Intersections of Accessibility & Equity Hustle & Thrive

Part 2 of our 3-Part Series exploring Equity and Inclusion created in partnership with Curated Leadership, founded by Sheliza Jamal. The series includes conversation on inclusion, accessibility, equity, and radical self-love. Episodes in this series are supported by Ontario Arts Council.

Civil Rights leader Fannie Lou Hamer once said, “nobody’s free until everybody’s free.” Syrus Marcus Ware goes even further by saying “if we made the world safer for Black Trans women with disabilities (the most marginalized and oppressed people), we’d be making the world safer for everyone.” In this episode Syrus uses a disability justice framework to help us connect the dots between accessibility and equity. Developing an awareness of how an individual’s marginalized identities impact their access to power helps us understand and identify how best to meet their respective needs. From this conversation we learn that accessibility is not about checking boxes, but about continuously transforming our interactions with people to create comfortable experiences and environments where the most marginalized can thrive.

Notable Mentions and Resources:
- Disability Justice Framework: What is Disability Justice, Sins Invalid, 2020
- Concept of “One Size Fits One” by Jan Derbyshire, Writer, Mad Activist, Theatre Maker.
- So, You Built a Ramp…Community Engagement and Meaningful Outreach, Emily Gillespie, 2019
- Intersectionality Framework first coined by Combahee River Collective; expanded by Kimberlé Crenshaw, Critical Race Theory Scholar.
- “Nobody's free until everybody’s free.” Fannie Lou Hamer, Civil Rights Leader.

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