Over the centuries, societies have told women to act and be gentile and ladylike, but women are rising up, changing the norm, standing up for the rights of others, too. This is a list of six outstanding women who are currently making colossal waves.

“The skills that people with autism bring to the table should be nurtured for their benefit and society’s.”

Temple Grandin

Dr. Temple Grandin, Advocate for Autism Rights

Dr. Temple Grandin thinks in pictures. She first spoke when she was three and a half years old, after going through early speech therapy. Currently a professor of Animal Science at Colorado State University, Dr. Grandin is well known for her ability to understand animals much better than most people can. Her visual way of thinking makes it so that she understands the language of animals.

After spending a lot of time around farm animals, Grandin noticed that animals think in pictures and are extra sensitive to sound just as she is. On a mission to bring animal welfare to the forefront, Dr. Grandin is responsible for humane-centric designs now used in over half the nation's cattle facilities.

Dr. Temple Grandin has authored many groundbreaking books about what it's like, from her personal experiences, to be on the autism spectrum. Some of her most infamous books are 'The Way I See It', 'Thinking in Pictures', and 'The Autistic Brain.' Her work has led to a greater understanding of autism, which in turn has led to higher societal respect for people with autism.

Dr. Grandin's work focuses on helping others with autism by exposing "rigid academic and social expectations that could wind up stifling a mind that, while it might struggle to conjugate a verb, could one day take us to distant stars."

Gloria Feldt, Founder and President, Take the Lead

Gloria Feldt has devoted her life and career to fighting for women's rights. She wants gender parity in leadership roles by 2025. In her words; "The next generation can be the one that takes leadership parity to the finish line. I hope they know their choices are not just about them—that what each of us does enhances or limits opportunities for the next woman. I hope they know they have so much power in their hands to lead their own dreams forward, but that power unused is power useless. I hope they use power tool number one: Know your history and you can create the future of your choice.”

Tanzila Khan, Youth and Disability Rights Advocate

Tanzila Khan was born in Sialkot, Pakistan, with a physical disability that has left her wheelchair-bound since birth. Khan strives for good despite her physical limitations and she believes that every woman has power that has been bestowed upon her. “My motivation definitely comes from the fact that I am alive and I made it to this amazing planet, Earth, with so much to do and so much to contribute to"

Marijana Savic, Founder NGO Atina

Marijana Savic founded NGO Atina to help women who have been victims of abuse and human trafficking. Her credo is "Women and girls need to be listened to, acknowledged and respected as individuals and not [defined] by their gender roles as just mother or wives, and provided by same chances as all the others"

Mallika Saada Saar, Director of Human Rights Project for Girls

Mallika Saada has dedicated her life to human rights and is a great advocate for women. “I hope for women and girls of the next generation that we have a world in which our lives are not disposable, that we are not by virtue of being a woman or girl, denigrated, abused, assaulted, or rendered property. I hope for, and work towards, a world for the next generation in which every girl and woman is valued, and can live out her full potential free from violence.”

Ruth Ann Harnisch, Founder of the Harnisch Foundation

Ruth is one strong woman. She hopes that 'the next generation will see every person as worthy of dignity and respectful treatment.” She also said " My hope is for a world in which everyone’s contributions are valued, in which individuals are free to fulfill their potential and are supported in their choices. I hope fairness is built into systems as solidly as inequity is now. I hope the next generation of women lives in a world in which they are welcome and equal"

About Stephen’s Place

Stephen’s Place is an independent apartment community for adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities, located in Vancouver, WA (7 minutes from Portland, OR).

If you have a loved one with developmental or intellectual disabilities, who is looking for a community to live in, please contact us for more information. 

Stephen’s Place is a private-pay apartment community due to our state-of-the-art amenities and programs. We are a nonprofit and do not profit from our community. We are private pay because we spend more than some housing communities to ensure that our residents are comfortable and can safely live their lives with independence and dignity.