Depending on whom you ask, the phrase, “Nothing About Us Without Us” was coined by leaders in the South African anti-apartheid movement in the 1990s, by author James Charlton, who wrote a book by that name in 2000, or by movement leaders in 14th century Poland.
Regardless of where the phrase originated, it has become a mantra and a call to action for the American disability community whose members believe, rightly, that they should have a say regarding any issue concerning them.
One of the very best ways to have a seat at the table is by holding political office.
“One in four adults in the United States has a disability,” says disabled activist Sarah Blahovec. “However, whenever it comes to running for office, working on campaigns, and serving an elected office, disabled people are underrepresented because they experience a number of barriers to the political arena that come from long-standing access barriers.”
Blahovec, formerly the voting rights and civic engagement director for the National Council on Independent Living, and Neal Carter, who has been “spearheading political outreach operations in campaigns since 2002,” cofounded Disability Victory, a nonprofit that “seeks to empower people with disabilities to actively participate in the civic process by running for office, joining campaign staffs, and more,” in 2024.
In the near future, Disability Victory will begin training an inaugural cohort of people with disabilities on the most effective ways to run for office. Blahovec and Carter plan to model their organization after other successful political entities such as the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund and She Should Run and EMILY’S List. Previously, the duo formed “Elevate, the first-ever campaign training program for candidates with disabilities.”
Despite the urgent need for increased political representation for people with disabilities, Blahovec and Carter aren’t rushing into commencement of the training program.
“We don’t want to launch something where it’s only available to some people and not others,” says Blahovec in an interview with The 19th. The organization plans to hire sign language interpreters, offer professional captioning and provide written materials accessible by screen reading software.
The cofounders also want to be sure that cohort members and future candidates are committed to the issues of greatest concern to most disabled people – “affordable health care, accessible transportation and the preservation and expansion of programs like Medicaid and Social Security.”
Adds Blahovec: “It’s important to understand policy and be running based on ideas you have about how to improve that policy, not to be the first disabled person in this position or running based on that alone. There needs to be a groundedness in community and understanding the needs of the community and bringing in your experience to support that.”
