Hi my lovelies, welcome to Disability Allyship.
This newsletter is about all things disability and allyship, to give you a fresh perspective and advice that you can implement immediately to make your world more inclusive of disabled people.
Thank you so much for reading and subscribing. If you are finding value in this newsletter do please share with your network. Let’s send ripples of disability inclusion all around the globe.
#Thought - Are colourful crossings safe?
(Image from PinkNews)
[ID: A closeup of a road crossing that has been painted in Trans Flag colours of pink, blue and white.]
As a member of a marginalised group I am very aware of my responsibility (and desire) to be a good ally for other marginalised groups of people, including people in the LGBTQAI+ community. Not that it should matter, but I have friends and family members who belong in this marginalised group and I will protect them and stand up for them for as long as I have the power to do so (basically until I’m dead).
Therefore, as part of my allyship for the Transgender community I love to see moments where trans people are celebrated and made to feel seen and heard. Such as having the flag painted across roads in areas of London. This is a very visible stance by London to show that trans people are welcome, raising the awareness of transgender issues and representation.
When it comes to allyship, however, it can’t come at the expense of another marginalised group. I am a firm believer that we have to support each other, stand by each other, and this includes making allyship and activism accessible for disabled people. In this case, the flag as a road crossing is proving problematic for many disabled people, including disability activist Dr Amy Kavanagh, who wrote “that she was a supporter of trans rights, but that her guide dog had been confused at a colour crossing, branding them ‘inaccessible for me’.”
We see a lot of ableism in this world where good intentions are meant. And unfortunately this is a case of ableism happening as part of a very important cause. This isn’t the first time that a colourful crossing has caused issues, colourful crossings have been painted in other areas of the UK, with many of the same accessibility issues reported. And it is hurtful to the disabled community when these concerns get ignored or brushed under the carpet. There are simple fixes, simple ways that this could be changed to still represent and celebrate trans people - why not paint the trans flag on walls or have them painted around light posts, why not invite disabled trans people into the conversation around design and access of allyship initiatives, etc.
What are your thoughts on this? Do you think that the flag crossings should stay, go, or be changed to something more accessible, such as painting it on walls around town instead?
#Action - Don’t teach your kids fear of disability.
(Photo by Bailey Torres on Unsplash)
[ID: two black children, a boy wearing a grey hoodie is looking off into the distance and a girl wearing a pink shirt and chewing on her necklace is looking intrigued."]
Often, when I am out in public, young children will do a double take as I walk past, tug on their parent’s sleeve and ask “why does that lady have a short arm?” Instantly the parent will cringe, glance apologetically to me, shush their child, and drag them away… far away. It can be a very awkward moment for everyone involved, but it doesn’t have to be.
What you have to understand is that the moment you cringe, shush, and drag your child away, your child is learning that disability is something shameful. You are teaching your child that disability is something to run away from, to hide from, to ignore. Many parents I have spoken to have asked - how then should I respond when my child points out a person’s disability?
Take the moment as an opportunity to talk about and celebrate difference. I remember one time when this happened, a parent didn’t do the cringe, shush and drag technique, instead the parent agree with their child that I had an arm missing, and then proceeded to talk about how everyone is different and how wonderful that was. What a powerful lesson for that child.
Want something scripted to say? Try these out next time your child points out a disabled person:
“Yes, that man is in a wheelchair, his wheelchair is like his legs, it helps him get from A to B, how great is that!”
or
“Yes, that lady does have a short arm, every single person in the world looks different, I have black hair and you have brown hair, Aunty Jane wears glasses and Grandpa Jo has brown skin. How wonderful that we are all different and unique.”
#Mood - Climate Change, Cars and Disability.
(Photo by Erik Odiin on Unsplash)
[ID: a blue Volkswagen Beetle is parked beside a curb and grey wall.)
