From Dependency to Self-advocacy: Redefining Disability

People continually redefine the meaning of disability for themselves through interaction and interpretation. Negative assumptions about disability result in low expectations for persons with disabilities and contribute to policies that keep them in isolation and out of the mainstream of life. Disability rights activists have begun to strip away some of the old stigmas and assumptions by redefining the meaning of disability to themselves and to others, and by organizing themselves into groups for purposes of discussion, education, and protest. Their efforts have resulted in improvements in attitudes about and opportunities for persons with disabilities. They need to remain vigilant to maintain the rights they have won, as well as to address new issues. Those who are interested in equal opportunities for persons with disabilities need to become advocates. Persons with disabilities learn to advocate for themselves through interaction with others who are committed to activist goals. They also learn through trial and error, gaining strength as they experience success, and they learn through formal advocacy training. Occupational therapists can actively contribute to the redefinition of disability through self-reflection and through advocacy training.