Despite the existence of accessibility laws and protections, there is ample space for social change and social justice regarding disability. Mainly, most laws in existence are written and created without the voices and experiences of folks with disabilities related to those laws. Although some laws manifested through the justice system, ablism is the hegemonic social and medical standard in which all other (dis)abilities are “othered,” diminished, and or erased. Disability justice advocacy is necessary precisely because most spaces are not supportive of different abilities, therefore, limiting access to folks, causing harm, and oppression.
Additionally, as social justice and social movements regarding disability justice continue to create and demand action, laws, and advocacy must progress as well. For example, consider the social model of disability, where the “disability” is labeled a disability as a result of existing in an ableist world. When institutions construct policies, practices, physical structures, and access within hegemonic ability, anything outside of ablism is diminished. Every person has different abilities, but within ablism, anything outside of it is considered a (dis)ability rather than a different ability. Furthermore, within the social model of disability, societal conditions limit possibilities for different abilities. The medical model of disability refers to disabilities caused by biological dysfunction rather than societal conditions. Both the social and medical model of disability is used in disability justice to create equal access to spaces without limitations.
