Earth Day 2021
IMAGE DESCRIPTION: Vertical side-view photo from Sulaiman’s left side. With tattoos on each wrist (a fountain symbol on one representing creativity and abstract compass/arrows on the other representing adventure) and a newly shaved head, Sulaiman (a South Asian, Disabled man) is wearing his slim dungarees shorts in white with rainbow side stripe on the side of each thigh, and his orange sunglasses his dear Dutch friend Mark van der Heijden got him. He is wearing his silver Nkonsonkonson (Family) Adinkra pendant via Ahima Jewellery. He wears it to represent “family” as to Sulaiman, whether blood or bond, family is everything. Also, Sulaiman is wearing his silver Deikrom Signet Ring on his pinky finger of his Disabled left hand via Vitae London, whose products support education in Sub-Saharan Africa; and the ring has the word “Jened” engraved on the top in honour of Camp Jened as featured in documentary film Crip Camp. To Sulaiman, this represents (and reminds him) to always fully live his (Crip, joyous, badass, sexy) South Asian, Disabled AF wheelchair-using life and the ongoing strength, courage, and wisdom of his Disabled global family. He sits in his power wheelchair in his garden, and he’s enjoying the great sunny summer weather. DESCRIPTION ENDS.
“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”
Today (22 April) is Earth Day! As Chief Cripship Critical Thinker and Community Leader of Critical Cripship Studies, it has me thinking about Mother Earth (and my sustainable living and impact on the world) and how much I appreciate her. In these scary times, being able to go outside out of choice, even into a garden, is a luxury that many people (including myself) don’t have and most likely won’t have for a very long time.
I love nature (especially the ocean) and going into the outdoors either, but sadly I don’t often get to explore it due to Ableism and inaccessibility. Like the photo, I shared of myself in this post, which is one of my favourites of myself enjoying nature as well, which was taken a few years ago in my garden.
And I have been thinking about the voices not included in the Sustainability/Climate conversation. Disabled people, in particular, are left out, even though we care just as much about Sustainability as anyone else. For example, plastic straws equate to just .03 percent of 8 million metric tons of plastics in oceans per year, and everyone is banning straws, but no one is thinking of the life and death real consequences of such actions to Disabled people. As a Disabled AF wheelchair user, I feel Sustainability conversations still forget about Disabled people (who are the world’s largest minority and an estimated $8 trillion market) and are still not accessible to our needs. Despite having a greater innate connection with Mother Earth due to our lived experience, Disabled Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour (BIPOC) like me (who are at the intersection of multiple systems of oppression) are more so erased from any Sustainability/Climate conversations because of Ableism, Racism, and the Colonisation of our lands. So when we say Indigenous, we don’t mean the definition of Indigenous that white supremacy adopts for its propaganda and what we sometimes see as violent and hateful action. That’s one reason I started Critical Cripship Studies to address this. So:
How can we ensure Disabled people (the experts in practising infinite imagination within limitations) are included in Sustainability conversations, and it’s made accessible to us?
Who benefits from erasing Disability and Disabled individuals in the context of Sustainability?
And how can we create a more radical, holistic, sustainable, regenerative, decolonised, Anti-Ableist, Anti-Racist, accessible approach to Sustainability that includes Disabled people, especially Disabled Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour (BIPOC)? When we say Indigenous, we don’t mean the definition of Indigenous that white supremacy adopts for its propaganda and what we sometimes see as violent and hateful action.
Last Friday, I also attended a great talk by the extraordinary Laura Storm (of Sustainia and Regenerators), where she highlighted the importance of moving away from Sustainability and into Regenerative Design and Regenerative Leadership. At Critical Cripship Studies, we love this and couldn’t agree more; though we wonder how Disability can be integrated into this. There is no Sustainability without Disability.
And there are so many more questions I’ve been thinking about lately. I am starting to critically explore these ideas through this platform.
Leading on from this, there are three things I’d like to see society do every day of the year to include the Disabled community within Sustainability:
Number One: Create systems and structures that are accessible and safe for us with Anti-Ableism and Disability Justice at its heart.
Number Two: Always focus on equity and intersectionality, so you’re adaptive to our needs (rather than one-size-fits-all solutions) and that you’re supporting the full richness of our whole Disabled community.
Number Three: Pay Disabled people fairly as paid consultants of our value to support the world to create sustainable solutions for society and sustain ourselves.
Also, we are stewards of our planet, and we must work together in maintaining its sanctity. But remember, this primarily means taking care of each other! Continuing the fight for social equity IS Environmental Justice. This justice is vital to our long term, shared, holistic and inclusive survival.
So, we must never forget to be kind (and respect) Mother Earth and each other (and ourselves) because we deserve it. But more importantly, we must not forget to always ensure that Sustainability is fully accessible by including and integrating Disabled people into the conversation. The way that we can achieve this is by building Anti-Ableist and Disability Justice into Sustainability.
I don’t have all the answers. I am just using my privilege to speak for those who can’t. But if, like me, you’re Disabled and you care about Mother Earth/Sustainability, and you’re not able to go out right now whatsoever (most likely for the foreseeable future), know it’s okay. You’re okay, and your feelings, ideas, solutions, and thoughts are valid. We are needed, our lives matter, we have worth, and we’re valuable. If you’re Disabled and you are interested in supporting this movement, please contact me at hello(at)cripship(dot)com, and we can create some radical magic together.
Watch this space.
“Do not follow the path. Go where there is no path to begin the trail.”
[NB: This post is written and shared by Sulaiman Khan in Crip Time (a term created by, for, and used by the Disabled community). Crip Time is valuing the importance of restful activism, and the bending of time (and time travel that works with Disabled bodies and minds without adding to Ableism nor the system[s] of oppression we face daily). Crip Time is the wisdom of knowing that interdependence is more significant than independence. Crip Trip is the wholehearted honouring of our Disabled ancestors and our holistic Soma, bodyminds (and wellbeing). Crip Time is unfiltered, unconditional, and radical Disabled grief and joy in harmony above balance. Crip Time is understood and embraced the most by our Disabled global family.]
PS: Big love and shoutout to my new Virtual Assistant, Tia Denton, for all the support to assist me in writing this post in joy and interdependence.
