2024
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It’s always dangerous to give disabled people unsolicited advice about how to live their lives better. Most of us with disabilities have already heard an unbearable number of pious, positive platitudes about overcoming our difficulties and focusing on our abilities.
Every day, we are asked by non-disabled people to fit this image of a disabled person: brave, tenacious, effortless. We also find ourselves being judged and shaped by other disabled people who have their own ideas of what a disabled person should be, and who are not shy about pointing out how we are wrong as disabled people.
But with a new year underway, perhaps now is a good, or at least convenient, time to think about some kind of disability-related New Year’s resolution. This kind of work can certainly be tedious and redundant. But using the new year to do a little reflection and set new directions is not necessarily a waste of time. This is as good a time as any for us to discover, or remind ourselves, that life with a disability does not have to be narrow, boring, inconsequential, or depressing. We can make it broad, deep, rich, challenging, inspiring, and important.
Disabled people know better than most people the limitations of how we can make our lives what we want them to be through simple “positive thinking” and “making it happen.” The practical barriers in our lives are too solid to fully believe in the optimistic promises of self-help. But we are not powerless. There are things we as disabled people can do to make our lives better. And this year more than ever, it’s important to remember that to make our own lives better, we may need to reach out, not just reach in.
So here are four ideas for addressing disability life and culture in 2024.
1. Follow disability activists and creators on social media
Absorb different ideas about disability, including ones you may not have considered before or that you may have been skeptical of before. Learn about or reexamine the social model and medical model views of disability, as well as the logic and historical importance of disability rights and advocacy. One way to start is to find and follow people with disabilities on social media. This includes disabled journalists, authors, independent advocates and activists for disability organizations, disabled politicians and public officials, and disabled bloggers, vloggers, and influencers.
It’s not hard to find. Highlighting interesting people and ideas is one thing that social media, for all its hassles and dangers, remains great at. Twitter/X, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, and independent blogs are all good places to start. Identify a few writers and content creators that you instinctively like. Then see who else they read and write about, and broaden your search if necessary. Try hashtags and search terms (e.g. #Disability, #Disabled, #DisabilityTwitter, #DisabilityRights, #DisabilityInclusion, #CripTheVote, #Accessibility, #DisabilityCulture, etc.).
Look for people and publications that speak to you, that fascinate you, that capture your attention, that entertain you, and that might just change your perspective on disability and what it means. And take the time to read and think before you comment. There is a lot to be gained from just being a passive observer, and gradually forming your own views and opinions over time.
2. Read books by authors with disabilities
Reading books by authors with disabilities is an important next step in learning more about disability issues, history, and culture. Most authors with disabilities have a presence on social media, so it’s a great place to find out when new books are published and which books are most influential and appreciated by other people with disabilities. One recommendation leads to another, which leads to yet another.
Connect with several disabled authors on social media and keep an eye on their book announcements. Pick three or four of the most talked-about books and that seem appealing to you. Look for books by disabled authors about the history of disability, different interpretations of the disability experience, and personal stories and reflections.
Reading this book is a rewarding experience in itself, but it’s also good for disability culture. One of the most important ways to engage with the disability community is to support authors with disabilities by buying their books, subscribing to their publications, and sharing their work with others you know. By helping to expand the market for disability content, we create more opportunities for creators with disabilities, strengthening and diversifying disability culture for all of us.
3. Research disability issues
There has never been a better or more important time for people with disabilities to take up disability issues. Resolve to learn more about some of the key policy issues that matter to people with disabilities, especially if you have avoided them until now. Despite decades of remarkable progress, there remains much unfinished business and areas in need of reform that could improve the lives of people with disabilities. For example:
Benefits such as Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Social Security Income (SSI). Home care (also known as home and community-based services). Education for students with disabilities. Enforcement of accessibility and disability rights laws. Accessibility in certain locations for personal encounters. Pandemic strategies that recognize the continuing threat of COVID, especially to people with chronic illnesses and disabilities.
Disability issues do not exist in a vacuum, so it is important to look at the intersections and overlaps between disability and other social and political issues.
Race, gender, social class, education, income. Safety net income assistance programs. Health care. Transportation. Criminal justice and policing.
Disability policy and activism may be intimidating to some, terribly boring to others, and discouraging to all of us at one time or another. And one person’s involvement in disability issues alone cannot change the world. But without the advocacy and activism of disabled people themselves, none of these issues can be resolved the way we want them to. Disability activism is a very long-term investment. But it is an investment worth making, and an election year is a good time to start, or to restart if necessary.
4. Becoming a Voter with a Disability
2024 is a general election year in the United States, with similar elections coming up in many other countries. So adding voting to your 2024 resolutions makes obvious sense, as voting can often be a more difficult and sensitive process for people with disabilities than for others. People with disabilities face many barriers to voting, some practical, some legal. This fact alone should make us value voting even more.
On the other hand, it’s understandable that people feel especially disheartened, discouraged, and alienated from politics this year. Condescending lectures about the virtues and obligations of voting are not as encouraging as they are usually intended, and shaming disabled people into voting is not the right approach.
Still, in an election year like this one, it’s worth remembering that there are dozens of offices on the ballot. Even if you despise all of the candidates running for a given office, there are hundreds of candidates running for the House, the Senate, governor, state legislature, county office, mayor’s office, and city and town councils. They all make important decisions and set the direction of a wide range of policies, including those that directly affect people with disabilities.
Start 2024 by registering to vote and having the means to cast your ballot. How will you ensure you get to and from the polls? What if you run into an unexpected obstacle? Decide now whether to request an absentee ballot.
Next, ask local, state, congressional, and presidential candidates questions about disability policy. Ask them on social media and through letters to the editor. Check out and engage with campaign websites. If possible, attend local campaign events. There may be an opportunity to ask them directly in public.
As you talk about this year’s election, don’t be afraid to talk to others about disability issues. Talk about what matters most to you, as a person with a disability. Don’t think there’s anything wrong with focusing on certain issues. Don’t worry about being seen as an activist or a “special interest.” Don’t be afraid to ask uncomfortable questions about the candidates and parties you support. And don’t be afraid to flaunt your political power and demand that politicians ask for your vote instead of taking it for granted.
We can think of these goals as resolutions because many of us with disabilities are not engaged in broader ableism life and culture. This may be because of internal insecurities about disability or because of external pressure to “get over” it and ignore it rather than engage with it. Both are understandable. But ableism culture has so much to offer each of us, and at this critical time, each of us has so much to offer our disabled allies. Resolve this year to reach out.