Advocating for Health Care Access

Sangaramoorthy, Thurka; Olson, Krisjon

doi:10.1111/an.744

Cited by 1 publication

(1 citation statement)

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“…The current push to center disabled voices in disability rights conversations is certainly not a new phenomenon (see the work of Sins Invalid, 2016 for a more comprehensive overview); however, there has been a surge of disability activism particularly since 2017 both in the trenches and through cyber protests and activism (Mann, 2018). In a growing body of popular media articles from outlets such as TIME Magazine, MSNBC, the Huffington Post , as well as a small but expanding body of scholarly literature on the topic (Ginsburg & Rapp, 2017; Mann, 2018; Sangaramoorthy & Olson, 2018; Trevisan, 2018) disability rights are asserted as civil rights. National online advocacy efforts such as the Disability Visibility Project have catapulted disability issues to the forefront, marked by viral hashtags including #cripthevote, #iamapreexistingcondition, and #thisiswhatdisabilitylookslike.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

#SaytheWord: A disability culture commentary on the erasure of “disability”.

Andrews

Forber‐Pratt²,

Mona

et al. 2019

Rehabilitation Psychology

151

129

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To inform the field of rehabilitation psychology about the sociocultural implications of the term "disability," and explain the rationale behind the #SaytheWord movement, a social media call to embrace disability identity. Method: Review of the literature on disability terminology, the history of language use, and the relationship between attitudes toward disability and language. We reflect on the role of disability within the field of psychology and within the American Psychological Association (APA), including the underrepresentation of disabled psychologists and trainees with disabilities and the lack of mentorship opportunities available in the field. Implications: The authors argue that erasure of the word "disability" can have unintended and adverse consequences. We describe how erasure of disability identity in the context of current sociopolitical efforts to reduce and eliminate public services and supports for people with disabilities is especially threatening to members of the disability community. To move forward, the authors postulate that the disability movement must reconcile its own history of exclusion and adopt a disability justice framework. Conclusion: The field of psychology has a rich tradition of appreciation of cultural diversity and individual difference; yet, disability has largely been left out of these efforts. The disability movement is moving toward the status of a diverse cultural group with a social justice agenda parallel to those of other marginalized communities. The authors posit that psychology must play a stronger role in advancing the human rights of people with disabilities. Impact and ImplicationsThis commentary will inform readers about important sociocultural considerations of the use of the term "disability." The literature indicates that despite the importance of language on attitudes toward disabled people, attempts to avoid the term "disability" remain and may have unintended consequences. The authors argue that psychology and the disability movement should align in order to advance a social justice agenda.

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