Our approach to access
At the Global Narrative Hive, we recognise that we are all as diverse as our embodied experiences. There is no standard and finite ‘checklist’ to tick off per activity, resource, or event that will allow us to finally ‘achieve’ full accessibility for everyone. Instead, our focus will be on continuously broadening access by building relationships, asking questions, deep listening, curiosity, learning and flexibility in supporting the particular needs of those we enter into relationships with.
A political commitment to disability justice(1) means we commit to enhancing access as a way to disrupt and challenge what is assumed to be the ‘norm’ in how people engage, move through the world, learn, connect and communicate. We know that this norm is constructed around the experiences and priorities of those who are white, neurotypical, able-bodied, cisgender and heteronormative, among others. We choose to question these normative assumptions by prioritising interdependence, collective care, and intersectional perspectives that recognise the interlocking systems of domination that impact how each of us experience the world.
When we speak about accessibility, we are imagining much more than just physical access. A disability justice approach to access goes beyond the physical realm alone and includes looking at neurodiversity, language, chronic illness, gender, class, immigration status, race and many other aspects in how we and others we connect with engage with the world, as well as how these all interact. It seeks to dismantle ableist norms in how the world is structured and in the assumptions we make about people’s body/minds.
Making our resources, conversations, events and meetings more accessible also entails a commitment in terms of resources (financial, time and energy-wise), it requires forward thinking and planning in terms of budgeting and adaptability in how we organise our activities.
There is no one size fits all approach; what we do will depend on who is involved and their needs, what the activity is and what resources are available. We are aware that access needs will depend from person to person and may even conflict; this requires creative and flexible approaches that don’t always offer easy or available solutions.
We know we won’t always get it right, we’ll make mistakes along the way and there will always be (un)learning to do. This will require continuously tweaking how we work. And finally, we know that having limited resources means that we won’t always be able to meet everyone’s access needs. When we’re unable to do so, we will always strive to be honest and communicate openly about what is possible, the limitations we face and where/how we allocate our resources.
In doing this work, we’re guided by these words shared by Sins Invalid:
“As with other forms of oppression, we are steeped in ableism and likely are going to reinforce and/or replicate it despite our thinking ahead. And, as with other forms of oppression, we need to be non-defensive when receiving feedback. Defensiveness creates unnecessary barriers to cross movement building. Regrettably, people leave movement building / community building or stop attending events when met with defensiveness, so please be receptive to feedback and give thanks for the gift that it is.” (Sins Invalid)
And finally — some things we’re already doing (this will be updated several times a year to as a commitment to being transparent about process of broadening accessibility in practice):
- Languages: we commit to making our resources available in English, Spanish and French (our ‘base languages’). We will also translate into additional languages depending on the context, funds, capacity and audiences we’re trying to reach (for example Arabic, Portuguese, Russian). We recognise that our base languages are still colonial languages, and we commit to expanding our language offer beyond this on a case by case basis. Although we commit to making significant funds available for translation, our budget is unfortunately not infinite and will need to be considered when making these decisions.
- Glossary: development of a glossary and editorial guidelines to share with interpreters, translators, writers. Briefing of all translators and interpreters on terminology.
- Access needs: leaving space for participants to share access needs in registration forms, this includes for example captioning, sign language interpretation, sharing transcripts or turning off ‘blurred’ background settings. Ensuring a staff member regularly checks these and coordinates with any participants making requests.
- Stipends: providing stipends for participants in learning cohorts to be able to access the internet.
- Visas and travel: ensuring any participants in in person convenings receive support with visa applications and travel as needed. Covering costs related to travel for example applying for a passport. Covering costs for taxis where public transport is not accessible.
- Immigration status: considering participants who may be undocumented or have an immigration status that makes it complex or impossible for them to travel to certain areas. Staying flexible in selecting meeting locations and in involving those who cannot attend in person.
- Time zones: organising virtual sessions at different times, to ensure access across different time zones.
- Criminalisation and legal restrictions: being aware of legal frameworks in countries where we work or host convenings and ensuring we host meetings in places where participants will be safe.
(1) Disability Justice: “Disability justice is a term and a movement-building framework (i.e. a way of envisioning the ways people can organize around and think about disability) that centers the lives and leadership of disabled Black, Indigenous and people of color and/or queer, trans, Two Spirit and gender non- conforming people” (Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha)
