Giving Compass' Take:
- Sandy Ho and Jen Bokoff discuss philanthropy’s problem with ableism, and how nonprofit work tends to overlook organizers who have or advocate for people with disabilities.
- What can donors do to work against the ableist status quo?
- Learn about language justice and accessibility.
What is Giving Compass?
We connect donors to learning resources and ways to support community-led solutions. Learn more about us.
What kind of funding are you looking for, and do you have a budget for this year?” a staff person from a foundation asked me. We were talking about the 2018 Disability & Intersectionality Summit (DIS). It came as a shock when I, the event’s founder, landed a meeting with this foundation to discuss DIS.
It was one of my earliest interactions with a foundation as a community organizer and I recall trying my hardest to impress this staff person. As a disabled and queer Asian American woman, I felt such shock partly because our ableist society has conditioned me and millions of disabled people to wait and be told what would be best for our lives, rather than asking directly for what we need.
Ableism is a system of oppression that devalues and discriminates against people with disabilities. Individuals as well as institutions, policies, and communications can be sources of ableism.
Read the full article about philanthropy and ableism by Sandy Ho and Jen Bokoff at Stanford Social Innovation Review.