Nothing about us without us- a living philosophy...
Shortly before we arrived, India's prominant leader fighting for disability rights died. Javed Abidi spent his life using every means possible to improve the lives of PWDs (people with disabilities). One of those efforts was to encourage and recruit young disabled Indians to be the voice of the Disablity Rights Group as one example. We need to be continuously informed by this group in our work if we are going to get anything right. Allyship is through action, not adopting the lable of ally and it goes quite well with "everyday research" traditions and perspectives we work with.
Inclusion of disability in the Right to Education policy in India was one fight Abidi took on which brings us to a question about how the most common comment we get is that disability is only one of many marginalizing forces. We seem to have to argue for why disability issues should be given a place at the table. The thought crosses my mind everyday that in our societies there are tons of social questions that need attention and change.
The hard part is how something so obvious to me isn't at all so for others and even a bit provoking to them.
At least when someone is provoked they are paying attention, but can we actually listen to each other? Are we academic activists? That provokes a lot of people right there putting those two words in the same sentence. Will the term "cross-disability movement" open up for understanding in "cross-marginaliztion"? I am wondering if those who question a call to focus on disability personally know any PWDs. I have some doubts.
A quote from Javed Abidi sums it up.
"There is work to do and I don't have enough time to build consensus and please everyone. I will not be alive to see the change but I don't want the future generations of people with disabilities to experience an India that does not inclued them."
Me neither.
My thoughts on cross-disability rights efforts go in line with being able to draw on experiences of oppression and exclusion which I have personally experienced. Thinking about differentness is what it takes. Let's do some more thinking.
Shortly before we arrived, India's prominant leader fighting for disability rights died. Javed Abidi spent his life using every means possible to improve the lives of PWDs (people with disabilities). One of those efforts was to encourage and recruit young disabled Indians to be the voice of the Disablity Rights Group as one example. We need to be continuously informed by this group in our work if we are going to get anything right. Allyship is through action, not adopting the lable of ally and it goes quite well with "everyday research" traditions and perspectives we work with.
Inclusion of disability in the Right to Education policy in India was one fight Abidi took on which brings us to a question about how the most common comment we get is that disability is only one of many marginalizing forces. We seem to have to argue for why disability issues should be given a place at the table. The thought crosses my mind everyday that in our societies there are tons of social questions that need attention and change.The hard part is how something so obvious to me isn't at all so for others and even a bit provoking to them.
At least when someone is provoked they are paying attention, but can we actually listen to each other? Are we academic activists? That provokes a lot of people right there putting those two words in the same sentence. Will the term "cross-disability movement" open up for understanding in "cross-marginaliztion"? I am wondering if those who question a call to focus on disability personally know any PWDs. I have some doubts.
A quote from Javed Abidi sums it up.
"There is work to do and I don't have enough time to build consensus and please everyone. I will not be alive to see the change but I don't want the future generations of people with disabilities to experience an India that does not inclued them."
Me neither.
My thoughts on cross-disability rights efforts go in line with being able to draw on experiences of oppression and exclusion which I have personally experienced. Thinking about differentness is what it takes. Let's do some more thinking.
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