The Social Model – a force for change “Disabled people is anybody with any impairment who is disabled by the society in which they live.” Alun Davies “It wasn’t your impairments that stopped you. It was the way that society was constructed. It was the way that the buses were inaccessible. It was the way […]
Language is a key element of the Social Model of Disability, with words or phrases often carrying the weight of cultural assumptions, and reflecting and influencing how disabled people are perceived. Liz Crow and Alun Davies share their thoughts. Liz Crow discusses the use of the word ‘crip’ “It was a way of recognising each
02: What’s In A Name? Read more
How did the Disabled People’s Movement get started in Bristol, and how did it start to change people’s lives? It is not possible to pinpoint the exact moment that the movement took off in Bristol. Was it at its first public meeting? Or its first public demonstration? Or at the planning meetings to arrange either
Activism is, on the one hand, about unity and mutual support, but it inevitably also embraces conflict – even among those working primarily towards the same goals. What was the effect of these very different forces on the personal journeys of Disability Rights activists? Unity Paul Sullivan sums up the positive impact Disability Rights activism
04: Support & Conflict Read more
How have attitudes towards Disabled people been affected by disability activism – both positively and negatively? And how has the ‘of’ and ‘for’ debate, including the ideological differences between ‘of’ and ‘for’ organisations, impacted on the agenda for change? “I think we’ve spent so much time on trying to improve attitudes and trying to make
05: Changing Attitudes / Looking Outside the Movement Read more
“One of the things about campaigning is that we always must celebrate what we’re doing and celebrate our achievements. They may not be huge, but they must be embraced as we go along so that we don’t forget what we did.” Meryl Gaskell “It’s been about change, it’s been about empowerment, it’s been about enabling
Roger Berry describes some of the Parliamentary battles that took place to move disability rights towards the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 and the Equality Act 2010. “I first got engaged in the Disability Rights Movement when I was an Avon County Councillor back in the late ’80s, early ’90s. We had a Disability Advisory Group
Accessible transport was a key target area for disability activism. Two activists tell their stories. “It wasn’t a breach of the Disability Discrimination Act, because that only covered the vehicle, not the right to access it.” Will Bee Transport services were, says Will Bee, exempt from the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA), and provisions that
Activism is about both support and conflict, and embracing each other’s points of view. This is certainly true in education. Here we look at different approaches to the same goal of equality for all. Ruth Pickersgill, Will Bee and Hilary Sutherland share their views “I strongly believe that the best model of education is for
09: Special schools or mainstream education? Read more
Our interviewees give their thoughts on the future of disability activism and disability equality – what needs to be done, and how. “We need a collective voice” Paul Sullivan Paul Sullivan feels the key to the future of disability activism lies in collaboration – but warns that, in his experience, Disabled people are losing their
10: Where do we go from here? Read more