Disabled people have often been viewed as objects of charity or pity rather than human beings with worth and dignity. In recent history, disabled activists, using the slogan ‘Nothing About Us Without Us’, came together to fight for civil rights and for the ability to dictate their own lives and stories, disrupting this model. We will continue the monthly theme of ‘respect’ by exploring common values of disability justice and UUism, and how we can work together to combat ableism today. 

Elizabeth Foster is a UU seminarian at the Boston University School of Theology. Her research focuses on progressive Unitarian and Universalist involvement with the eugenics movement in the 1920s, and how we can learn from and come to terms with our history. She is a former DRE, currently serves as Student Minister for EqUUal Access, and is President of the BU Cross-Disability Club. She lives in Cambridge, MA with her cat, Jade.