{"id":1301,"date":"2021-12-03T18:35:41","date_gmt":"2021-12-03T13:05:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/successandability.org\/?p=1301"},"modified":"2024-03-01T06:13:31","modified_gmt":"2024-03-01T06:13:31","slug":"conversations-at-the-crossroads-disability-intersectionality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/abilityfoundation.org\/2024-new\/conversations-at-the-crossroads-disability-intersectionality\/","title":{"rendered":"Conversations at the crossroads \u2013 Disability & Intersectionality"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n
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It was in the year 1989 that Kimberl\u00e9 Crenshaw, an American professor, lawyer, civil rights advocate, and philosopher, published numerous articles that would go on to redefine conversations around the world.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

She introduced the term \u2018intersectionality\u2019 to the world. In the years since, Crenshaw has written and spoken extensively on this subject across both academic and non-academic platforms. Her TED talk<\/a>, where she describes how \u201cmany of our social justice problems are\u2026 often overlapping creating multiple levels of social injustice,\u201d has over a million views. What began as a conversation at the crossroads of race and gender has now grown to become the language of marginalised communities all over the world.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

The intersectionality between disability and other identity markers is one that is slowly gaining attention in India and overseas. The conversation on the subject describes how the experience of disability is one that cannot be understood alone. Instead, every individual\u2019s lived experience needs to be read at the intersection of all their identities \u2013 age, gender, disability, caste, class, sexuality, and so on. Far from being a theoretical conversation, this is an idea that has the power to influence how we frame our policies, handle our classrooms, manage our workspaces, publish our content, design our technology, and much more.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

This commitment to intersectionality lies at the core of initiatives like \u201cSkin Stories<\/a>\u201d, for example: the first and only platform in India dedicated to publishing perspectives on disability, sexuality and gender. Conversations about universal design and the benefits of accessible infrastructure for persons with and without disability has been reflected in governmental initiatives like the Accessible India Campaign<\/a>. Online tools like Stark<\/a> \u201cmake the world\u2019s software more accessible\u201d by helping designers inspect contrast levels, pick appropriate colour palettes and so much more. Intersectionality has found its place in bubbles, silos and conversations all over the world.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

If these kind of conversations are  happening, why are we talking  about it now, you may ask. The task ahead of each of us today is to grow these bubbles and expand these conversations. This edition of Success & ABILITY<\/em> seeks to do just this, by bring to you the voices and stories of three renowned women disability activists.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Dr. Anita Ghai, Professor at Ambedkar University, speaks about her journey from the women\u2019s movement to the disability movement and the recent introduction of a PhD in Disability Studies at Ambedkar University. Dr. Sruti Mahopatra\u2019s work both as a societal leader in her own right and through her organisation Swabhimaan has bettered the lives of tens of thousands of people in the areas of inclusive education and employment, legislation and politics, and accessible cities. Though her organisation Bapu Trust, Bhargavi Davar has been instrumental in driving the conversation around the intersection between mental health, gender and much more. <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Women like these are inspiring, powerful role models for us all. However, the buck does not stop here. Each of us has a circle of influence and intersectionality has its place in each of these circles. Here is what each of us can do to champion the cause of intersectionality every day:<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n