#WordyandWheelyWednesdays: UKDHM 2016

Logo used with permission of UKDHM organisers

[Image description: The banner and logo for UK Disability History Month/UKDHM. On the left side of the image there is a black triangle which has a yellow circle inside it. The circle contains the words, 'UK Disability History Month', which are in black capitalised font. Stretching out across the page next to the logo, there is a yellow elongated rectangle, which functions as a banner. Inside this banner, to the immediate right of the logo, there are three bulleted statements, one underneath the other. These read as follows: 'Celebrating our Lives, Challenging Disablism, Achieving Equality', On the very right edge of the banner, there are the dates 22nd November-22nd December, which indicate the four weeks covered by UKDHM. Underneath the logo/banner is a caption to indicate that I have permission to use it from the organisers.]

(Content Warning for: brief discussion of disability oppression and discrimination/ableism, but this post is mostly proud and positive.)

Hello my dear readers!

This wasn't the post I had planned to write this week, as it was going to be about a research-related discovery, but then I remembered that I would be attending the launch event for UK Disability History Month (UKDHM) 2016 last night - so obviously I had to write about that!

UKDHM is a fairly recent iniative, although it has been a long time in the making. Started in 2010 by a group of veteran disability campaigners and activists, it aims to offer a chance to remember disability history, to discuss 'disability present' and to secure 'disability future(s)' in the UK and beyond. Now in its seventh year, it has taken the theme of 'Disability and Language', which revolves around an education pack about the impact of language in conversations about disability and the potential harm of slurs. This is a subject about which I feel very passionate (as those of you who know me will be well aware) so I was extremely excited to attend.

It was an absolutely lovely evening. Difficult at points, especially when discussions turned to the current policies of austerity and their accompanying attitudes, but mostly lovely. There were extremely interesting presentations, some hugely powerful poetry (including contributions from Maresa MacKeith, a radical poet who communicates without speech), and a deliciously provocative play by members of the theatre company Access All Areas. Of course it was also wonderful to catch up with friends, some of whom only manage to meet once a year but whom I hold very dear. (I've just realised that rhymes, which was completely unintentional but is rather apt!)

I found the issues around language absolutely fascinating - not least because of their complexity. What struck me most during the discussion was that there wasn't always a clear consensus on terminology. For instance, whilst the predominant phrasing in public policy (and therefore every day vocabulary) refers to us as 'people with disabilities', the preferred term for most of the presenters was 'disabled people'. The former is an example of 'person-first language', which asserts personhood aside from anything else. The latter is an example of 'identity-first' language which posits (surprisingly!) that community identity is paramount. It's also an integral aspect of the 'social' model of disability, which suggests that disability arises from social barriers. This was developed in response to the 'individual' model (now more usually referred to as the 'medical' model), which locates disability as a solely individual issue. 

Somewhat against the grain, I have always preferred the person-first approach, and term myself as a 'person with a disability'. I am very much in agreement with the social model, as there is absolutely no doubt about the social barriers my friends and I encounter on a daily basis but, especially in more recent years, I cannot help but be aware of the impact my body has on my abilities - both negatively and positively. So, for me, the best model is the (seemingly elusive) middle ground between the 'social' and 'individual' - and I find it personally easier to articulate that with the phrase 'person with a disability', especially because my being 'disabled' isn't the only aspect of my identity. I thought I was alone in this opinion but, having read my friend Sarah's thoughtful post after the event (read it here), it seems I'm not!

This isn't to say I won't ever feel comfortable reclaiming the word 'disabled'. After all, I used to hate the word 'cripple' and wouldn't have dreamt I'd now be using its shortened form, 'crip', as a badge of honour - but I am! Indeed, I think the concepts of honour and pride in relation to disability were my two most important takeaways from yesterday. In theory, of course, they were things I already knew. In practice, however, I don't think I've thus far been very good at expressing them - and definitely not in relation to myself!

Yesterday reminded me (exactly when I needed to be) that I am valuable and worthy just as I am. I remembered that I can celebrate my difference just as much as I celebrate others' - and that it is necessary for me to do so. So, over the next four weeks, I'm going to employ this little corner of the internet as an assistant for my personal project of self-acceptance. I'm not quite sure what form that will take just yet, but hopefully you'll follow along and we can find out together!

For now, much love, and Happy UKDHM!

Jxx