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Disability Discomfort in Development : Unveiling Ableism and Disablism within Swedish Development Cooperation

Hudson, Erika LU (2023) MIDM19 20231
Department of Human Geography
LUMID International Master programme in applied International Development and Management
Abstract
Persons with disabilities have long been overlooked and forgotten in the context of international development cooperation with less than five percent of official development aid targeting disability-related issues. Too often development agencies and organizations claim to have limited expertise related to disability, lack funds to support disability issues and pivot the responsibility of upholding the rights of persons with disabilities to someone else. Ableism, favoring those without disabilities, and disablism, viewing persons with disabilities as inferior lie at the heart of the development problem of excluding the disability community in international cooperation. Through 12 semi-structured interviews, this study examines why... (More)
Persons with disabilities have long been overlooked and forgotten in the context of international development cooperation with less than five percent of official development aid targeting disability-related issues. Too often development agencies and organizations claim to have limited expertise related to disability, lack funds to support disability issues and pivot the responsibility of upholding the rights of persons with disabilities to someone else. Ableism, favoring those without disabilities, and disablism, viewing persons with disabilities as inferior lie at the heart of the development problem of excluding the disability community in international cooperation. Through 12 semi-structured interviews, this study examines why disability inclusion in Swedish development cooperation is limited today. The study finds that within Swedish development cooperation disability is not seen as a priority, existing power structures limit disability-inclusive development practices and many individuals working in the sector remain uncomfortable working on disability issues. The study concludes by noting that current Swedish development practices unintentionally favor those without disabilities and continue to overlook disability-related issues. Moving forward development actors and disability rights advocates are encouraged to fight forward and not back to ensure development is inclusive of every ‘body,’ not just those without disabilities. (Less)
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author
Hudson, Erika LU
supervisor
organization
course
MIDM19 20231
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
Persons with Disabilities, International Development Cooperation, Sweden, Government Agencies, Non-profit Organizations, Organizations of Persons with Disabilities, Ableism, and Disablism
language
English
id
9122837
date added to LUP
2023-06-12 10:10:47
date last changed
2023-06-21 03:42:06
@misc{9122837,
  abstract     = {{Persons with disabilities have long been overlooked and forgotten in the context of international development cooperation with less than five percent of official development aid targeting disability-related issues. Too often development agencies and organizations claim to have limited expertise related to disability, lack funds to support disability issues and pivot the responsibility of upholding the rights of persons with disabilities to someone else. Ableism, favoring those without disabilities, and disablism, viewing persons with disabilities as inferior lie at the heart of the development problem of excluding the disability community in international cooperation. Through 12 semi-structured interviews, this study examines why disability inclusion in Swedish development cooperation is limited today. The study finds that within Swedish development cooperation disability is not seen as a priority, existing power structures limit disability-inclusive development practices and many individuals working in the sector remain uncomfortable working on disability issues. The study concludes by noting that current Swedish development practices unintentionally favor those without disabilities and continue to overlook disability-related issues. Moving forward development actors and disability rights advocates are encouraged to fight forward and not back to ensure development is inclusive of every ‘body,’ not just those without disabilities.}},
  author       = {{Hudson, Erika}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Disability Discomfort in Development : Unveiling Ableism and Disablism within Swedish Development Cooperation}},
  year         = {{2023}},
}