from complex post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Frohmader is also a single mother to one daughter, Lottie.
In the 1990s, while working on a bachelor’s degree, Frohmader was hired by the government to conduct a women’s health study. She encountered women trapped by their educational and financial statuses in abusive marriages, viewing firsthand how gender inequality kept women from reaching their full potential.
In addition to working as a nurse at Royal Hobart Hospital and as a community nurse, Frohmader held several jobs while in graduate school. In 1995 and 1996, she worked for the Alzheimer Association of Tasmania as the policy and service development officer. Following that, she operated her own consultancy practice for a year under the name Carolyn Frohmader Consultancy Services. In October 1997, she became the research and policy officer for Women with Disabilities Australia (WWDA), a position she held until March 1998.
Life’s Work
In March 1998, Frohmader was promoted to executive director of WWDA, a position she held for decades. WWDA had its origins in 1981, the International Year of the Disabled Person. During that year, Australia sent a delegation to the world assembly of Disabled People’s International (DPI). In 1983, they established the country’s first branch of DPI, which they called DPI Australia, or DPIA. However, most of the group’s leadership and goals focused on the needs of men with disabilities. To create better representation for women with disabilities, eight female members of DPIA formed the National Women’s Network DPIA. However, they felt that DPIA and the international group did not treat women equally, the eight women decided to start their own group. On March 3, 1995, WWDA was formed. As of 2023, the organization was run by and for females as well as female-identifying and nonbinary individuals. Frohmader was the only paid employee; all others working in the organization were volunteers.
In her capacity as the organization’s executive director, Frohmader worked with Australian government officials at all levels to promote the needs and rights of women with disabilities. She served on numerous boards of organizations dedicated to addressing the rights, policies, and services available to women with disabilities as well as those focused on gender-based inequalities, domestic abuse, and human rights issues. Frohmader’s efforts have played an instrumental role in the development of several public policies and plans that directly benefit women, including the National Plan to Reduce Violence Against Women and Their Children 2010–2022, the National Disability Strategy, the National Disability Insurance Scheme, the NDIS Quality & Safeguards Commission; and the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Exploitation and Neglect.
Internationally, Frohmader has influenced key initiatives by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations (UN) to help women and women with disabilities. She served a five-year term with the Global Fund for Women Grants Programs and was a technical expert with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), among other projects. Frohmader has published articles and papers commissioned by the UN and other organizations. Her written works have addressed issues of abuse against women, created awareness about the needs of women with disabilities, and drawn attention to situations where the two issues intersect, such as the increased likelihood of physical and sexual abuse against women with disabilities.
Frohmader has received numerous honors for her work. She was named the 2001 Australian Capital Territory Woman of the Year and inducted into the Tasmanian Women’s Honour Roll in 2009. She was awarded the Australian Human Rights Award in 2013 and was a finalist in the 100 Women of Influence Awards in 2015. Organizational honors received during Frohmader’s tenure with WWDA include 1999 awards for Australian Capital Territory Violence Prevention and National Violence Prevention, the 2001 National Human Rights Award, the 2008 Tasmanian Women’s Safety Award, and finalist status in the 2017 National Disability Awards.
Impact
In her time with WWDA, the organization has become a powerful force in Australia and in the world for promoting the rights and needs of disabled females. The efforts WWDA has made in driving awareness, public policy changes, and advances in human rights for women with disabilities has garnered international recognition, including that of the United Nations. Leveraging her education, her research and background in both public health and women’s rights issues, and her personal experience as a person with a disability, Frohmader has become a strong advocate for disabled females in Australia and beyond.
Bibliography
“Carolyn Patricia Frohmader.” Tasmanian Government, 2009, www.women.tas.gov.au/tasmanian‗honour‗roll‗of‗women/inductees/2009/frohmader,‗carolyn‗patricia. Accessed 24 June 2023.
“Carolyn Frohmader—Executive Director, Women With Disabilities Australia.” Positively Remarkable People, 29 May 2015, positivelyremarkable.wordpress.com/2015/05/29/carolyn-frohmader-executive-director-women-with-disabilities-australia/. Accessed 24 June 2023.
Frohmader, Carolyn. “Women with Disabilities Can Feel Excluded and Be Less Likely to Access Response Services.” 1800Respect, 16 Apr. 2019, www.1800respect.org.au/news-and-media/sector-in-focus/carolyn-frohmader-sector-in-focus. Accessed 24 June 2023.
Women With Disabilities Australia (WWDA), https://wwda.org.au/. Accessed 24 June 2023.