Radical Reflections: Disability Justice Series
These monthly discussion spaces invite conversation and deep reflection on aspects of Transformative Justice (TJ) that will allow us to strengthen our movements toward healing and social justice.
TJ is one aspect of Abolitionism that builds and implements alternative liberatory strategies that do not rely on the police, criminal legal system, prisons, and interconnected systems of oppression within healthcare, education, and social care. It is a framework that encompasses accountability, prevention of harm, healing, working towards safety, and building community strength and resources.
This series will begin by focusing on the lived experience of disability, ableism and disability justice, using material from TJ leaders, organisers and artists. Each session will reflect on set lectures, articles, podcasts or topics to deepen our abolitionist, anti-oppressive praxis.
Sessions will run on the first Wednesday of each month at 6:30pm-8pm (UK time).
Session 1: Deaths by Welfare Podcast Ep1: 'Resisting DWP Violence' by Healing Justice LDN
Our first session brings into focus systemic ableism within a UK context. The podcast episode discusses the extreme failure of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) in supporting disabled people. The guests' also speak to their experience of living and organising against the harms of welfare reform, as well as creating evidence, resistance and justice.
Wednesday 2nd November 2022
Session 2: 'Care Work: Dreaming Disability Justice. Crip Lineages, Crip Futures: A Conversation with Stacey Milbern' by Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha
Our second session invites an intimate discussion on lived experiences of QTIBIPOC disabled eldership, crip ancestors, the role of spirituality within disability justice, the hauntings of ableism, creating legacies, and crip wealth.
Wednesday 7th December 2022
Session 3: 'You Are Not Entitled To Our Deaths: COVID, Abled Supremacy & Interdependence' by Mia Mingus
This session will reflect on ableism, interdependence, the harm of individualism, and abled supremacy in the context of COVID and disability justice.
Wednesday 4th January 2023
Confronting the Role of White Comfort in Therapy
This seminar invites therapists and allied professionals to interrogate their relationship with upholding white supremacy within their practice.
We're Still Here: Centring Community Care as Disabled People During COVID
This space is for all people who self-identify as D/deaf, disabled, sick, or neurodivergent. It is an opportunity to share our experiences of living/surviving through COVID, and the UK government's latest announcement to lift restrictions.
When many of us are feeling isolated, excluded and unsafe this meeting invites us to hold space together, be in connection through solidarity to witness shared experiences, and express feelings of collective grief and anger (and any other responses).
The second half invites us to creatively express ourselves and move towards community care. These images, words, and voice recordings may be published on Instagram or disseminated in a way that we collectively decide.
Please bring any art materials, make-up, fabric, objects, digital devices, pen & paper that you wish to use on the evening.
We will be centring intersectional experiences and the nuance of navigating COVID as marginalised bodies at different intersections of identity.
Outline
19:00- Arrive, ground rules, share our access needs and introduce our selves.
19:20 - Break out spaces to share and witness our experiences.
20:00 - 10 minute break.
20:10 - Creatively express ourselves through art, poetry, movement, writing etc.
20:40 - Check-out
21:00 - End
Access
Please share your access needs at the check-out
Closed captions will be available
A quiet break-out space will be available
I do not have the finances to provide BSL interpreters unfortunately
Ticket sales end on Monday 4th April at 11:00am
Consent
I will be inviting people to share their work with me to disseminate online, therefore there may be points where I record the person on screen if it is voice/movement-based. I will not share any of your work if you do not explicitly consent.
Creatively Processing White Shame
An experiential session for white therapists to process somatic barriers and defences in relation to racism and white supremacist culture.