As you know I have been very invested in COP26 the past two weeks, especially from a disability perspective. Climate change and the climate chaos it will bring, frankly, terrifies me. It terrifies me as a disabled person, for myself and my community, it terrifies my for my nieces and nephews (and great-nephews) as we are not leaving them an optimistic life for the future. However, climate justice has to be rooted in disability justice (just as disability justice has to be rooted in climate justice) as any justice without disability is exclusive and silences more than 15% of the global population.
My anxiety flared this week as I read this article from the Guardian:
‘What if we just gave up cars?’: COP26 Leaders Urged to Dream Big.
Activists asked governments to ‘have a deeper rethink about the role of cars.’ At protests held on Wednesday, activists called for greater funding for public transport, walking and cycling paths. Their argument was that a ‘green revolution’ was promised during the pandemic, away from cars, that never actually materialised.
In the article the point of view is predominately from that of cyclists and how they would still feel unsafe even with only electric cars on the road. Nancy Henderson, a protester from Glasgow exclaimed, “going electric doesn’t change the blight of cars in our cities. We are still isolated in our little booth, not communicating, not meeting other people.” And at a separate pro-cycling protest, ‘activists held signs reading “Electric cars are a Cop out” and “Car car car blah blah blah”.’
There was no point of view from that of disabled climate change activists or disabled activists represented in the article at all, which would have offered an alternative view to the pro-cycling activists that seemed to have forgotten about disabled people completely. (Perhaps they need to sign up to Disability Allyship right??)
Without any disabled voice at the protests and in the article, to speak up for continued awareness and consideration of accessibility for all climate change solutions, I felt diminished, unheard and scared. Yep, scared. If cars were completely abolished that would mean no private cars, no taxis, no option for transport other than bike, bus or train. Not all disabled people can use a bike, use a bus, or use a train - me included! I felt scared because I suddenly saw my world diminish, not just because of climate change, but because of eco-ableism that would say my life ceases to matter in the striving to save this world.
Please remember, when calling for sustainable and environmentally friendly changes to our lives, that disabled people don’t always have the luxury to choose their transport, to choose how they are included in life. Maybe, just maybe it is time to ensure that disabled people do get a say in the climate change movement.
#News - Olay create an open source accessible lid.
(Image from Olay)
[ID: two Olay jars, one red and the other purple, have the easy open lid on. The lids are white and circular, with two wing like tabs sticking out the sides, and braille on top of the lids.]
What I love about being an editor of magazines is that I get a lot of press releases, and I was really excited when I got a press release about a new design of the Olay Regenerist Skin Cream… I felt so seen I can’t even explain it!
I could say it is about time Olay, that you realised it’s time to change - but the cynic in me has been quashed by the pure excitement of finally, finally, a large beauty company has recognised that disabled people like to look after their skin and wear makeup as well. And this lid for their cream is so inclusive and so well thought out. Looking at it I know instantly that I will be able to open it, that many people with limited hand dexterity will be able to open it. But what I also love is that they have included braille on top of the lid as well. It isn’t just one particular demographic of the disability community that they have focused on, it’s multiple demographics.
The other part of this news I love is that Olay are sharing their creation with other beauty businesses. The lid is an open-source design, meaning that other beauty brands can use and even modify the design to fit their own needs. This is inclusion and allyship by a big company at its best.
Please feel free to comment, let’s keep the conversation going. And please feel free to share on your socials, through email, etc. Also, do let me know if there is anything in particular you would like me to discuss or look at, am always happy for suggestions.
Why not follow me on Twitter, Instagram, Linkedin (I’m not on Tik Tok yet, frankly that platform scares the pants off me). Also, if you would like to book a speaker or consultant on all things disability, ableism, inclusion, accessibility, etc, pop me a line here - elizabeth@elizabethwright.net
Check out the magazines I edit - Disability Review Magazine, Not Your Monolith, and Conscious Being for more thoughts, advice, and insight into disability lived experience.
Liz x