Building Power for Disability Justice

How do you advocate for Disability Justice? You organize as if your life depended on it, and it does! You organize more than just the disability community to demand equitable pay to Direct Support Professionals, equity in services to families of color, and rates to keep service provider’s doors open. In the East Bay, The Arc of Alameda County has reached out to other nonprofit community organizations, health service providers, unions, and church/temple groups to join forces.

Along with The Arc of Alameda County, the organizations include Comfort Homesake (healthcare), Breakthrough Communities (sustainable environment), California Walks (pedestrian safety), Restorative Justice for Oakland (youth and restorative justice), Amalgamated Transit Union 192 (AC Transit bus drivers), two Catholic Churches, two Episcopal Churches, and the First Congregational Church of Oakland. All are members of Genesis, the local Oakland affiliate of the statewide and national Gamaliel community organizing foundation.

Although these local community organizations have different concerns, they come together to support each other’s human rights and social justice issues. The restorative justice group has an issue of schools as pipelines to prison for black youth, a tri valley group wants more affordable housing, Genesis advocates for youth bus passes and transportation for seniors and people with disabilities, and The Arc is working for Disability Justice.

We are holding a Public Meeting in October at The Arc of Alameda with members from each organization presenting their concerns to elected officials and those running for offices. The follow up will be a larger rally of over 1,000 community voices! Building power, influence and a louder voice is all about finding other individual and organization’s self-interests and concerns. Only then can you see how they are similar to those of your organization, and invite them to join forces with you, as you join with them. That’s building power!

Tim Hornbecker, Advocacy Coordinator, The Arc of California