FAQs - DISABILITY JUSTICE
WHAT IS DISABILITY JUSTICE?
People with disabilities face societal and institutional barriers in all aspects of their lives. As a result of activism by disabled people, disability rights legislation has been passed in some countries. Yet disabled people still face discrimination and abuse that make it difficult for them to gain access to basic human rights. Disability justice recognizes the intersectionality of identities and works to eliminate institutional, societal, and physical barriers for all oppressed communities.
HOW IS IT RELEVANT TO ALTERNATIVE FASHION?
Disabled people experience exclusion from communities and are underrepresented in media. Alternative fashion is a form of self-expression that people with disabilities deserve to participate in without encountering discrimination, erasure, and hate.
HOW CAN THE ALTERNATIVE FASHION COMMUNITY BE MORE INCLUSIVE?
Do your research on disability etiquette and how to advocate for disability justice. Refrain from using slang that is derogatory towards disabled people and giving unsolicited advice to them. Elevate alternative fashionistas with disabilities and make space for their representation.
Books & Articles
“What is Disability Justice?” by Patty Berne
Blackness and Disability: Critical Examinations and Cultural Interventions by Christopher M Bell
Crip Theory: Cultural Signs of Queerness and Disability by Robert McRuer
Disability Visibility edited by Alice Wong
Intersections of Disability Justice by Catherine Jampel
VIDEOS & PODCASTS
No Body Is Disposable by Barnard Center for Research on Women and Sins Invalid
Disability Visibility
Conversations on disability politics, culture, and media.