About
Out of the Margins is a virtual, on-demand project that aims to produce practical content pertinent to the disabled experience of Black and Brown people. That said, in addition to focusing on topics like Home and Community Based Services (HCBS), guardianship, Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), etc, Out of the Margins will also focus on overarching disparities Black and Brown disabled people face as they pertain to the following issues:
-ROOTED IN RACISM: the disability rights movement was appropriated from the Black civil rights movement, yet has shut Black and Brown people out of leadership roles since its inception.
-HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT: white people are considered the default setting of the disabled community, which means that research, policy, and service delivery models are devised to meet the needs of white disabled people, leaving Black and other racially marginalized people in the margins and vulnerable to victimization, including, but not limited to human trafficking, food insecurity, homelessness, disparities in access to healthcare, and, all to often, premature death.
-DWB- DISABLED WHILE BLACK: according to the Department of Justice, 40% of incarcerated people experience one or more disabilities. Additionally, 40% of incarcerated people are Black. Connect the dots. See the picture.
-REDLINED INTO DISASTER ZONES: People in predominately Black zip codes are more likely to acquire a disability- or die- as the result of a disaster than people in predominately white zip codes.
-THE EPIGENETICS OF CAREGIVING: Six out of ten people in direct support staff positions- jobs that are notorious for overwork, underpay, abuse, and lack of advancement opportunities- in the disabled community are racially marginalized. Black women, specifically, many of whom experience disabilities themselves and are descendants of generations of people who were forced to care for white people from cradle to grave because of enslavement.