#disability rights activists

[whumpinggrounds]

Disability Activists Worth Knowing

Hi! In honor of Disability Pride Month, which is July in the USA, I am writing about some disabled activists who I think are cool. Many of you are (hopefully) familiar with giants like Helen Keller and Judy Heumann, but there are a lot of really interesting people out there whose names aren’t as widely shared, especially those who are also POC, queer, and/or non-American.

Please feel free to add more disabled people, or information about people I’ve already listed! Note that this post is intended to be about people who advocate for the disabled community and are also disabled themselves. Non-disabled advocates have also done a lot for the community! But that is not who this post is about <3

Final disclaimer: This is a post that I researched quickly, and specifically sought out some new people I hadn’t heard about. If there’s someone on this list that’s fucked up, feel free to add that, and even feel free to @ me so I can reblog your correction. Please do not yell at me or assume I’m aware of every political opinion/possible transgression of the many people on this list pls

Now, in no particular order -

Javed Abidi was an activist who advocated for disability rights in India. He helped pass the Person with Disabilities act in Parliament, and served as the first director of the National Centre for Promotion of Employment of Disabled People.

Ola Abu Al Ghaib is a Palestinian activist who works to promote the rights of people with disabilities, particularly women with disabilities, in the Arab States, Africa, and Asia.

Ari Ne’eman is an Israeli-American activist who founded the Autism Self Advocacy Network, one of the earliest advocacy organizations run both by and for Autistic people. Currently, he consults with the ACLU on disability justice issues and is writing a book about disability history in the USA.

Dana Bolles is an American spaceflight engineer and advocate for people with disabilities in STEM. She also advocates for women and the queer community, and currently works at NASA.

Fatima al-Aqel was a Yemeni woman who advocated for blind and visually impaired women in Yemen, as well as opening Yemen’s first school for the blind. She later founded the Al-Aman Organization Blind Women Care to further opportunities for blind women in the social and professional spheres, as well as working to adapt literature to Braille.

Judi Chamberlain was an American activist, leader, speaker, and educator in the psychiatric survivors movement. Her book On Our Own: Patient-Controlled Alternatives to the Mental Health System is a foundational text in the Mad Pride movement and argues for the rights of patients in psychiatric care.

María Soledad Cisternas Reyes is a Chilean lawyer and disability rights advocate who has helped increase access for disabled people in Chile and internationally, through her work with the UN. She has also been recognized for her work on the intersection of rights of disabled people, children, women, indigenous people, and the elderly.

Tony Coelho is an American politician of Portuguese descent who was the primary sponsor of the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) and was a former chairman of the Epilepsy Foundation.

Justin Dart Jr. was an American activist and disability advocate who was regarded as the father (or sometimes godfather) of the ADA. Other notable accomplishments include founding his university’s first group to oppose racism, founding the American Association of People with Disabilities, and receiving a Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Vic Finkelstein is a South African disability rights activist and writer who pioneered the social model of disability. He spent the latter part of his life in Britain after being imprisoned and banned from South Africa for anti-apartheid activities.

Chen Guangcheng is a Chinese civil rights activist, often referred to as a “barefoot lawyer,” who worked on civil rights cases in rural China. Due to his advocacy and activist work surrounding land rights, women’s rights, disability rights, and the welfare of the poor, Chen was repeatedly imprisoned and eventually left China for the USA.

Rick Hansen is a Canadian paralympian and activist, most famous for circling the world in a wheelchair to raise money for charity. His journey lasted just over 2 years, with an average of 8 hours of wheeling per day. He founded the Hansen foundation to raise funds and awareness to create a world without barriers for people with disabilities.

Abha Khetarpal is an Indian poet, author, and disability rights activist and counselor who founded a counseling/educational resource website and app for people with disabilities. Her work focuses on disability and women’s rights, with a focus on sexual liberation and sexual education and access for disabled people.

Harriet McBryde Johnson was an American author, attorney, and disability rights activist who specialized in securing Social Security benefits for disabled clients who could not work. She debated Peter Singer, arguably the most famous philosopher in America today, on the right of parents to euthanize their disabled children, an encounter she wrote about in the essay Unspeakable Conversations. 

Yetnebersh Nigussie is an Ethiopian lawyer who primarily works in disability rights and anti-AIDs activism. She is a 2017 winner of the Right Livelihood award, widely considered the “Alternative Nobel Prize.”

Satendra Singh is an Indian medical doctor who has advocated extensively for disability rights and access in India, including founding an “Enabling Unit,” a group staffed entirely by people with disabilities that ensures other disabled people are able to attend medical school and associated programs with proper accommodations and support.

