Access Living Youth Center - Talking the Disability Rights Talk

Talking the Disability Rights Talk

Everybody knows people who like to talk a lot, but people really remember the folks who have something powerful to say, who know how to use powerful words. Being able to express ideas is very important. In the disability rights movement, there are some very important words for ideas everyone should know. So here’s a list to help you think about powerful words that help you fight for your rights!

What is….

Justice? Justice is about what is fair or right. Justice often means what is legally right, but sometimes laws don’t protect every human right we have. Justice is about what we deserve.

Equality? Equality means every person is basically the same, no matter how they look, act or feel. Nobody should be better than another person just because of things like money, color, popularity, sexuality, disability and so on.

Discrimination? Discrimination is when someone treats you unfairly because of their prejudice. Prejudice is when people assume things about you just because of your disability, or the color of your skin, or where you come from.

Disability? Disability can be a very complicated word. It can mean that you have something that makes it hard for you to get a job or go to school or do other major life activities. A disability can be physical, mental or have to do with your senses, like hearing, seeing, tasting, smelling or touching. A disability may also be something you can’t see, like a learning disability, diabetes, epilepsy, or HIV+. Disability is usually something people think is not normal, but the real truth is that we are all different, and that is OKAY.

Power? Power is being in charge or being in control. Power is also about making decisions.

Independent Living? Independent Living is when people with disabilities make their own decisions about their lives. Independent Living is about using the tools that we can find to live the lives we want to live. Independent Living is NOT about having other people tell us what to do or letting others take care of us all the time.

Anger? Anger is usually when you feel hurt or insulted by something. You have to learn how to use anger for good. Bad anger is when you take your feelings out on other people or yourself. Good anger is when you use your anger to motivate you to do good. In the disability rights movement, we work hard at using at our good anger to make change.

Citizenship? Citizenship means belonging to a country or place and having a say in how things are run. Some ways you can have a say are by voting, helping your community, running for office or doing direct action.

Advocacy? Advocacy is about speaking up for your rights and the rights of other people. A good advocate knows how to ask for and find help when they need it. Some advocates work alone, but most advocates work together with other people.

Dependency? Dependency is not doing things yourself. Dependency is when you let others do things for you. Sometimes, other people won’t let you try to do things yourself…when that happens, you have to decide whether that’s ok or not.

Direct Action? Direct Action is a way of making change happen by changing the balance of power so that the people who are in charge have to listen to you. Ways of doing Direct Action include protests, rallies, marches, arrests, chanting and so on.

“The System”? “The System” is the way that laws, industries and agencies work. In other words, the rules we have to live by, that are set up by other people. Elected officials, mayors, big businessmen, hospitals, police, firefighters, judges, transit boards, schools, social workers and counselors are all part of “The System” that we live with. Most of the time, their rules work. Sometimes their rules don’t work, or discriminate. When that happens, we have to find ways to change “The System.”

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