Disabled People's Organizations

Development of DPOs

Disability is a broad term which is highly political and is defined in different ways. Traditionally, it has included people with a range of impairments which include, physical, sensory, psychiatric and intellectual. In the early twentieth century, disability was defined in terms of the impairment that people experienced, and they were frequently constituted as groups in need of medical care and protection. This approach to disabled people, with its focus on individual impairment and medicalization, has been termed by some disabled writers and academics, most particularly in the UK, as the individual or medical model. In many countries, over the past 50 years, there has been a profound shift in the way disabled people are viewed. A focus on the rights of marginalized groups following the Second World War, institutional scandals which revealed both the poor quality of life of the disabled people living in them and new theories and models of disability, such as normalization and social role valorization, led to a more rights-focused approach, which constituted disabled people as citizens who were ‘disabled’ not by their impairments but by societal barriers, such as discrimination, prejudice and the organization of society in ways which precluded their involvement. This approach, which places the responsibility for removing social barriers to inclusion on society, is known as the social model of disability. It has had a profound effect on government policies in the UK and underpins the UN Convention on Rights of Persons With Disabilities (2006).

The development of DPOs was an integral part of the movement to a rights-based approach towards disabled people. These organizations are formed, managed and controlled by disabled people and work for equality and rights. DPOs give a voice to disabled people and have had a profound impact on policy and practice; they have been a source of resistance to the view that professionals have the power to make decisions about their lives. It is difficult to identify when this movement began, but there are some very significant milestones. In 1969, the independent-living movement began in Berkeley, California, and remains a strong movement in many European and Australasian countries. The independent-living movement works towards self-determination, equal opportunities and respect for disabled people and for ensuring that they can exercise choice and control in their lives. In 1974, the Union of Physically Impaired Against Segregation began in the UK and became a significant force in shifting from the medical model of disability to the social model. People First, which represents people with learning difficulties, began in 1988, and DPOs representing people with mental health issues and sensory impairments were also developed during this time in different countries. Many of the DPOs represent specific groups of disabled people, while others are cross-disability in their focus. Some work locally or regionally within a country, others are national in their focus, while others work at an international level. For example, Disabled People's International has membership from 110 countries, more than half of which are in the southern hemisphere. DPOs have been a strong voice in campaigning and advocacy in relation to the rights of disabled people and in influencing the development of new forms of services which give disabled people power in their lives.

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