Lauren Tuchman was the first blind woman to be ordained as a rabbi. She advocates primarily for disability rights and an inclusive Torah.

Emmanuel Yeboah is a Ghanian athlete and activist who rode a bike across Ghana to raise awareness about the lack of disability rights and access in the country, specifically a lack of wheelchairs. He currently works on ensuring education access for children with and without disabilities in Ghana.

Stella Young was an Australian comedian and journalist who was known for coining the term “inspiration porn.”

Nabil Shaban is a Jordanian-British actor and writer who is best known as the villain Sil on Dr. Who. He co-founded Graeae, a theater group which promotes the work of disabled actors.

That’s all I have for you! Please feel free to add :) I am considering writing up a few more posts about disabled celebrities, artists, etc, so let me know if you’d be interested <3

[adhdandcomics]

whoever needs to hear this: if you got a disability, if you don’t know if you have something, if you ever think “it’s not that bad” if you have a thing about guilt, if you’re ill, Anything: listen. it is okay to throw things away.

you can throw it away. if it sucks and it stresses you the fuck out, if you just “need the right time to fix it” for the past 3 months. or years. if you loved it once upon a time but it makes you feel kinda weird and guilty now. if it’s a jacket youve reaaaally been meaning to mend and then donate. a jar of sauce that “all you have to do” is clean out to recycle but it’s been a week and now there’s a small colony growing in it. slowly shredding to bits fabric scraps you plan to use to fix something. busted picture frame. cracked mug. old shoes. extra box. an entire pack of granola bars that you hate so much but don’t want to waste.

life is already so goddamn difficult for us. i know you still care about recycling and the environment and sustainability. but it’s okay, i promise. sometimes you have to take care of your space. sometimes you have to cut your losses so you can actually have energy to recycle the next thing. get rid of the old shirt before it turns into a tornado pile of guilt under the bed. you’re not a bad person. you can throw this one away.

[yourdailyqueer]

Connie Panzarino (deceased)

Gender: Female

Sexuality: Lesbian

DOB:  26 November 1947

RIP: 4 July 2001

Ethnicity: White - American

Occupation: Activist, civil servant, art therapist, writer, publlic speaker

Note 1: She worked with survivors of abuse and lectured on sexism, homophobia, and ableism. She also served on the boards of several organizations supporting disabled people, including the Disability Law Center and the Boston Center for Independent Living.

Note 2: Was born with spinal muscular atrophy type III, a progressive neuromuscular disease also known as Werdnig-Hoffmann disease.

[whereserpentswalk]

Bigotry is not hatred. You need to recognize elements of bigotry that aren't hateful or mean. Bigotry is believing and enforcing someone's status as marginalized. But you don't have to hate someone to believe that they're lesser then you, or desevre less rights.

There are bigots who will treat you as a child that needs protecting, and who can't be trusted with your own freedom. They won't be mean to you, but they think of you as lesser then them none the less. This is especially common with bigotry twords disabled people and twords people society views as female.

When looking to see if someone is bigoted asgisnt a group, don't ask weather or not they hate them, as weather or not they think they deserve less rights.

[lgbtlunaverse]

Everytime I see discourse about kink or nudity at pride I get reminded of the time I went to pride a few years ago with my mother and my sibling- who was 17 at the time and is somewhere on the ace spectrum- and about halfway through, the march went under a gatehouse. Some inhabitants were sitting in their open windows watching the parade. Right before we crossed under them, one of them decided to just... take her shirt off. She wasn't wearing a bra. And you know what happened? People whooped and cheered, and then kept walking. That's it. And there were kids around!! They didn't care. My sibling didn't care. My mother, a cisgender heterosexual woman in her 50s, did not care.

This stuff stops being such a big deal when you go offline. It was basically the same amount of boob you'd see in any perfume ad. No one was like 'what about the children?' And if you didn't wanna see it and looked down, no one would've called you a puritanical prude for that. And it helps to remind myself of that everytime I see kink at pride discourse getting rehashed because at actual pride, people don't care.

[mouchee23gamma]

USA students with disabilities and disorders: LISTEN UP!

In the USA, a huge issue has gone unnoticed by our government, despite the cries of my people. Since the creation and implementation of IEPs and 504s for students with disorders and disabilities in school systems, this problem has plagued school systems on a national scale.

‘What is this problem?’ Is what you may ask. Well, I shall tell you from my perspective (and other students) as a female who has autism, ADHD, and GAD.

