Foundations
All people deserve access to clear, accurate information about disability—framed by disabled people’s expertise and grounded in rights-based frameworks. This section provides the essential concepts, language, and models that shape the entire wiki.
Why This Matters
Section titled “Why This Matters”How we understand disability shapes everything: policy, healthcare, education, employment, relationships, and self-perception. Many disabled people encounter conflicting definitions, outdated terminology, and frameworks that treat disability as tragedy or burden. This section offers alternatives grounded in disabled people’s own knowledge and organizing.
Whether you’re newly disabled, supporting someone who is, researching for professional work, or deepening your understanding, these pages build shared vocabulary and explain why frameworks matter.
Pages in This Section
Section titled “Pages in This Section”Your starting point. An introduction to what this project is, who it’s for, and how it’s built.
Practical guidance on navigating the wiki, using search, finding information for your region, and accessibility options including screen reader mode and high contrast viewing.
Explore different definitions of disability across cultures, legal systems, and communities. Disability as identity, lived experience, social position, and collective culture.
Understand the major frameworks for thinking about disability: Medical Model, Social Model, Biopsychosocial Model, Human Rights Model, Disability Justice, Neurodiversity Paradigm, and Independent Living Philosophy.
Learn why language matters. Covers identity-first vs. person-first language, terms to avoid, culturally specific language from Deaf, Autistic, AAC-using, and Mad communities, and how language reflects power and autonomy.
What does it mean to be disabled? When do you “count”? Who decides? On claiming (or not claiming) disability identity, visibility, and gatekeeping.
Why disabled people are so often disbelieved or left without words for their own experience — the concepts of testimonial and hermeneutical injustice, and how they show up in healthcare and daily life.
Handling Inappropriate and Intrusive Questions
Section titled “Handling Inappropriate and Intrusive Questions”Disabled people are treated as public property — strangers ask questions they’d never ask non-disabled people. Scripts and strategies for deciding what to share, deflecting, and setting boundaries.
For the first months after becoming disabled: grief without a script, the paperwork arriving at the worst time, and how people find their footing again.
Disability is not just a medical condition—it’s a culture. Explore disability arts, community traditions, online and offline cultures, collective history, symbols, and what disability pride means.
If you’re supporting disabled people, learn how to listen, advocate, and avoid common mistakes. Covers etiquette, microaggressions, how to intervene against ableism, and supporting autonomy over pity.
Quick Links by Need
Section titled “Quick Links by Need”I’m newly disabled and feeling overwhelmed Start with Adjusting to a Newly Acquired Disability, then What Is Disability? and Language, Terminology & Identity
I want to support a disabled person Read For Allies and Disability Culture
I need to understand different frameworks Go to Disability Models
I’m not sure what language to use Check Language, Terminology & Identity
How This Section Approaches Accessibility
Section titled “How This Section Approaches Accessibility”Screen reader friendly: Clear heading hierarchy, descriptive link text, no reliance on visual layout alone.
Neurodivergent-friendly: Sections broken into manageable chunks, plain language throughout, bullet points for quick scanning where appropriate.
Plain language: Complex concepts explained without jargon. Where technical terms are necessary, they’re defined on first use.
Low-sensory options: High contrast mode available. Pages avoid flashing content, auto-playing media, or sudden sounds.
Related Sections
Section titled “Related Sections”If You Need Help Now
Section titled “If You Need Help Now”- Crisis Resources — Immediate help and safety
- Global Crisis Hotlines — Emergency numbers worldwide
Finding Community
Section titled “Finding Community”- Community & Peer Support — Finding your people
- Online Communities — Digital spaces
- In-Person Community — Local connections
Understanding Your Rights
Section titled “Understanding Your Rights”- Rights & Advocacy — Legal frameworks and protections
- History — Disability rights movement and historical context
Practical Resources
Section titled “Practical Resources”- Benefits — Financial support programs
- Healthcare — Medical access
- Housing — Accessible housing
- Employment — Work and accommodations
Going Deeper
Section titled “Going Deeper”- Intersectionality — Disability across identities
- Specific Conditions — Condition-specific information
- Glossary & Terminology — Quick reference for terms
Contribute to This Section
Section titled “Contribute to This Section”Have lived experience or expertise that could strengthen these pages? We welcome contributions from disabled people, especially from communities underrepresented in mainstream disability discourse.
This page centers disabled people’s expertise and is informed by disabled-led organizing globally. For questions or to suggest additions, see How to Contribute.
Contribute to This Page
Section titled “Contribute to This Page”Have lived experience or expertise that could strengthen this page? We especially welcome perspectives on models not well represented here, including those from the Global South and Indigenous communities.
This page centers disabled people’s expertise and is informed by disabled-led organizing globally. For questions or to suggest additions, see How to Contribute.
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