Well-being And Equity At The Intersection Of Disability, Racial, Economic And Age-related Justice | |
Photo Credit: Stacey Wegley | |
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"True inclusion is to value people equally, regardless of their abilities. Happiness comes from acceptance of frailties."
-Tom Shakespeare
social scientist and bioethicist.
Aeon Magazine
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By Somava Saha
President and CEO, WE in the World; Executive Lead Well Being In the Nation (WIN) Network
As this year comes to a close, I invite all of us into an intersectional conversation about well-being and equity–at the intersection of disability, racial, economic and age-related justice. Often, we approach these as separate issues–and even the way we measure these as demographic factors separates rather than connects. In the lives of our communities, these are deeply connected issues. People of color who experience inequities will bear a disproportionate burden of disability. Those who experience trauma as a result of any form of marginalization will experience mental health issues that may result in hidden disability. And those who experience both overt and hidden disabilities will earn less throughout their life span, creating less generational wealth to exacerbate existing racial and class-based wealth gaps.
When we don’t think intersectionally and in an asset-based way, we miss the gifts of what an inclusive world offers us–one in which we understand children not to be different but neurodivergent, one in which we can see lived experience as a potent force for creating abundance in the world, one in which the embrace of different forms of ability brings new ways of seeing and understanding the world and offers us a way to create social spaces that embrace all of us in the fullest of our humanity.
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We also don’t focus on the power that is unleashed when we bring movements to create dignity and inclusion in one space into others–when we show up for one another in ways that create unprecedented solidarity for well-being, that recognizes why our collective thriving is connected with the well-being of one another. Whether it is learning how each of our movements have won major victories–ADA legislation as a hallmark for civil rights, LGBTQ rights as a hallmark for gender rights–or how we learn to show up for one another. The picture here, taken at a Black Lives Matter protest, highlights how powerful it can be when we choose to show up for one another.
WIN is multiracial, multigenerational, multisectoral, grassroots to grasstops–that is creating a connected movement for well-being and equity in the world. This WIN Digest issue celebrates the contributions of many toward an intersectional world with a focus on saluting the wins of those who have worked at the intersection of disability justice and another form of justice. We especially salute the disability justice community for leading conversations and work around intersectional change–and commit to joining with you to create the vital conditions we all need to thrive.
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Questions With An Expert - Jennifer Erkulwater
This interview focuses on the politics of poverty, Social Security and disability rights.
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Creating Inclusive Workplaces for All | Catarina Rivera | TEDxRolandPark
In this powerful talk, Catarina Rivera tells us ...how to make workplaces better for everyone by prioritizing disability inclusion
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By Community Commons
The disabled community has made great strides in advancing accessibility and equity, but disabled people still face disproportionately negative health and mental health outcomes. Long histories of misunderstanding, abuse, lack of care, stigmatization, discrimination, and unequal rights have created deep inequities for people with disabilities. Disabled people are significantly more likely to live in poverty, experience trauma, face barriers to care, and struggle with suicidal ideation than their able-bodied peers. Disabled people who are living in poverty, located in rural communities, LGBTQ+, Black, Indigenous, and/or of color often struggle the most to thrive due to compounding marginalizations.
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Must-Listen Conversations For You! | |
Health And Social Equity for People With Disabilities | This episode differentiates the medical and social models of Disability and provides insight and evidence from research aiming to improve disability awareness and inclusion via new training programs with an aim to ultimately reduce barriers and improve healthcare for people with disabilities. | |
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Disability Health Equity And Health Implementation Science
This episode focuses on understanding, identifying and addressing disparities in care delivered to patients with disabilities and uses patient-informed data to address disparities via pragmatic and sustainable changes such as documenting disability in the electronic health record to inform accommodations.
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AAMC Center For Health Justice Supports Revisions To Make HHS Programs More Accessible
Nov. 17, 2023
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On Nov. 13, the AAMC Center for Health Justice submitted comments to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on proposed updates to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in HHS programs or activities. | |
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Am I Disabled?
Aeon Magazine
| The legislation around disability is ... supposed to be about ensuring equality, not bestowing scarce and unearned social goods. In practice, though, disabled needs are treated as ‘special’, and the support is offered as ‘additional’. Special, additional and, from a capitalist point of view, a poor investment, since disabled bodies are rarely the most productive. What does it mean then, to consider yourself a disabled person? | |  |
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We Are All Frail
Aeon Magazine
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Identity politics leads us into dangerous byways. It stresses what divides us from others. It can easily turn into sectarianism.
