From Vilissa Thompson, LMSW: Black Disabled Woman Syllabus

by Relando Thompkins-Jones · June 15, 2017

“Over the past few weeks, I have been approached by individuals who wanted to understand the Black disabled experience, particularly the plight of Black disabled women and why our struggles matter. (The inquiries picked up when I published my “Lemonade” post last week.) I noticed a pattern from those who asked of my knowledge and personal reflections: many are ignorant of the experiences of Black Americans in general, Black women particularly, and when broken down further, Black disabled women specifically.

I decided that as someone who views herself as an “educator” within my advocacy scope, it would be fitting to create a compilation of books, essays/articles, speeches, music, and other bodies of work that accurately explains the diverse forms of Blackness that exists for Black women, and how the lives of Black disabled women meshed within that discourse.

I asked some of my incredible friends and fellow advocates for resource recommendations for this idea, and was provided a wealth of information that surpassed my hopes in establishing a “syllabus” of our intersectional experience.

The Black Disabled Woman Syllabus is a “living” document; meaning that I aspire to update it as needed, when resources become available that should be added to it.”

—Vilissa Thompson, LMSW: Disability Rights Consultant & Advocate, and Founder of Ramp Your Voice!

Vilissa is also the creator of #DisabilityTooWhite and #WOCwD: Women of Color with Disabilities. She is an official #MacroSW chat partner and has also been featured in Notes from an Aspiring Humanitarian’s The People Who Inspire Series.

The Black Disabled Woman Syllabus contains a multitude of resources in the following categories: