Disability Rights Activism for Student Leaders

by QueerAbility

 

CW: slurs against disabled people

 

The disability community is the only minority group one can enter at anytime. For example, you might get into a car accident tomorrow and become disabled. Additionally, the Centers for Disease Control estimates that 1 in 5 people have a disability, which means that 1 in 5 LGBTQ people have a disability. It is important to ensure that LGBTQ spaces are inclusive of LGBTQ people with disabilities. This guide contains just a few suggestions to make sure your events and spaces are inclusive of those with disabilities.

What Are Disability Rights?

Disability rights is a movement to advance inclusion of people with disabilities in our communities. People with disabilities have the right to self-determination and equal opportunity at school, work, and anywhere else we might be.

Disability Etiquette Do’s and Don’ts

 DO use respectful terminology.

In addition to slurs like “retard” and “cripple”, avoid terms like “special needs”, “challenged”, “handicapable”, “handicapped”, and “differently abled” . “Disabled person” and “person with a disability” are both acceptable ways to refer to people with disabilities. However, as is the case with pronouns, ask people what language they prefer.

DON’T treat people with disabilities as inspiring for simply existing.

Disabled people can and do attend work or school, go grocery shopping, and generally carry out their own lives (shocking, I know!).

DO respect a person with a disability’s privacy.

Don’t ask questions you wouldn’t be comfortable answering yourself. In some ways, the objectification of disabled people is similar to that of trans people. As a rule of thumb, unless you’re someone’s doctor or planning to be intimate with them, you don’t need to know any specifics about their body!

“Nothing About Us Without Us”

The first thing you should do to be inclusive is to include LGBTQ people with disabilities in your leadership whenever possible. “Nothing About Us Without Us” has been the motto of disability rights activists for decades, and it continues to be used today. People with disabilities know what is best for themselves and others with disabilities, and it is important to listen to them.

Learn Disability Rights History

The disability rights movement, much like the LGBTQ rights movement, has a rich history of struggles and victories for the civil rights of people with disabilities.  Learn about the fight for important pieces of legislation like the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act as well as notable disability rights advocates like Judith Heumann and Ed Roberts.

Make All of Your Meetings and Events Accessible

When planning a meeting or event, make sure that it is accessible.

Physical Access Needs

• Wheelchair ramps at every entrance
• Working elevators
• Braille signage on doors and handouts
• Wheelchair accessible bathrooms
• ASL (American Sign Language) interpretation
• CART (Communication Access and Real-time Translation) services
• Plenty of outlets to charge power-chairs and AAC* devices

Social Communication and Sensory Access Needs

• Social communication badges*
• Non-fluorescent lighting*
• Designated smoking areas for outdoor events
• Crash room*

*AAC stands for Augmented and Assistive Communication and is used by people with disabilities that prevent them from verbally communicating. Social communication badges indicate the level of social interaction a person with a disability desires and from whom. A link to a PDF with details is found below. Fluorescent lighting can be overwhelming for people with sensory processing disabilities. A crash room is for people with sensory processing disabilities to decompress from sensory overload.

http://autisticadvocacy.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/ColorCommunicationBadges.pdf

Build Coalitions With Disability Rights Groups On Your Campus

Building coalitions and working collaboratively with other groups on campus builds your group and strengthens your movement. The LGBTQ and disability communities have a lot in common. We can make a bigger impact if we work together! For example, does your LGBTQ group plan to have an anti-bullying initiative? See if the disability groups on campus want to collaborate and join resources!

 

This guide was created by Queerability in collaboration with Campus Pride. Queerability is an LGBTQ and disability rights advocacy organization run by for LGBTQ people with disabilities and works to ensure that the voices of LGBTQ people with disabilities are heard in the conversation around LGBTQ and disability. 

For more information about Queerability check out www.facebook.com/qability and http://queerability.tumblr.com