Disability Activism at Work

Workplace activism—meaning how insider activists mobilize to target their own organization to change it from the inside out and advocate for their rights—is a widespread phenomenon. While research has focused on the mobilization of various minorities and groups inside workplaces, this chapter maps out activism that addresses various forms of ableism and promotes the rights of disabled people at work. Analyzing this form of workplace activism is fundamental, as disabled people are often made invisible and discriminated on the job market. This chapter first explores how disability movements are varied and multilayered worldwide. Second, it documents various levels of mobilizations, ranging from macro-level mobilizations (legal mobilization, attempt to instigate cultural changes), interpersonal mobilizations, and personal mobilization. At each level, we show how these broad movements can translate into activism at work. Last, we question forms of advocacy or activism that are not spearheaded by disabled people themselves, to give a bigger picture of disability rights activism, its allies, and their ambivalent relationship with the broader disability rights movements. We conclude by restating the plurality inherent in disability (rights) movements, but also the strong call to keep disabled people at the center of these movements.