Disability Allyship Basics
The Disability Community is large and diverse so it is important to realize that not everyone’s experience is similar but there are some basic tenants to think about when you want to engage with the disability community. Culture also plays a role in how people with disabilities frame their experiences.
Understand the difference between advocacy and allyship: in the past, there have been many non-disabled “advocates” for people with disabilities who it was thought or assumed that their role was to advocate for the disability community. Being an ally- asking and understanding what the disability community needs and wants and spotlighting disability leaders is what is needed. Disability advocacy needs to come from people with disabilities.
Think about access before someone asks about accommodations: Disabled folks are savvy and spend time considering if they want to engage with your organization before we interact with you. If your meeting is at a physically inaccessible location, we might not even consider asking you about moving it. Read up on ways to improve access for in-person and virtual meetings.
But don’t assume that someone needs an accommodation- Ask them. Disability is diverse and also a continuum or a spectrum so accommodations should be too.
Improved access benefits everyone: Often referred to as the “curb-cut” effect, many times accommodations made for people with disabilities also improve the lives of others. Captioning, elevators, and plain language are just a few examples of things that may be provided due to the rights that the disability community has fought for.
Avoid Inspiration Porn: Disability elder Stella Young coined this term that creates scenarios of people with disabilities as objects of pity in visual media. Another great resource is Critical Axis which explores representation across all media.
Understand Microaggressions: people with disabilities do not need your pity.
Pass the MIC: not unlike other movements, the disability community has been led by those with greater privilege than others in the past. We understand that we have also contributed to racism, ableism, and other injustices and try to spotlight disabled people of color, especially women, for their contributions.
Understand that Disability is not a bad word: Disability as a term is embedded in civil rights law. Take cues from people on how they want to be referred to. There are some preferences on how someone describes themselves (identify-first or person first) but avoid what I call “head patter” language like special or challenged or other offensive terms.
Allison Lourash is a disabled community scholar-practitioner interested in social capital, people with disabilities, and community-based approaches which were the focus of her doctoral dissertation. She has spent her career in the human services and education sectors managing programs and projects supporting people with disabilities. Allison is also involved in numerous projects with the Asset-Based Community Development Institute at DePaul University. Allison can be reached at Allison@lourash.com