“Intersectionality is a metaphor for understanding the ways that multiple forms of inequality or disadvantage sometimes compound themselves and create obstacles that often are not understood among conventional ways of thinking.”
Kimberlé Crenshaw
In the first video British Paralympian and television broadcaster Ade Adepitan uses the Black Lives Matter movement as a starting point to discuss the the parallels between the struggles for racial equality and those faced by disabled people. He says at once point that it’s not a disability or illness that makes a person struggle, but rather societies inability to facilitate it that makes people disabled. When disability is combined with race the compounding effect of intersectionality means that the discrimination and barriers that people face are significantly worse.
In the second video the American sound artist Christine Sun Kim is discussing, amongst other things, their New York exhibition. Kim who is deaf, wanted audiences to experience the echoes that captions provide. Putting huge caption across the outside of the gallery and even flying a plane with banner displaying closed captions.
In the third video: ‘Intersectionality in Focus: Empowering Voices during UK Disability History Month 2023’ Chay Brown discusses their experiences as a trans gay man. At the end of the video he discusses a trade union party that was a good example of a truly accessible event. People’s access requirements had been collected in advance. There was a dance with music in one room and a board game room in another. This allowed participants to self select which type of event they went.
Reflection:
I have seen the experiences that disabled students at LCC have first hand. There is a compounding effect of the causes of the discrimination they receive.
- architecture of the building
- disability services at UAL
- course structures
These could then be further compounded by intersectional experiences of the students.
Christine Sun Kim’s video made me think of this essay by the poet Raymond Antrobus which discusses how people hide their deafness:
Antrobus, R., 2023. The public and private performance of the deaf body. Granta. Available at: https://granta.com/raymond-antrobus-performance/
2010 Discrimination Act covers nine procteted characteristics
- Age: Discrimination based on age is unlawful.
- Disability: Individuals with physical or mental impairments are protected.
- Gender reassignment: Protection extends to individuals who are proposing to, are undergoing, or have undergone gender reassignment.
- Marriage and civil partnership: Discrimination based on marital status is unlawful.
- Pregnancy and maternity: Protection against discrimination related to pregnancy and maternity leave.
- Race: Includes factors like ethnicity, nationality, national origin, and color.
- Religion or belief: Protection against discrimination based on religious or philosophical beliefs.
- Sex: Protection against discrimination based on gender.
- Sexual orientation: Protection against discrimination based on sexual orientation.
What’s not included:
Political beliefs, social class, and physical appearance
Intersex status
And most relevant for this blog post – Dual and multiple discrimination that would cover intersectional experiences are not covered.