Americans have mobilized en masse against Donald Trump and his administration’s actions, holding protests across cities and towns nationwide. At the edges of those protests are smaller demonstrations by disabled people, who are protesting the inaccessibility of anti-Trump protests.
“We are the first in line to get thrown out but the last in line to get to yell about it,” says lifelong disability advocate Jerry Biondi.
Biondi alleges that local protest organizers do not take into account the accommodations needed for disabled people to protest Trump, thereby sidelining the visibility of the disability message in the broader cause. Moreover, Biondi claims a lot of the abled protesters just don’t have the mindset to be center stage at a moment like this.
“I welcome new energy, but I have issues with people skipping the line. Some of these people aren’t sure what their claim to anger is. That woman with the ‘I should be at brunch right now’ sign really should just be at brunch. And that guy over there is just recycling his old sign that just says ‘Darfur’ — Darfur what? Dar-furget about it, buddy. You look ridiculous.”
As a result of inaccessible protest planning, disabled protesters worry about being lumped in with an array of right-wing counterprotesters who also demonstrate on the fringe boundaries of protests — groups such as the Westboro Baptist Church, Turning Point USA, the Proud Boys, the Buffalo Man and this one guy with a “Beware of Libtards with Signs” sign.
“Not my choice of words, but I kind of get it,” Biondi added.
Biondi said a simple solution would be to coordinate space near the front of demonstrations for disabled people to protest accessibly. Organizers should also plan march routes that are wheelchair-friendly.
“Enough of shouting from the back. When we sit behind the crowd, all we see is your assess. I want America to see our assess for once.”