Introduction to, and Interview with, Disabled People Against Cuts

Abstract

The interview with Disabled People Against Cuts campaign group illuminates ways that disabled people in the UK are campaigning on and off the streets against neoliberal austerity measures and, more widely, against the capitalist city. As the development of cities was structured by capitalism, disabled people have, in so many material, organisational and symbolic ways, been excluded by a capitalist city not built in their image. Welfare capitalism brought many gains for disabled people, but neoliberal capitalism has been ripping them away in the most brutal and demeaning of ways. Disabled people have been pushed to the margins in both industrial and post-industrial cities that have sought the most productive waged labour and ideal bodies. As such, the capitalist city disables people, and thus by default the city that disabled people must fight for is an anti-capitalist city based on use value. As the interview with DPAC demonstrates, disabled people are fighting both collaboratively and confrontationally, rolling their way into new spaces and working collectively to model what a future society could look like. It is therefore argued that disabled people's protests present a core challenge to the capitalist city, and thus their presence in both urban street movements and academic debate is crucial for any radical Right to the City movement. Disabled people are calling for an ableing city shaped to meet the needs of its inhabitants, rather than its inhabitants being coerced into shaping themselves to fulfil the needs of the capitalist city. As such, the city that disabled people call for is not just for them, but for anyone who is segregated, excluded or dispossessed by the capitalist city.

Keywords:

• disability
• the Right to the City
• austerity
• anti-capitalism
• capitalism
• activism

Acknowledgements

Thank you to Paul Sng for consenting to Debbie using original material from her interview conducted with Paul and Keith for ‘Invisible Britain’ (Humphry 2018).

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 It was proposed to cut 20% of the Disability Living Allowance (DLA) budget by replacing it with Personal Independence Payment (PIP).

2 Zero-hours contracts are casual contracts, in which the idea is that the employee has no set hours but is on call to work when the employer needs them. (Gov.uk 2020).

3 Maximus is an American outsourcing company that took over assessing whether claimants are eligible for sickness and disability benefits after Atos had pulled out of the contract.

4 RMT is the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Debbie Humphry

Debbie Humphry is a CITY editor and website editor. She works with various campaign organisations, including DPAC. Email: [email protected]

Ellen Clifford

Ellen Clifford has been involved with UK Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC) since it was set up in 2010. She is a disability consultant, having worked in the disability field for twenty years, predominantly in the user-led sector.

Andy Greene

Andy Greene has been involved with UK Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC) since it was set up in 2010. He is a manager at Disability Action Islington.

Paula Peters

Paula Peters has been involved with UK Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC) since 2012. She has been a disability rights activist for over 35 years. A passionate trade unionist she is the founding chair of Bromley and Croydon Unite Community branch and Equalities Officer for Bromley Trades Council (London).

Keith Walker

Keith Walker has been involved with UK Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC) since 2017. He is Bromley and Croydon Unite community Twitter officer (London).