About the Research.
Persons with disabilities often face unfair treatment in many parts of life, such as getting jobs, being represented, and being recognised. They also deal with other forms of inequality connected to things like class, race, and gender. Even so, disability is rarely seen as a main issue in campaigns that fight against inequality.
Even though these issues are widespread, many movements for inequality don’t actively include the voices and experiences of persons with disabilities. At the same time, disability groups sometimes find it difficult to fully connect their work with other struggles against inequality.
This research project is led by ADD International and funded by Atlantic Fellows for Social and Economic Equity. It engages with campaigners and activists in Ghana and Kenya who focus on disability justice and on reducing inequality. The project is developing a set of tools and resources to support the inclusion of disability in inequality campaigns and vice versa.
Hear from some of the research participants.
This research project brings together disability and inequality activists to explore how to strengthen collaboration. It involved participants with different types of disabilities and social identities.
“I am looking at this tool as a bridging force that is really going to help us do away with all the challenges that have existed over the years, and that it’s going to be something that people can reach out to in any sense, and at any given time when there is a need to collaborate, and they can utilise it. “
Martha Coffie- Disability Justice Activist, Ghana.
The research project was carried out in three stages, beginning with one-on-one interviews, followed by issue-specific focus groups, and concluding with bridging workshops that linked disability and inequality groups.
“Collaboration barriers I have experienced in the past has been the issue of resource allocation and distribution. You’ll find out that if there’s no enough resources to handle the issues at hand the collaboration will not work or be well utilised.”
Adagala Adagala-Inequality Activist, Kenya.
This project focused on two main research questions. First, to identify barriers to the inclusion of disability in inequality campaigns. Next, the research project explored ways to include disability in inequality campaigns. It also examined how these campaigns can focus on disability. The questions examine the ties between disability models and resource mobilisation. They also consider how disability is prioritised or deprioritised.
“A good toolkit should be more gender sensitive, more intersectionality should be on it, and it should be holistic. When it is holistic, I think we can all go through it, and everybody will be onboard and what we always call the we feeling will always be realised.”
Thomas Abugah- Gender Activist, Ghana.
Without looking at how different forms of disadvantage connect; disability is rarely considered alongside other social identities that face discrimination. As a result, disability has often been ignored both as a source of inequality and as part of identity.
“Collaboration is important because no single movement or person has all the answers or all the solutions to the problems we face. When we come together across movements, we expand what is possible and we would be moving from the aspect of competition and scarcity towards the aspect of inclusion and bringing everyone onboard.”
Jerry Okiki- Disability Justice Activist, Kenya.
Research project led by ADD International.
Funded by Atlantic Fellows for Social and Economic Equity.
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