Disability Justice Leaders Connect on World Pulse to Create Change

Women in the disability justice movement are turning to World Pulse, a women-led social network, to share stories and spotlight solutions to the most pressing issues and challenges facing women with disabilities today.

What is Disability Justice?

Disability justice is a framework that acknowledges how the intersection of ableism and race, gender, class, and sexuality affects the lives of people with disabilities (1). By centering historically excluded groups, the disability justice movement seeks to advance access and inclusion for everyone with disabilities (2).

The definition of disability is expansive and can include visible disabilities such as missing limbs, invisible chronic illnesses such as lupus or chronic fatigue, mental health conditions like depression and anxiety, and neurodivergence, including autism and ADHD(3). Because people can experience a wide range of disabilities, there is no one way to discuss disability or advocate for disability justice. Disability justice is an important lens to consider within social justice to create a more accessible, inclusive world for all.

What are the 10 principles of disability justice?

There are 10 main disability justice principles (1).

1. Intersectionality — Disabled people have different backgrounds and experiences regarding race, class, sexuality, age, immigration status, and other issues.
2. Leadership of those most impacted — Disability Justice makes a point to center the leadership of the people most impacted by ableism.
3. Anti-capitalist politics — People’s worth does not depend on how much they can produce. All people deserve to have their needs met, regardless of their ability.
4. Cross-movement solidarity — Disability Justice combines with other movements, such as racial justice and environmental justice, to become more united and comprehensive in their advocacy.
5. Recognizing wholeness — The Disability Justice movement holds that disabled people are whole people — they are not less than because of their disability.
6. Sustainability — Disabled activists and advocates steadily work toward justice over time while pacing themselves.
7. Commitment to cross-disability solidarity — Anyone who experiences ableism is included, whether they are chronically ill, neurodiverse, deaf, blind, mentally, intellectually, or developmentally disabled, physically disabled, or have any other disability.
8. Interdependence — This principle centers around building a sense of community among disabled people and organizing together.
9. Collective access — In the Disability Justice movement, access needs are welcomed, respected, and acknowledged.
10. Collective liberation — This principle means envisioning a world that can be created when disabled people with various backgrounds and lived experiences come together to enact a movement of change.

How are World Pulse members contributing to the disability justice movement?

World Pulse is an independent, women-led social network for social change. The network offers women changemakers from 220+ countries the opportunity to connect with each other, share stories and solutions to global problems, and exchange resources.

Women leaders in the disability justice movement are turning to the platform to share personal stories and initiatives that advocate for disability justice.

Here are some of the World Pulse women rising up to share their experiences with disabilities and to provide proven solutions for creating communities where everyone can thrive.

Sif Holst of Denmark advocates for people with disabilities and cultivates allies worldwide.

A disability rights advocate and vice-chair of Disabled People’s Organisations Denmark, Sif Holst works nationally and internationally to secure possibilities for all. On World Pulse, she shares her personal stories and advocates for nurturing everyone’s potential as we build back from the COVID-19 pandemic. She also shares her experience of an airline breaking her wheelchair, urging allies to take action. “Let us all — not just people with disabilities or those very close to us — speak up when we see injustice or when people are denied equal opportunities,” Sif says.

Nain Yuh leverages evidence-based research to create financial opportunities for families of children with disabilities in Cameroon.

As a researcher, Nain Yuh ensures that the rights of people with disabilities are respected, that their needs are met, and that they are included in evidence-based practices. Nain’s recommendations help children with disabilities access the education and support they need. “Our research approach creates more inclusive data about children with disabilities while pushing relevant evidence into households,” Nain says. “It also ensures household data reach decision-makers in health, education, empowerment, livelihood, and social affairs departments.”

Celine Osukwu urges the Nigerian government to protect, educate, and invest in women with disabilities so that they can lead lives with dignity.

The founder of Divine Foundation for Disabled Persons, Celine Osukwu shares the immense challenges she has faced as a woman with angular kyphosis living in an ableist world, but also how she has persevered and now advocates for the lives and dignity of people with disabilities. “Social justice can only be achieved when the world becomes fully inclusive and protective of people with disabilities, especially women like me who are in rural communities and the most vulnerable,” Celine says.

Want to join the conversation on disability justice? Here’s what you can do:

Log on to World Pulse to share your story, discover initiatives you can support, and connect with leaders in the disability justice movement.

The World Pulse platform celebrates and honors the diverse experiences of people with disabilities. We are mobilizing disability justice leaders while creating a more accessible and inclusive online space. At World Pulse, we encourage you to share about your experiences as a person with a disability or share your support for the disability justice movement. From Cameroon to Botswana, India to the Philippines, and beyond, women are sharing their stories and initiatives and connecting to solve disability justice challenges. They are even giving us a blueprint for how to build more inclusive organizations. You can read their stories, comment to share your support, and connect directly to create change. Join us.

Citations

1. World Institute on Disability. From Disability Rights to Disability Justice
2. Disability & Philanthropy Forum. What is Disability Justice?
3. Birthing Advocacy. What You Need to Know About Disability Justice. January 20, 2022.

Originally published at https://www.worldpulse.org.