“I dislike the language of ‘accommodations’ for the same reason I dislike the language of ‘tolerance’ — because it implies a generosity toward that which is undeserving, unnecessary or unpleasant. In truth, we are stingy. The accommodations approach addresses the needs of disabled people as an afterthought and puts the onus on disabled people to demand and prove their needs through lengthy, expensive, and humiliating processes.”

In a thoughtful essay, Rivers Laraque-Ho challenges all of us to move more meaningfully towards real disability justice. Laraque-Ho is a member of the Disability Justice Board at the American Public Health Association.