Disability justice demands removing social and cultural barriers, but also attending to mental and physical needs and limitations. We can now do so much about both, thanks to medicine, and architecture, and education, technological developments, and antidiscrimination law.
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The Universal Design Ideal
Inclusion, after all, is a version of justice. The design of a physical space indicates both who is welcome and what behaviours are expected there. Design is fundamental to more inclusive societal structures because it establishes – and can revise – deeply embedded and often unspoken cultural and cognitive defaults. inclusive design must incorporate ‘the participation of excluded communities’ in the design process itself; the excluded are the experts on mismatches.
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Did You Vote On WIN Measures? | |
Well-being in the Nation (WIN) Measures help us understand underlying reasons why things are not how they should be. These Measures are agreed upon by relevant stakeholders like you, community leaders, policymakers, and many others as the standard set of measures to track population health and the social determinants of health.
The domains under the WIN Measures, like lifelong learning, basic needs for health and safety, and humane housing, determine how well we can thrive. This is why measuring these important indicators is crucial and why lending your voice and vote is even more crucial.
Voting wraps up on December 15th!
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5 Actions Nonprofits Can Take To Embrace Disability Rights and Access | |
Understanding and embedding disability rights into our work as nonprofits and funders is a multifaceted, ever-evolving process. When the Ford Foundation pledged to make addressing disability part of our larger commitment to tackling inequality, we took to heart the mantra of the disability rights movement, “Nothing about us without us.” We had a lot to learn, but our partnerships—with both the disability community and our grantees, who started on this journey long before—have been both instructive and invaluable. Like most things, the more you invest, be it time or resources, and the more people you can bring into the process, the faster you’ll make progress. | |
| Becoming A Better Ancestor | |
Becoming a better ancestor goes beyond sharing your lived experiences with future generations. It is about living and interacting with the world, thinking of seven generations to come.
As we approach our first year with an official nonprofit status, WE are not just about raising funds; WE are on a mission to create a more just and abundant world by becoming, supporting, and growing changemakers who are committed to being better ancestors.
We at (WE) Well-being and Equity in the World, are gearing up for continuous, meaningful, lasting impact and positive change. This year, WE is working toward raising $50,000 to support changemakers around the world! Your generosity helps us build a legacy of kindness, love, and positive change. Your contribution to WE in the World builds the “WE” to support changemakers across the world to create a better future. Engage with us on our socials to share your thoughts on what #betterancestor means to you.
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We Are The Ones We’ve Been Waiting For
Today we reflect with a prophecy made by Hopi Elders in June 2000. Reading this 20 years later, we find ourselves in a time where “the river is flowing very fast and there are those who will be afraid. Know the river has its destination.” The opportunity to change meaningfully is happening all around us. Will we be the ones we are waiting for?
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--Hopi Elders' Prophecy, June 8, 2000
Source: University of Minnesota
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Timeline Of Historical Milestones In The Disability Rights Movement
In 2019, the Disability Rights Movement history timeline pictured below was installed outdoors at Philadelphia's City Hall Courtyard and indoors at the Parkway Central Library.
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Disability-Competent Care | | |
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This document explains the Disability-Competent Care (DCC) model and details how the DCC requires healthcare providers to understand the participant’s disability experience, the clinical diagnosis of the disability, and the functional limitations that individuals with a disability may experience. | |
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Leonard-Litz LGBTQ Foundation: LGBTQ+ Community Grants (New Hampshire)
Type: Foundation
Due Date: Rolling
Match Required: No Cost Share
Overview: The purpose of this program is to help LGBTQ+ people fulfill their potential by funding nonprofit organizations that advance the interests and well-being of the LGBTQ+ community through advocacy and with programs and services that meet the needs of LGBTQ+ people. Funding will be provided for life-affirming services that address one or more of the following focus areas:
- Health and wellness
- Crisis intervention
- Racial justice
- Advocacy and community engagement
- Social assistance and programming
Huntington National Bank: Charitable Grant Program (Wisconsin)
Type: Foundation
Due Date: Rolling
Match Required: No Cost Share
Overview: The purpose of this program is to contribute to the development of healthy, vibrant communities. Funding will support projects that improve self-sufficiency and quality of life, as well as advance social and economic equality, in communities served by the funding agency.
Support will be provided for projects in the following focus areas:
- Community revitalization and stabilization
- Community services
- Affordable housing
- Economic and community development
- Racial/social equity
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