Black Lives Matter and Disability

This page was added in the summer of 2016, as Black Lives Matter and actions against police brutality spread across the U.S.  We offer these resources to help connect BLM to disability resources, to help Black students with disabilities learn about intersections of disability and race in the movement, and to share resources about race and disability with police and security officers working with campuses and surrounding neighborhoods.  The violence against Black people and against police officers must stop.

It is now 2020, and Black Lives Matter continues to work for systemic justice and change.  It is the week of June 1, and across the world, people are protesting and expressing collective grief after the death of George Floyd.  They are also working during the COVID-19 pandemic, which is killing Black, brown, and indigenous people at a disproportionate rate.  Although the HBCU Disability Consoritum has ended, we will be updating these pages within the next two weeks to provide resources related to current crises. 

Also check out our Resources page for related information.  If you have additional suggestions for this page, please contact us. 

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Race, Disability, and Black Lives Matter

• "An Open Letter to the Disability Community on Why Black Lives Matter and Allyship" is a letter to disability groups about Black Lives Matter, while also asking Black disabled people to help connect the two groups
•  "Why We Need to Talk about Racism as a Mental-Health Trigger" article
• ​"Ramp Your Voice!" is an organization dedicated to issues of race and disability, and how to make a difference, run by Vilissa Thompson
• Leroy Moore's interview with Vilissa Thomson about police brutality, Black women with disabilities, and why inclusion of people with disabilities in Black Lives Matter is so important
• The Autism Women's Network issues a statement in solidarity with Black Lives Matter

Taking Care of Yourself

• ​Colorlines printed "4 Self-Care Resources for Days when the World is Terrible," designed to help everyone grieving and working for change
• The NCCSD Clearinghouse has published a list of crisis resources, including organizations with TTY or VideoPhone options for Deaf people and those with communication-related disabilities
• Find disability student organizations on your campus at DREAM's website.
• Take a look at our "Disability 101" resources to connect to a broader community of Black and African American people with disabilities, culturally Deaf Black people, and the disability rights movement.  You can also share these resources with counselors, pastors, family, friends, and others in  your network of support.
• Get a little inspiration with this website's posters that you can download and distribute for free.  There are more free posters available from the National Center for College Students with Disabilities.

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Police Brutality and Disability

• An overview of the topic of race, disability, and police violence, with links to reports and statistics
• Additional statistics on police shootings and the shooting of police in the U.S., from the BBC.
• "Where is Hope?" video about police brutality and disability (this is a link to clips; full documentary rents for $3.99)
• "Police Brutality and Disability: When You Can't Comply" blog by Dominick Evans reflecting on what happens when a person can't comply because of a disability
• "Disability and Police Terror" is a video showing a performance artist, Lisa Ganser, telling stories of people with disabilities who have been killed by police in the U.S. (this version has captions and audio description)
• "9-Year Old Writes for 'Black People Everywhere'" is an article from Minneapolis about a letter from 9-year old Andrew Brundidge to the governor, about his three autistic siblings and worries about what police might do to them
• "Police are Murdering Disabled Black People" is an article about Chicago and testimony by citizens to the U.S. Department of Justice

Disability Resources for Black Lives Matter

• The NCCSD Clearinghouse has a list of resources for planning inclusive events - this was created for colleges, but could be used for rallies, lectures, and other events
• Look at our list of organizations working on race and disability - this is primarily about higher education, but it will get you started
• Learn about African American disability history and "Disability 101"
• PACER Center has published a list of tips for parents of children with disabilities, to help them learn what to do during interactions with police; this is not specifically for parents of Black children

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Resources for Police and Security Officers about Disability and Race

• "Spotlight: Police on the Front Lines of People Dealing with Mentally Ill People" is part of a series in the Boston Globe.  This article highlights how police are often first responders to anyone in a mental health crisis, how that has led to a high number of deaths at the hands of police, and what several Massachusetts communities are doing to respond.
• The Arc's National Center on Criminal Justice and Disability has published a list of resources about disability for first responders, police officers, and corrections officers
• The Center for Public Safety Innovation has released an app for first responders in emergencies or disaster incidents; it gives users resources for working with people who different types of disabilities or access needs.
• The Mental Health First Aid group has been training campus communities (including police and security officers) to respond to mental health and substance abuse crises; please note that this training may not specifically address race or broader disability concerns.