Next City is pleased to announce the launch of a new reported series examining solutions for disability justice in American cities. Published in partnership with nonprofit news organization Prism, our joint series “Disability Justice for All” looks at how people of color are leading a disability justice movement in American cities, making strides toward equity in housing, mobility, labor, healthcare and beyond.
“As cities strive to become more liveable and accessible for disabled individuals, they’re also improving the quality of life for all residents – especially children and seniors, parents pushing strollers, new immigrants, low-income communities and beyond,” says Next City managing editor Aysha Khan
This series of solutions-oriented stories, written by reporter Bianca Gonzalez, will examine how low-income and marginalized communities are creating equity and accessibility for disabled individuals living and working in cities. Our first story in this series, published today, looks at how lawsuits over inaccessible sidewalks, transit, libraries and other public infrastructure are providing a slow pathway to mobility justice for disabled people of color.
READ: Accessibility Lawsuits Are Bringing Slow But Steady Wins For Disabled City Residents
“From the ground under our feet to the air we breathe, racism and ableism permeate our cities,” says Gonzalez, a longtime Next City freelance reporter who also writes for Community Solutions and Biometrics Update.
“We have to familiarize ourselves with the intersections of injustice if we want to enact lasting, equitable change in any community,” Gonzalez says. “It’s an honor to be able to highlight the relationship between racial equity and disability justice in marginalized communities across the U.S. I hope this series can foster change for those most impacted.”
This new series comes on the heels of Next City and Prism’s previous reporting collaboration, Solutions for Economic Equity. The eight-part series highlighted how low-income and marginalized communities are cultivating, building and seizing economic justice in cities across America.
Reported by Frances Nguyen, stories looked at community food solutions in Indianapolis, a Bay Area church embarking upon a housing reparations program, and a successful unionization effort at an iconic Hollywood hotel, among other issues.
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