What YOU need to know about the disability community
"What YOU need to know about the disability community," in the centre with blue lines above and below title on a navy background with a white border.
What do you think when you see the words “disability community”?
The most straightforward answer is a community of people with disabilities and it is correct. However, when working to improve the quality of life of people with disabilities, what is perceived and what is needed is an important distinction. By being a person with disabilities and working in the disability space, perception of the disability community is that it is an homogeneous group that agrees on the same issues and agrees with the identity. That is far from the reality.
What should you know about the disability community?
There is a diversity within disabilities. There are different types of disabilities from physical, mental, sensory, cognitive, development, and dynamic disabilities. There can be people who have one disability, multiple disabilities, permanent or temporary. Other factors that intersect with disability such as age, race, ethnicity, religion, gender, and sex all influence the experience of disability.
There are different needs and expectations for each disability. Going through all of them will essentially be a book but the importance of understanding that there are both solutions needed for universal design and options for individual needs are critical for success. There are also expectations such as who prefers first-person approach to identity labels and who prefers disability identity first. For example it is more common to say persons with disabilities or people who use a wheelchair but the same logic would not apply to say autistic person or Deaf person where that specific community prefers the disability identity first.
Not all people within and between communities agree. Within the disability community, there are many small communities typically divided by type of disability and can be more divided into the intersectionality of experiences. Due to the wide range of personal and group experiences, what is considered the best solution for one specific group may not reflect what others communities feel is important. This is why when considering the disability community, there are many representatives as what one disability may experience and provide as solutions can be barriers to another disability.
The amount of collaboration to get policy on the table. Since there are so many disabilities and experiences, a strong level of collaboration is necessary to ensure that everyone can have that inclusive and accessible experience. So, members of the disability community, typically representing different disability experiences, come together to find solutions that can improve the quality of life for all.
Why is it important to know the points above about the disability community?
The value of everyone involved. The collaboration and teamwork that is required to push forward solutions and policy requires the understanding of the core goals of accessibility, inclusion, equity, and the quality of life of persons with disabilities. In order for this to happen, there is a recognition of the importance of everyone involved in the process.
The difference in expectations and realities. While society likes to make disability visible, it is crucial to remember that not all disabilities are visible. This expectation and realities comparison is with the efforts of the disability community showcasing experiences to highlight the need for proper solutions based on realities, not expectations.
Accessibility is not equal with the different communities. The initial perception that the disability community is homogenous and agree on the same solutions is part of the issue. For many people, the traditional approach to accessibility solutions do not always have every type of disability in mind leading to inaccessibility. Access awareness is important to ensure that everyone can be included in society.
Amanda