The problem is that school systems are allowing staff to discriminate and ignore students with IEPs and 504s. When I was in 9th grade, I had an English teacher who wouldn’t follow my IEP, which is illegal to do. Even with my case manager and parents communicating to him that he had to follow my IEP, he wouldn’t listen and lied about his actions. My case manager reported him to the higher ups of the school and her supervisor, but they didn’t even reach out to him, nor did they ever get back to us.

I was warned by many students with IEPs about this English teacher, as they also experienced the same exact situation where he refused to follow their IEPs. He was (and likely still is) the only option for 9th grade English, besides the English class for those who may have things like dyslexia or those who struggle with English in general.

I could’ve taken him to court, unfortunately though, I only found that out after I moved schools.

The next year, in my new school, my new case manager ignored my concerns and refused to talk about making a few changes to my IEP. She brushed me off by saying that I would be fine.

I wasn’t fine.

I ended up switching to online school, where I would be at home, yet still receiving the proper education through online meetings and programs.

Those of us who are students with IEPs and disabilities or disorders, especially under the age of 18, are oppressed and our cries for help are ignored.

We are SUFFERING. IEPs are NOT a privilege, they are a NECESSITY for those of us who have it!

My best friend who also has an IEP keeps me updated on the happenings of the school I went to (the one with the English teacher mentioned in the first paragraph) about how those of us in special education or/and have IEPs are being treated.

I have researched and read of so many incidents and situations like mine.

There is a HORRIFYING amount of mistreatment of my community, my people, with disabilities, disorders, and IEPs among schools across the nation.

How could schools claim to treat everyone fairly and that consequences for discrimination will ensue, when the teachers are the ones who discriminate more than most of the students and get away with it?

We need to change, and we need to revolt against schools who let staff get away with discrimination of those of us with disabilities, disorders, and IEPs!

WE WILL NOT BE SILENCED! WE WILL FIGHT FOR OUR RIGHT TO EDUCATION!

To my dear readers, please share this post across social media platforms to spread the support we so desperately need. Please share this among family and friends, coworkers, and even teachers and school staff.

[forwehavecometothecrossroads]

I don’t want to be defeatist but after seeing the return of ableist slurs, language, and behaviors within “leftist” and “liberal” spaces. Along with the lack of masking and other covid precautions…I’m starting to really get nervous about the outcomes of any sort of revolution. I’m sorry to say it, but some American leftists and liberals are just…..performative (I’m being nice with the some because so many of them don’t take covid precautions.) They don’t mask, don’t listen to disabled people, and have a huge problem with speaking over disabled people. They just read theory and often times barely put any of it into practice beyond words. Well a loud sect of them (the ones who want to be Twitter celebs and write scholarly articles for prestigious universities) do that, but there’s a good few that’s not screaming “JUST READ” at people and actually idk helping….. Like what’s the point of all that reading and you are refusing to stop the spread of a deadly virus which needs YOUR body as host to do so. You can’t say you represent a progressive lane of thought that is anti colonist and then don’t comprehend or care about what disabled folks have to say. Your just blowing shit out your ass and praying it don’t stink. BUT IT DO! Y’all are funky as FUCK! It’s like how you going to succeed at a revolution without the people who gave it its name? Remember!!!!! Harriet Tubman was disabled!!!! Her disability is not something that can be ignored in the context of her legacy. So for you to sit on your high horse and believe that you can have your revolution without being in community with disabled people is arrogant at best. YOU ARE GOING TO LOSE!

[thecreativemillennial]

This brings back some uncomfortable memories. Credit to @neurowild

[rookcoppinger]

Hello friends, strangers, and scrollers!

On July 1 2025, my friends nonprofit organization will begin doing our life changing work for those with disabilities. And we need your help to do it.

So who are we? What do we do?

Our program, the Adaptation Allies Nexus, is entirely volunteer based. The volunteers are mainly made up of teens and young adults with first hand experience in chronic illness and disabilities. It started off as an idea from two kids in Kansas.

During an outing, Aubrey Grant- our founder- realized just how inaccessible our world is. Me in a wheelchair and them on crutches made entry to anywhere nearly impossible. We decided that someone needed to make a change, so why not us?

We aim to provide education, accessibility resources, and legal representation who specializes in ADA law. We will also be hosting support groups and mental health resources to those who need it.

We will create a platform for individuals with disabilities to share their experiences, connect with one another, and build a strong, supportive community.

Launching this organization requires initial funding to cover essential costs, including legal fees, educational materials, community outreach, and operational expenses. That’s where you come in! Your donations will help us lay the foundation for a strong, impactful organization that will make a real difference in the lives of countless individuals with disabilities.

How You Can Help:

Donate: Every contribution, no matter the size, goes a long way in helping us reach our goal and making our vision a reality.

