4 research outputs found
Disability activism and the politics of scale
In this paper, we examine the role of spatial scale in
mediating and shaping political struggles between
disabled people and the state. Specifically, we draw
on recent theoretical developments concerning the
social construction of spatial scale to interpret two
case studies of disability activism within Canada and
Ireland. In particular, we provide an analysis of how
successful the disability movement in each locale has
been at 'jumping scale' and enacting change, as well
as examining what the consequences of such
scaling-up have been for the movement itself. We
demonstrate that the political structures operating
in each country markedly affect the scaled nature of
disability issues and the effectiveness of political
mobilization at different scales