A Relativist's Approach to Disability in Global and Comparative Perspective

This Winter Quarter (2025), I am taking LSJ/DS 346: Disability in Global and Comparative Perspectives— it is my first disability studies class at the University of Washington. This course examines how disabilities are conceptualized in different cultures and communities throughout the Global South. By engaging with various perspectives and experiences, students are developing a deeper understanding of disability in non-Western contexts. We are now applying these findings at the global level, making recommendations to improve inclusivity and accessibility across international disability rights organizations (e.g. the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities). 

For the midterm assignment, students were asked to ponder how NGOs and other rights-based organizations can make positive, well-informed impacts on communities in the Global South. Our professor introduced us to multiple organizations and projects addressing reproductive justice for disabled women in rural communities. We were then prompted to reflect on these initiatives, their goals, their strengths, and their weaknesses. 

CREA, for one, is a feminist human rights organization based in New Delhi that “builds feminist leadership, strengthens movements, challenges unjust power structures, expands sexual and reproductive freedoms, and advances the human rights of structurally excluded people.” (CREA, 2024) According to CREA, sexuality is a key component of self-expression and a gateway for empowerment. Their initiatives uplift women with disabilities by promoting bodily autonomy and emphasizing the importance of consent in communities across the Global South. They also consistently underscore the importance of community-based care. 

Advancing the access of deafblind women and girls to Sexual and Reproductive Health, a program implemented by the Visual Hearing Impairment Membership Association (VIHEMA),

addresses gender-based violence (GBV) among deafblind women in Malawi. Their plan involves three key actions: education (i.e. family planning and rights awareness programs), economic empowerment (i.e. providing resources to ensure financial independence for deafblind women), and public advocacy. (VIHEMA, 2016, p. 2) By increasing awareness both within and outside the deafblind population, this framework will result in stronger networks of care where deafblind women feel included and empowered by their communities. This program’s success stems from deliberate choices to place deafblind individuals in leadership positions; they also prioritize forming strong connections with local Malawian officials to foster cooperation. It is my view that these decisions ensure the authenticity and effectiveness of this program. 

The consistent emphasis on community and connection across both organizations was apparent in my research. NGOs and other rights-based organizations must consider social and structural barriers while remaining cognisant of intersectional identities and cultural norms to effectively support disabled women in all aspects of reproduction. This was achieved by 

involving and empowering local communities. After all, outsiders are inherently ill-equipped to diagnose problems and prescribe solutions, especially in rural communities. By communicating with locals, organizations will avoid implementing ineffective Western solutions and build lasting connections with locals that will ensure the long-term success of their programs. 

These ideas align with relativist approaches to disability rights. Relativist frameworks are informed by intersectionality, i.e., how different identities coalesce to shape individual experiences with disability. Gender, nationality, race, sexual orientation, rurality, economic status, and the nature of one’s disability itself impact how people with disabilities experience the world. This is why it is important to remain flexible and exercise cultural responsiveness when engaging with local communities.

Although I am new to the disability studies program, Disability in Global and Comparative Perspectives has successfully introduced me to new ideas and expanded on concepts from previous coursework. While I still have much to learn, this class has reminded me that disability is different for different people. It is an individual experience that is heavily influenced by culture and other personal factors. International organizations fail to promote progress when they overgeneralize disability and neglect to consider intersectional experiences. Every community has a right and responsibility to formulate social models that correlate with their specific culture and effectively support disabled individuals in their sphere. International organizations can only enforce positive change by respecting cultural boundaries. If lines are crossed, the progress that results will not be genuine.

References:

“Advancing the Access of Deafblind Women and Girls to Sexual and Reproductive Health, Vihema.” Making it Work, 2016. 

https://www.makingitwork-crpd.org/our-work/good-practices/advancing-access-deafblind -women-and-girls-sexual-and-reproductive-health. 

“Feminist Human Rights - Home.” CREA, September 17, 2024. https://creaworld.org/.