Share: Spread the word! Share this campaign with your friends, family, and on social media to help us reach more people.

Get Involved: If you’re passionate about disability rights and want to be part of this journey, we’d love to hear from you! Volunteer positions are always open!

With your support, we believe we can build a brighter future for individuals with disabilities—a future where their rights are respected, their needs are met, and their voices are heard. Thank you for considering our cause and for your commitment to making the world a more inclusive place.

Let’s raise our voices and change lives, side by side.

https://gofund.me/43b9ad76

[activismforhumanity]

Thank you to everyone who showed up and voted for Kamala Harris & Tim Walz. Sadly the election did not turn out the way we were hoping.

91 Days left with Joe Biden in office. 91 days we have to get to work! Take today to grieve if you need to. I know I myself have been shedding tears for 6 hours on & off as the weight of what I have personally been placed on the chopping block for, as well as for all the people like me, sets in.

This is truthfully a disgrace upon every single solitary American who voted for Trump. A convicted felon, a rapist, a man who said he wanted to sleep with his own daughter! Who hates women, anyone & everyone of color, the disabled community, the queer community. Anyone who isn't a white cis heterosexual man.

A man filled with hatred, who has committed henious and immoral behavior, has just won the 2024 presidential election.

But we the people with common sense, empathy, compassion for our neighbors and people who may differ from us, will keep on fighting!

This isn't over. We will resist what he pushes onto us! We will continue to use our voices, spread the word about what he's done, who he truly is and all of the awful plans he has in store for our country.

This isn't over, it didn't end, our fight continues on. Take some time to grieve the loss of the hope we had. To feel the anger and frustration about people who voted against our lives, rights and civil liberty. Then get back up friends. Because we have 91 days.

[goeticwhorelore]

Controversial Opinion

But not offering holiday pay to part-time employees should be classified as disability discrimination since disabled people can only work part-time 🤷🏻‍♀️

[troythecatfish]

[daisylovesrumble]

petition: One of the US's Largest Psychiatric Hospital Chains Traps Patients Against Their Will to Maximize Profits

Damn we might need to reanimate Dorothea Dix for this one.

[yourdailyqueer]

Alicia Roth Weigel

Gender: Female

Sexuality: N/A

DOB: Born 1990

Ethnicity: Ashkenazi Jewish

Nationality: American

Occupation: Activist, writer, journalist

Note 1: Has osteoperosis

Note 2: Is Intersex

[whereserpentswalk]

I realize that online activists are way better at understanding aggressive forms of bigotry (IE; people seeing a group as evil and monstrous and wanting to take away their rights because they want to hurt them) than they are at understanding the more paternalistic types of bigotry (IE; thinking a group is fundamentally incompetent and childlike and thus needs to have their rights stripped from them so that they can be properly taken care of). Like, the famous colonialism poem described the people the British wanted to conquer as "half devil and half child", and I feel like we've done much more work on deconstructing the "half devil" part than we have the "half child" part in activist spaces (partly because it's the half child part that well meaning liberals fall for). It means we're especially bad at talking about most forms of sexism, ablism, transandrophobia, aphobia, and the type of racism perpetuated by people with white collar jobs.

Like, I feel like people are way more aware of how transfemmes are marginalized vs how transmascs are marginalized. Most transphobes tend to paint transfemmes as dangerous perverts, while they tend to paint transmascs are helpless children who lack the ability to make decisions about their bodies. And people are just kind of way worse at talking about how transmascs are treated. Like, it's so common to hear people in the queer community to basically act like misgendering a transmasc is an act of mercy. Like, they'll understand why it would be bad and dangerous to put a transfemme person in a men's space, but they'll act like transmascs being placed in women's spaces is a good progressive thing for their own protection. Of course, this isn't to say there's no infantalization of transfemmes, or nobody who sterotypes transmascs as perverted monsters, but that's certainly not the most common narrative.

It's gotten so bad that most of modern feminism has mutated into a capitalist ideology about protecting women from the dangers of the world in a way that lines up almost exactly with what a Victorian gentleman would believe about how women need to be treated. It's gotten to the point where people are called pedophiles on Xwitter for being attracted to pretty normal looking Asian women.

Idk if I can sum all this up in one post because it's basically 50% of all bigotry and people just ignore it. Please reblog this I need people to understand how much this sucks and how big a part of marginalization it is.

[pa-pa-plasma]

kind of frustrating that people took "fat does not equal unhealthy" to mean "fat is not unhealthy." sometimes being obese IS unhealthy & excess fat can cause a lot of problems. ignoring health issues isn't progressive. real "oranges kill people with depression" moment