What is Disability Justice?
“I think that an important piece of Disability Justice is that we’re not just doing access for the sake of access, that we’re not just doing access for assimilation, and we’re not just fighting to get access to the horrible system, current system that we have, but that we’re doing access that moves us beyond just access towards the world we actually want – access for the sake of justice and liberation, access for the sake of deeper connection and breaking isolation.” – Mia Mingus via Equitable Education
Disability justice is a framework that examines disability within the greater container of how ableism intersects and is entangled with all the layers of oppression in our society. This work has happened for a long time within oppressed communities, but was named as such in 2005 by disabled activists of color (Patty Berne, Mia Mingus, Stacey Milbern, and the Disability Justice Collective and Sins Invalid). Disability justice is inherently abolitionist and rooted in our collective liberation. Alongside the fight is also the joy, and what drew me to disability justice is that it honors our wholeness and value as humans, outside of and in defiance against the systems of oppression that tell us otherwise.
When thinking about applying a disability justice lens to movement work, we need to move beyond an accessibility checklist. While a list of accomodations can be a useful tool, creating a responsive space where people can feel safe, included, and welcome, is a muscle that needs to be built and maintained through ongoing internal and external work on politic and praxis (how we view the world and how we apply our view of the world to what we do).
I wouldn’t have the honor of working in this space without the teachings and mentorship of so many individuals and collectives: Dustin Gibson, Sins Invalid, PeoplesHub, ProjectLets, to name a few.
My Offerings
Consulting, Coaching Sessions, and Emergent Strategy for Local and Regionally-Based Individuals, Collectives, and Nonprofits: For anyone looking to apply a disability justice lens to their work in the Greater Pittsburgh Area, Allegheny County, Southwestern Pennsylvania and surrounding areas. For those who are not local to this area, please check out the virtual offerings at PeoplesHub.
I thrive in taking a personal and ground-up focus with clients, especially for those who are new to this work or unsure of how to begin. Coaching sessions can offer a personalized and conversational space to learn more about disability justice and how it relates to your work. We can cooperatively develop and strategize around working goals to determine the pathways you or your organization can take to integrate disability justice into your movement work and help build the tools you need to continue this work on your own. Timelines and payments for coaching sessions are flexible to individual and organizational needs.
For potential clients who already have a project in mind, I am happy to schedule a virtual or in-person introductory meeting to learn more about you and your goals.
Workshops, Panels, and Presentations: I am open to workshop proposals, panel discussions, presentations, or other collaborations in the realm of disability justice and liberatory mental health.
Examples of past projects I’ve been involved in include: Peer to Peer Mental Health Support + Alternatives to Calling the Police (Abolitionist Law Center Court Watch); Narratives of the COVID Pandemic (Carnegie Mellon University, Department of Modern Languages); Mental Wellness and Neurodiversity in the Built Environment (Columbia University, Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation); Unpacking Ableism (Duquesne University, Department of Psychology).
Contact Lyss
If you’re interested in working with me, please send me a message using the contact form below. I will send you an initial response within seven (7) days.
If this form is inaccessible for you for any reason, please send me an email at hello[at]lysscypher[dot]com.