Disability Pride Month

Disability Pride Month was established in 1990, when the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law. The ADA requires workplaces and public spaces to accommodate people with disabilities as well as protection from hiring discrimination. Historically, the movement for Disability Justice has overlapped and intertwined with the principles of Harm Reduction and the movement for Drug Users Rights

Ableism & Harm Reduction

“Ableism is the discrimination of and social prejudice against people with disabilities based on the belief that typical abilities are superior. At its heart, ableism is rooted in the assumption that disabled people require ‘fixing’ and defines people by their disability.”

–Ashley Eisenmenger, 12/12/19, Access Living

Recently, the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) has been used to challenge discrimination against people who use drugs. Across the country, there have been public debates about the locations of syringe service programs, substance use treatment facilities, and overdose prevention centers. The ADA has been cited in multiple legal cases about discriminatory zoning laws that seek to limit options for establishing new programs to support people who use drugs.

We Keep Each Other Safe: Disability, Harm Reduction, and COVID-19

“When we talk about harm reduction, we need to talk about whose harm we are most focused on reducing. Sure, privileged people can now go to brunch, but marginalized disabled, immunocompromised, and high risk people can’t even get medical care due to lack of COVID protections.”

–Dr. Lucky Tran, 10/5/22

Harm reduction and safety for people with disabilities has been a hot topic throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Although not true for all people with disabilities, some have a higher risk of contracting COVID-19 or developing complications like those associated with Long COVID. As public policies have continued to decrease precautions against the virus, the disability community has increased grassroots advocacy to support those who have been denied appropriate medical care. In the early pandemic, concerns about the scarcity of medical supplies and treatment options for COVID-19 influenced medical rationing. This practice often excluded people with disabilities from treatment. For example, in Alabama, COVID-19 treatment guidelines made “people with severe or profound intellectual disability unlikely candidates for ventilator support”. This is discrimination.

Like how community groups organized throughout the HIV/AIDS and overdose epidemics, disability justice communities rallied together when the public protections intended to reduce the harm of COVID-19 were removed. When our government abandons its support for people with disabilities, the harm reduction and disability justice movements unite to uplift and support one another. We are not expendable.

NEXT Distro is dedicated to reducing harm in the lives of people who use drugs, while recognizing the varying needs of people with disabilities.

Glossary: www.nextdistro.org

Immunocompromised - Having a weakened immune system. People who are immunocompromised have a reduced ability to fight infections and other diseases.

Medical Rationing - Limiting the availability of medical care or supplies for certain populations.