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| Joan Meister (1950-2004) |
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Joan Meister was a dedicated feminist and activist who tirelessly worked to improve the lives of women across Canada. Her personal struggles with multiple sclerosis led her to become actively involved in the disability community, and in 1985 she was one of 17 women who started the DisAbled Women's Network (DAWN) to help other women with disabilities. She became President of both DAWN Canada and Pacific DAWN, its Western affiliate. She served as secretary for the National Action Committee on the Status of Women, Chair of the Society for Disability Arts and Culture and helped organize the groundbreaking conference Women and Words. The list of her contributions to the community could go on and on.
Joan was part of the consortium that developed the vision for the BCCEWH and she served for 8 years as the Chair of the Board of Directors. Joan strongly believed in research that focused on the health of women with disabilities and was a leader in encouraging the collaboration between community members and women such as herself.
Over the years, the BCCEWH joined forces with Joan and DAWN Canada to produce a number of research reports on women with disabilities, including The Challenges of Change, which investigated the midlife health needs of women with disabilities, and We're Women Too, which examined barriers to gynaecologic and breast health care for disabled women.
Nobody was more pleased about this innovative research than Joan: "The BC Centre of Excellence for Women's Health has been crucial in addressing the health needs of marginalized women in BC and Canada," she wrote in 2001. "The often expressed, long-term issues of concern for women with disabilities have begun to be addressed."
Though confined to a wheelchair, Joan never let her disability hold her back from anything. Her energy and passion for the things she believed in guided her and garnered her many admirers and friends. Over 300 people attended her memorial service and numerous friends and family spoke in tribute to her memory, a testament to the way her life reached out and touched others.
She is sorely missed.
Download reports written by Joan:
 Challenges of Change (657KB pdf)
We're Women Too (263KB pdf) |
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