Disabled People’s Movement

Despite the fact that there have been lots of laws created that try to protect and support disabled people these haven’t always meant that disabled people aren’t discriminated against.

Disabled people have always had to fight in order to have the support they require and the rights they deserve.

Here are some pictures of the protests disabled people have led.

Black and white picture of four white men behind a podium, three seated one standing at a microphone. In front of them is a banner that reads Disabled Drivers Association Fights for a Better Deal for the Disabled.

Photograph taken by Tony Baldwinson

A black and white photo of a march there are two people at the front wearing long coats carrying a banner which reads ‘Justice not charity’ they are followed by approximately 150 people marching four people abreast.

Photograph taken by Tony Baldwinson

 

 

 

A black and white picture of two individuals a number of which are women in wheelchairs being pushed by others. Five people are carrying placards which read ‘Disability + Poverty = Despair’

Photograph taken by Tony Baldwinson

Disabled people hand in petition. Disabled women’s are pushed in their wheelchairs along whitehall to downing street to hand in a petition to the prime minister, Harold Wilson. The women formed a small delegation of from over 200 members of the Disablement Income Group who gathered in Trafalgar Square to draw attention to the issues of disabled people, 30th July 1967.

A picture of a man in a wheelchair being carried up a flight of stairs by two other individuals. on the railings on the right of the people is a banner which reads ‘We will ride, DAN!’ there is a picture of a stick person in a chair on the banner.

Photograph taken by Tony Baldwinson

Two wheelchair users and eight others stand at the top of a flight of stairs outside a black front door. On the railings in front of the people is a banner which reads ‘We will ride, DAN!’ there is a picture of a stick person in a chair on the banner.

Photograph taken by Tony Baldwinson

A black and white picture of around 20 people sat in the middle of a road in front of a large building with Millbank Tower written above the front door. There are several wheelchair users as well as non-wheelchair users sat in the road.

Photograph taken by Tony Baldwinson

A picture of a white ginger haired woman and an asian man holding a large piece of cardboard which reads ‘People need health + welfare. Atos want wealth and don’t care!’

A woman with long brown hair delivering a speech to a number of onlookers stood next to her is a person with short blond hair with a sign that reads ‘End homophobia and ableism NOW’

An outline drawing of the inside of a house. Above the house is says Adaptations. Around the outside of the house it says - ‘hand rails- getting on and off the toilet’ there is an arrow pointing at the toilet. ‘walk in shower - no platform easier to access or put a chair in’ with an arrow pointing at the shower. ‘Lift - People might need a lift to get up and down stairs’ with an arrow pointing to a lift. ‘Hoist - to get from and to another room or onto a bed or higher surface’ with an arrow to a hoist. ‘Slope - so wheelchairs can access the house or building’ with an arrow pointing to a slope. ‘Low surface - used for if you can’t reach a higher surface to cook/prepare food in a kitchen’ with an arrow to a side board

A picture of a white man with short light brown hair holding up a placard which reads ‘Hands off our DSA!’

A placard which read ‘I’m being [braille for ‘fucked’] by the Tories - the Hardest Hit’


A picture of a demonstration with two chanting people holding up a banner which reads ‘Disabled Students’

A white woman with long brown hair wearing a red coat and carrying a white stick, she is holding a piece of paper which reads ‘Don’t Cut Us Out - Save DSA, Lobby your MP on June 6th’

A tweet that reads ‘It’s frustrating to read a venue's site: “We have no lifts but we can carry manual wheelchair users up the stairs” ‘

A screenshot of the hashtag #everydaydisablism

A tweet from @disablism which says ‘A man at work was very polite until he saw my wheelchair, then he asked to see someone else #everydaydisablism’

A tween which reads ‘“Hilarious” old man told me earlier that playing tennis in a wheelchair is ‘cheating’ #everydaydisablism’’

A picture of three people holding a blue banner which reads “NUS Disabled Students Campaign” at a demonstration

A picture of the front of a huge demonstration standing outside parliament with Big Ben in the background. Many of the people are shouting and chanting there are placards which read ‘Hands Off Our DSA!’ and ‘Educate, Employ, Empower’. There are banners which read ‘NUS Disabled Students Campaign’ and ‘Defend Lifelong Learning’

A collection of handmade placards reading ‘Don’t right me off, save my support’ ‘my notetaker is my lifelong’ ‘No degree for disabled people?’ ‘Save the Disabled Students Allowance’.

Five white people stood holding placards that read ‘Fit to work: 1000 dead’, ‘NUS against ATOS’, ‘ATOS don’t give a toss’.

Twenty people sat outside parliament holding placards reading ‘assist us to live not die’ there is a banner reading ‘Disabled People want independant living not assisted dying! No to Death, Yes to ILF!’