Alicia was the Snowdon Trust’s first Master’s Scholarship recipient and read law at Cambridge. In this blog we asked Alicia for her reflections on Disability and Advocacy. You can follow more of Alicia’s work and blogging on her Instagram: @ExploreDisabled.
What does advocacy mean to you?
Advocacy in the context of disability means to me: (i) raising awareness of the lived experiences of disabled people, including our needs, and (ii) pushing for these needs to be met and an improvement of our lived experiences.
How has advocacy influenced / impacted your life?
Like other disabled people, I wouldn’t be here without those who came before me. Without disabled activists like those from UPIAS, the late Judy Heumann, and so many more including activists who continue their important work today, we wouldn’t be able to survive and thrive in this world.
I am encouraged by them, by how they pushed for a better world than what they had then, and their sheer tenacity. Through my own advocacy, I have learned so much about disabled activists and how they so vastly improved the world we live in; I have also learned about disabled community and disabled pride, found joy in things I didn’t know possible before. I hope to continue this tradition of advocacy, even in my own small way.
How can one get started with advocacy?
It would be great if you could do some basic research first, e.g. the difference between identity-first and person-first language, or the social model and medical model, but the important thing is to simply start. The world needs more Loud and Proud disabled people. If you’re not sure what you want to say yourself—and that’s fine!—you can always amplify the voices of other disabled people.
You can begin by advocating for yourself, and remember that there’s no one-size-fits all (we are not a monolith!). Ask for what you need as a disabled person, whether that’s reminding venues that they are required to make reasonable adjustments (such as buying a ramp!), calling for more disabled representation in the media, or creating a disability affinity group in your workplace.
Further resources
I have created a resource page for Explore Disabled with reading lists on disability history and disability studies, alongside an ‘influential disabled people’ list and links to other media, including movies and podcasts. You can assess it here: https://bit.ly/EXPD-Resources
To find out more about Alicia’s work you can follow her on Instagram: @ExploreDisabled
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