Individual Member Profile

Elvira (on the far left) with the participants of the WILD Program in 2010, with Judy Heumann (front), Special Advisor on Disability Rights for the US State Department under President Obama

Every week we profile a different individual AWID member. If you would like to be profiled here, please send your biographical information to membership@awid.org

Individual member: Elvira Quiroz de Pauw

Elvira was born in Chile in 1984. At the age of 10, she was diagnosed with dystonia. She is an avid disability rights advocate and a recognized leader in this field. Previously, she worked with the Dystonia Foundation in public relations and fundraising. In 2010, Elvira received a Danceability Scholarship to teach in Vienna and attended the Women’s Institute on Leadership and Disability (WILD) Program. These experiences gave her the courage to raise her voice on behalf of disability rights.

Currently, Elvira is a translator at an engineering company.  And she is working to expand their vision for the social integration of those with disabilities in the work environment. Faced with a lack of access to health insurance through her company, due to her disability, Elvira began working with the Probono Foundation to contest health regulations that limit access to health care for those with disabilities and for the inclusion of persons with dystonia into the health system. Elvira’s vision is to work towards creating a more inclusive society where all have equal rights regardless of their disabilities especially women who face multiple discrimination. She is sure she can make a valuable contribution towards this vision though it may not come to be in her lifetime.

To connect with Elvira, email membership@awid.org