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DISABILITY JUSTICE
Disability Justice emerged in the mid-2000s from Queer, Trans, Black, Brown, and Immigrant Disabled activists who saw the limits of the mainstream disability rights movement. Leaders like Patty Berne, Mia Mingus, Stacey Milbern, Leroy Moore, and others called for a framework that not only demanded access, but also acknowledged how other identities, such as race, class, gender, sexuality, and immigration status shape Disabled people’s lives. Disability Justice insists that true liberation requires dismantling ableism alongside racism, capitalism, colonialism, and other systems of oppression.
At the heart of Disability Justice are ten principles:
These principles shift the focus from rights to justice. They remind us that survival, care, and creativity are not peripheral, but central to movements for liberation. At this moment, when Disabled people face increasing threats from austerity politics, health care rollbacks, climate crisis, and systemic neglect, Disability Justice offers us a compass. Moving from a place of justice, rather than rights alone, is critical if we are to build thriving Disabled futures.