Bridging Generation Gaps in Disability Rights Activism

If you want to seem relevant when discussing the importance of technology as a tool for younger generations of advocates, I don’t recommend comparing laptops and iPhones to memories of your first refrigerator when you were a little girl in the early 20th century. Sure, I like my drinks cold and my food safe to eat, but I can’t use a fridge to connect with people across the globe. This sounds like a silly point to make, but I sat through this exact out-of-touch lecture at an event a few weeks ago, and it made it seem like using technology as a tool for activism just doesn’t matter at all.

In total contrast, I recently spoke on a panel at the annual Disability Policy Seminar in Washington, D.C. that smoothly connected advocacy practices of the past, present, and future. The experience was proof that bridging gaps between generations of activists can be done through respect, compromise, and working together.

As a young advocate – born just over a year after the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act – the activists who have come before me are some of my biggest heroes and role models. The progress made within the disability rights movement in the past half-century serves as the motivation my generation looks to as we continue the good fight. Unfortunately, some advocates from older generations don’t always take kindly to my peers and our wild, newfangled ideas.

What’s this wild, newfangled form of advocacy I speak of? Using social media! From time to time, I’ve found that when I share with older generations my passion for embracing the powers of online platforms, I’m met with hesitancy at best, and disdain at worst.

I’ve encountered so many arguments against social media activism. “Slacktivism,” some call it. “Your tweets and chirps don’t compare to my experiences in the trenches,” I’ve been scolded. The number of times I’ve witnessed technology being discounted as a viable medium for activism really saddens me.

To a point, I get where people who haven’t taken to social media are coming from. A Facebook status isn’t akin to forcing your way up the steps of the Capitol building to prove a point about a lack of access for the disability community. But, when used strategically, social media possesses an incredible power all its own. It provides a larger than life means of spreading ideas, sharing messages, and gaining support.

I ask, then, for activists who were in the trenches back in the day to realize that in so many ways, younger generations are still in those trenches. We’ve come far, but we’ve still got so far to go, and though some of our approaches may be different as we move forward, our core values are the same.

Like you, I seek fairness. Like you, I seek an end to prejudice. Like you, I seek to remove barriers, both structural and societal. And like you, I seek a trend of increasing unification of the disability community. All of these are priorities instilled within me from my lived experiences and the knowledge of disability history that I carry with me. Advocates of my generation just happen to have a modernized set of tools available to work towards these goals.

How my generation chooses to connect and engage does not lessen the value of the work we do. I believe we must find ways to eliminate unproductive cross-generational divides, and focus on how we can collaborate. I know in my heart it is possible to combine the experiences, skills, and wisdom of the generations that came before me with the skills, knowledge, and priorities of younger generations.

Instead, we often spend far too much time defending ourselves against one another. I’ve noticed that I frequently feel the need to repeat the fact that the world is ever-changing, and that the disability rights movement must keep up with the times. And I’ve seen younger advocates express frustration over feeling that our work isn’t recognized as legitimate. What I want most is to reach a point where we need not spend so much time having conversations about why we should embrace new technologies, and focus our combined energies on harnessing its immense power to spark real change.

Activism by way of social media outlets affords the privilege of having a voice to far more people than does expensive travel to visit Washington, D.C. It alleviates transportation struggles while opening up roads to connect with advocates on a global scale. Social media brings people together and fosters the development of communities among people who might otherwise have never connected. It is a means of grabbing attention of influencers and becoming an influencer yourself. Social media keeps the momentum going strong that the disability rights movement so desperately needs to thrive.

Policy, culture, and society have seen tremendous change through the power of the Internet. Look no further than the #BlackLivesMatter movement to see just how powerful social media can be. I strongly believe that the time has come for the disability rights movement to similarly work towards making our presence known every day and everywhere in both online and offline spheres. My generation turns to the activists who have come before us to be our mentors and our guides as we push forward, but as you impart your wisdom to us, consider that we have much to teach and contribute as well. True victories can and will be achieved in the disability rights movement in the years to come, so long as we foster a united front in moving forward among every generation.

Emily Ladau is a writer and disability rights activist whose passion is to harness the powers of language and social media as tools for people to become informed and engaged social justice advocates. She maintains a blog, Words I Wheel By, as a platform to address discrimination and to encourage people to understand the experience of having a disability in more positive, accepting, and supportive ways. You’re welcome to connect with her on Facebook and Twitter.