Disability Activism and the Price of Success: A British Experience

Abstract

In this article I will, first, explain the reinterpretation of disability as a socio/political issue as espoused by disabled people’s organisations in the UK, second, explore the subsequent legislative and policy developments and, third discuss their relative impact on disabled people and their organisations. I will suggest that although disability activism has had an important impact on disability policy in the UK, this very success threatens to undermine its continuity and future.