August 26, 2022
The WHY behind the “Nothing About Us Without Us” Campaign
"Nothing About Us Without Us" has historically been a motto for people who wanted a say in how they were governed. Adopted by the disability rights movement fifty plus years ago, it is also echoed by the No Limits Leadership Club, a weekly after-school program comprised of 10-12 high school youth at ISBVI, spearheaded by IBCF. The Club’s discussions are focused on youth leadership, self-advocacy, problem solving skills, and disability culture and rights.
While the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law in 1990 to prohibit discrimination based on disability in several areas including employment, transportation, public accommodations, communications, and access to state and local government’ programs and services, individuals with disabilities continue to face social bias limiting access to a wide range of opportunities.
DID YOU KNOW?
- According to the Prevalence of Visual Acuity Loss or Blindness in the US, a new report cited by eye health and safety organization, Prevent Blindness, “More than 6 million people with uncorrectable visual acuity loss and 141,000 persons with blindness are under the age of 40. Those under 40 make up 13% of all persons that are blind. This is significant since this is the first national estimate of permanent visual acuity loss for people younger than 40.”
- The unemployment rate for individuals who are blind or visually impaired is over 70%.
- According to the Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization, “In several studies conducted between 2012 and 2017 with almost 1,000 employers, employer attitudes and knowledge about how people who are blind can perform basic job functions showed 67% of employers could not identify how blind or visually impaired persons perform any of the typical job tasks. Employers need education and workplace training.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
- Help elevate our students’ voices, follow along on all the IBCF social media channels, Facebook: @IndianaBCF, Instagram: @indianabcf, Twitter: @IBCFindy, and Linked-IN: @Indiana Blind Children’s Foundation
- and share the IBCF “Nothing About US Without Us” campaign posts on your social media pages.
- Use social media accessibility best practices when posting on social media. This includes using Alt Text, alternative text, descriptions when posting images. This helps raise awareness of the importance of describing images.
- People with disabilities are often omitted from conversations regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion. Check out this article by Caroline Casey, Do your DEI efforts include people with Disabilities? Look around at the DEI efforts at your workplace. How are people with disabilities a part of the conversation and efforts? Be a voice for inclusion, talk to leadership about the inclusion of individuals with disabilities.
- Use People First and Identity First Language when communicating about individuals with disabilities.
- Become a Disability A.L.L.Y. in your community! Check out this blog post from Anna Corbitt, Youth and Family Specialist at Paraquad.
