Lara O’Donoghue

LSJ 346 A
March 18, 2021

Contributing to a stronger disability movement: a revision of “Bridging the Gap”

Having reviewed the Leonard Cheshire Disability’s (LCD) strategic plan “Bridging the Gap”, I

recommend that they should focus on Target Five: contributing to a stronger disability

movement. Given their extended deadline for 2021, I believe that pooling their resources should

meet an end of maximal impact for the target that has the most reach to issues that their other

targets are concerned with. I argue that Target Five sits at the root of all of their other targets

(developing models of inclusion, influencing policy for greater inclusion and rights for persons

with disabilities, undertaking research on poverty and disability, and promoting youth leadership

amongst young people with disabilities) and, as such, should be treated as the most important.

LCD outline Target Five as working alongside ‘development, academic and resource partners

and stakeholders’ to achieve global development policies and goals. This strategy aims to create

the most sustainable, effective, and collaborative results via engagement with the general public

and partnerships. In turn, this will create a stronger disability movement that will have an impact

on both a regional and an international scale. (LCD, p.26). A strong disability movement lies at

the core of any major societal change regarding disability rights. Without a clear message to

spearhead progression in human rights, human-centered design, and equitable opportunities,

persons without disabilities and able-bodied individuals may continue to block accessibility for

people with disabilities. It is imperative to first tackle this misguided, and oftentimes ignorant,

rhetoric, to then pursue other targets laid out by the LCD in a more rigorous manner further

down the line.

To illustrate this point, I ask you to consider Cassandra Hartblay’s “I Was Never Alone; or

Oporniki”. The ethnographer’s essay addresses, quite clearly, the ways in which non-disabled

individuals and institutions have consistently spoken on behalf of persons with disabilities and

hold ownership of the narratives which influence society. The portrayal of persons with

disabilities all too often paints a picture of isolated, lonely, separated individuals when, although

marginalization and oppression are certainly rife, people who have disabilities are not ‘alone’

(Hartblay, p.93). What connects such individuals is the shared experience of facing the

dominating attitudes of the non-disabled community and reclaiming one’s disability as a source

of strength (Hartblay, p.95). Accurately assessing the reality of living with a disability and giving

voice to those people who have disabilities is a major component in strengthening disability

movements. One aspect of this may include hiring actors and consultants with disabilities in the

entertainment industry. In doing so, able-bodied people take a step back from controlling the

narrative, and we can take a step forward in developing models of inclusion on top of Target

Five.

Further, this approach must include a holistic review of any culture in which it acts, from the

perspective of that culture. In order for Target Five to achieve success on both regional and

international scales, we must look at “global configurations of power in relation to disability”

(Hartblay, p.89). By focusing on strengthening an international disability movement, we can

tackle areas of intersectionality between disability and poverty at the same time. One root of

these issues is the processes of colonialism, neo-colonialism and postcolonialism (Meekosha,

Intro, p.2). In strengthening global disability movements, it will be easier to work towards
international relations with a view to correcting disability inequalities. For example, medical,

pharmaceutical, and prosthetics suppliers in certain countries currently produce goods that are

financially inaccessible to those who need them as a result of actions against the global south on

part of the global north (Meekosha, p.15). By putting their voices at the center of focus moving

forward, through a strong disability movement, these inequalities can be addressed more

efficiently in the long run.

On a similar note, across the developed world and the Global South, disability rights movements

have been campaigning for access, inclusion and human rights (Cobley, Foreward, p.2).

Recognition of a strong disability movement, combined with an understanding of disability

rights as fundamental human rights, has produced disability rights as a top development priority

(Cobley, p.1). Without developing the disability movement, [game-changing] achievements such

as the adoption of the 2006 UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities would not

be attainable (Cobley, P.1). Although it is crucial that societies design approaches to include

persons with disabilities and values such individuals as “citizens with equal rights”, as I touched

upon earlier, we must reclaim the societal narrative in order to combat ignorant and exclusionary

attitudes implicitly adopted by non-disabled people and institutions first. (Cobley, p.63).

Moreover, by contributing to a stronger disability movement, we are able to promote youth

leadership amongst young people with disabilities. Consider one disability movement, the

Independent Living Movement (ILM). The ILM was formed by a small group of students with

disabilities at UC Berkeley, with the main objective of supporting people with disabilities to live
independent lives within mainstream society to the fullest (Cobley, pp.63-64). Within their first

ten years, ILM grew to create over 200 Centres for Independent Living across America, and was

run by, and was inclusive of, people with all types of disabilities and impairments (Cobley, p.64).

This displays a clear instance of when having a strong disability movement, with a concise

message, not only benefits members of our societies but also allows people with disabilities to

access leadership opportunities that may otherwise be unattainable in a world dominated by

individuals without disabilities or impairments. Stories like those of the ILM will only continue

to arise should we focus on creating a clear, concise, and accurate message in a strong disability

movement both regionally and internationally.

In understanding that positive impacts occur upon all four other targets, should LCD pursue

contribution to a stronger disability movement over the period of 2021, it is clear to see that this

is absolutely the most important target to focus on. By assigning all resources to Target Five, we

can develop models of inclusion, influence policy for greater inclusion and rights for persons

with disabilities, undertake research on poverty and disability, and promote youth leadership

amongst people with disabilities all at the same time. Not only this, but a clear message and

mutually supportive body now will lead to more successful and efficient projects in the future,

but these things are all reliant on Target Five. I hope that Leonard Cheshire Disability takes my

revision of their strategic plan, “Bridging the Gap”, into serious consideration.