In this blog, SMK Programme Support and Communications Officer and Disability rights activist Greta Mauch shares insights on some of the frameworks and practices of Disability rights campaigning.
Happy Disability Pride Month! With so much going on in the Disability rights space, it seems like a good time to share some insights to help you understand some of the ways in which Disability rights groups operate and offer some reading links and search terms (in bold) in the process.
Frameworks
There are two popular ways of understanding Disability. The Medical Model says the problems Disabled people face are the fault of our bodies, and the solution is to fix us. The Social Model says these problems are the fault of an inaccessible society, and the solution is to fix the infrastructure. Disability activists prefer this model because it prompts removing barriers that are segregating Disabled people from public life, rather than blaming Disabled people and over medicalising our bodies. This understanding of Disability as an identity, not a burden, is why a lot of Disability rights campaigners prefer identity-first language (i.e. “Disabled person”) over person-first language (i.e. “person with a disability”) and why I capitalise the D in Disabled.
Disability rights campaigners have an ultimate goal of achieving an “Access Model” (i.e. a society that is inherently accessible) rather than an “Adjustments Model” (i.e. everything is the same, but adjustments are made for Disabled people). To achieve this, the 10 Principles of Disability Justice were developed. These include intersectionality, leadership of the most impacted, anti-capitalist politic, commitment to cross-movement organising, recognising wholeness, sustainability, interdependence, collective access, and collective liberation. Many Disability activists use these principles when creating their campaigns.
Best Practice
The golden rule is “Nothing About Us Without Us.” This means Disabled people should be making the decisions and be the loudest voice in a campaign. As Imani Barbarin said “Disabled people are rarely seen as reliable narrators of their own stories, so everybody else becomes an authority upon us, and it makes it so much harder to actually advocate for ourselves.”
Working with other Disabled People’s Organisations (DPOs) is crucial. The best campaigns listen to, amplify, and adjust their campaigns for the perspectives of Disabled people of colour, LGBTQ+ individuals, working class individuals, and women. They also investigate what DPOs are already doing and see where they can help, like checking out Disability News Service or contacting Disability Rights UK’s Intersectional DPO Forum, DisabledWriters.com, or Amnesty UK’s Disabled People’s Human Rights Network).
Inviting Disabled people into a campaign is not enough. Disability rights campaigners are also working to invest the necessary time and effort into changing campaign spaces with the tools and knowledge they need to be able to fully integrate Disabled people, and therefore they should be partners and leaders in these spaces.
Here are 3 examples of this effort:
1.Campaign materials need to be accessible. During this year’s SMK National Campaigner Awards, Dr. Mark Brookes of the My Vote My Voice campaign was asked how they got 190 organisations behind the campaign. He said, “First, we built easy-read, accessible information regarding how to vote.” Disability campaigns everywhere are creating easy-read, large print, audio-based, and screen-reader friendly campaign materials.
2.Campaign work needs to be accessible, especially in grassroots organising groups. Disability rights activists are interrogating which labour practices were built around the pillars of white supremacy and the concept of the “ideal worker.” They are incorporating Crip Time, sensory needs, chronic pain adjustments, neurodivergent communication styles, and more into their campaign work. Healing Justice London is a good example of this.
3.Campaigning activities such as protests, conferences, and meetings need to be accessible. Wherever possible, organising groups try to include wheelchair accessibility, seating, quiet rooms, communication facilitation, as well as BSL interpreters and Utility PAs. Scope and the Access Professionals with Lived Experience network provide advice on how to make campaigning activities accessible (for information on APLE, please email Olivia at liv@purplepinwheel.co.uk). Accessibility also includes COVID safety. COVID rates continue to be high and underreported and cause permanent disability in 30% of cases, and Disabled people have a four times higher mortality rate. Disability rights campaigning activities are integrating COVID accessibility measures like hybrid options and required masking and testing (like Amnesty UK’s Disabled People’s Human Rights Network annual event). Breathe Easy London produces guidelines and supports organisers on how to implement this.
I hope you’ve enjoyed these insights and happy Disability Pride Month again!