In January, Omaha Table Talk series discussed Disability Justice, as well as inclusive efforts that can be taken by the community at large. Hosted by the University of Nebraska-Omaha, this panel was run by Elizabeth Ambrose, a volunteer with Omaha’s CODE Conference Planning Committee and a member of Inclusive Communities LeadDiversity; Timothy Jefferson, Omaha District Supervisor for the Nebraska Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired; Ashley Wulf, Youth and Family Advocacy Specialist with the Nebraska Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing; and Tiff Cliftion, Executive Director of Possibilities at Gotta Be Me, Inc.

Beginning with explaining what the term disability meant, and what meant to each of them specifically. The four agreed that they didn’t see themselves as disabled, rather just as a person going through life.

They spoke on what disability justice is, comparing it with equity and equality. Equality means being given the same resource across the board, while equity means each individual is being given a resource that will specifically help them and their needs. Using the common example of a ladder, equality means that a short and tall person are both given the same sized ladder, while equity means that both are given a ladder that works best for them.

Jefferson spoke on his experience as a blind individual, saying that “I’ve never really considered myself to be disabled. I am fortunate enough that, despite not being able to see as well as a sighted person, it doesn’t keep me from being able to go where I want to go and do what I want to do.” Jefferson in an active member of the community, and is a pastor for his church as well. “Having the inability to see does not cause me to think about myself as disabled.”

Wulf agreed, stating that from her perspective in the deaf community, they don’t usually refer to themselves as disabled, as it’s a medical term that they do not feel needs to be used for themselves at large. “We’ve got the medical community deciding for us what our identity should be, and we don’t want that. We don’t want our so-called ‘disability’ being the first thing you notice about us. We are human beings, and we are able to be a lot of different things.” Wulf pointed out how many different people who are blind, hard-of-hearing or deaf, or have mobility issues that work in state and federal government and education.

“Justice comes in the form of access, or a lack thereof,” said Jefferson.  

They also spoke on what they felt injustice was for them. For Wulf, it was being denied access to communication. “We have to reach out in advance, you almost have to fight every time to get access. If we want CART, which is real-time captioning, or getting a tactile interpreter for a deaf-blind person, or getting a personal listening device, we are constantly fighting to receive access to communication. Those requests are often denied, and that’s not just here locally, that’s worldwide. We do have to go through a lot, and often times filing grievances to get the access we deserve to have.

“There is a lot of fear from individuals filing grievances because they feel that if they file that grievance, that may lead to further oppression or marginalization.”

The panel pivoted towards speaking on educating others on what they need, and also on explaining these types of things to children. “As a blind person, often times the lack of access to different opportunities comes down to a lack of education on the part of other people,” explained Jefferson. He spoke on occasions when he is out in public and children become interested in his cane that he uses to get around, and he takes the time to educate them on blind people, as well as their parents, in the hopes that this will open a door for someone like him down the line.

“I think it’s important that, not only do we look for that access, but we fight for it. We have to. We also have to know how to fight for that access, and sometimes fighting for that access or gaining it means we have to educate.”