Social Movements & the Law

Disability justice is a social justice movement which focuses on examining disability and ableism as they relate to other forms of oppression and identity such as race, class and gender.[1] It was developed in 2005 by the Disability Justice Collective, a group including Patty Berne, Mia Mingus, Stacey Milbern, Leroy F. Moore Jr., and Eli Clare.[1] In disability justice, disability is not considered to be defined in "white terms, or male terms, or straight terms."[1] The movement also believes that ableism makes other forms of prejudice possible and that systems of oppression are intertwined.[1] The disability justice framework is being applied to a intersectional reexamination of a wide range of disability, human rights, and justice movements.[2][3][4][5]

The disability rights movement is a global[1][2][3] social movement that seeks to secure equal opportunities and equal rights for all people with disabilities.

Disability studies is an academic discipline that examines the meaning, nature, and consequences of disability. Initially, the field focused on the division between "impairment" and "disability," where impairment was an impairment of an individual's mind or body, while disability was considered a social construct.[1] This premise gave rise to two distinct models of disability: the social and medical models of disability. In 1999 the social model was universally accepted as the model preferred by the field.[2] However, in recent years, the division between the social and medical models has been challenged.[1][3] Additionally, there has been an increased focus on interdisciplinary research.[4] For example, recent investigations suggest using "cross-sectional markers of stratification"[5] may help provide new insights on the non-random distribution of risk factors capable of acerbating disablement processes.[clarification needed]

Invisible disabilities, also known as hidden disabilities or non-visible disabilities (NVD), are disabilities that are not immediately apparent, are typically chronic illnesses and conditions that significantly impair normal activities of daily living.

A disability-rights activist or disability-rights advocate is someone who works towards the equality of people with disabilities. Such a person is generally considered a member of the disability-rights movement and/or the independent-living movement.

This paper challenges the notion of “care”, arguing that people who need support in their daily lives have been constructed as “dependent people”. Instead, the author argues, if we want to empower pe...

History of Disability Justice (Source) The term disability justice was coined out of conversations between disabled queer women of color activists in 2005, including Patty Berne of Sins Invalid (and Mia Mingus & Stacy Milbern, who eventually united with Leroy Moore, Eli Clare, and Sebastian Margaret) seeking to challenge radical and progressive movements to more fully address ableism. "Disability Justice was built because the Disability Rights Movement and Disability Studies do not inherently centralize the needs and experiences of folks experiencing intersectional oppression, such as disabled people of color, immigrants with disabilities, queers with disabilities, trans and gender non-conforming people with disabilities, people with disabilities who are houseless, people with disabilities who are incarcerated, people with disabilities who have had their ancestral lands stolen, amongst others." (Source) Disability justice recognizes the intersecting legacies of white supremacy, colonial capitalism, gendered oppression and ableism in understanding how people's’ bodies and minds are labelled ‘deviant’, ‘unproductive’, ‘disposable’ and/or ‘invalid’.

The ongoing struggle by people with disabilities to gain full citizenship is an important part of our American heritage. The disability rights movement shares many similarities with other 20th-century civil rights struggles by those who have been denied equality, independence, autonomy, and full access to society. This exhibition looks at the efforts - far from over - of people with disabilities, and their families and friends, to secure the civil rights guaranteed to all Americans. These people only want to be treated the same as everyone else. So they often have to fight to be included.

Frédéric Mégret, The Disabilities Convention: Human Rights of Persons with Disabilities or Disability Rights?, Human Rights Quarterly, Vol. 30, No. 2 (May, 2008), pp. 494-516

Google Arts & Culture features content from over 2000 leading museums and archives who have partnered with the Google Cultural Institute to bring the world's treasures online.

In the past two decades Americans with a broad array of physical and mental disabilities have formed a social movement seeking rights for disabled people— the disability rights movement.

National Disability Employment Awareness Month In October, Americans observe National Disability Employment Awareness Month by paying tribute to the accomplishments of the men and women with disabilities whose work helps keep the nation’s economy strong and by reaffirming their commitment to ensure equal opportunity for all citizens.

May is National Mobility Awareness Month. Recognize the disability activists who have worked for inclusion of disabled persons in all aspects of society!

High-profile activists in the area of disability rights activism, many of whom have disabilities themselves, are changing the way Americans think.

Listen The rights that we as a disabled community have – and may even take for granted – have been fought for by disability rights activists, working tirelessly to help […]

Disability rights are fundamental in ensuring that disabled people are able to lead the lives they choose. We take a look at 8 disability rights activists that have changed the world for disabled people across the world.

Ability360 CEO Phil Pangrazio provides a brief overview of disability rights and advocacy spanning from the Renaissance to the eugenics movement and more.

Jeffrey Aaron Snyder and Amna Khalid explore the thorny issues surrounding classroom recordings, “reasonable accommodations” and academic freedom.

List of the most notable and famous Disability rights activists in the world, with photos when available. Most prominent Disability rights activists worldwide and top Disability rights activists in America can be found on this list ordered by their level of prominence,. From reputable Disability...

Accessibility.com provides resources related to digital accessibility for websites, mobile applications, kiosks, documents, and more.

The American Association of People with Disabilities is a convener, connector, and catalyst for change, increasing the political and economic power of people with disabilities.

AAHD is dedicated to improving overall health for people with disabilities through health promotion and wellness.

The Arc promotes and protects the human rights of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).

Doha Debates has original videos, artwork, live shows, and more to help you learn more about disability justice.

The Disability Project is staffed by a multi-racial, cross-class, cross-disability and multi-generational disabled, trans & NBY team. Together we co-lead the project’s work and strategy. We are informed by a Community Advisory Board of trans, NBY and queer disabled and Deaf people who bring additional BIPOC, cross-class and cross-disability leadership to the projects work