Guiding Questions

• What does justice mean for people with disabilities?

• How do physical, mental, or sensory differences challenge our assumptions about equality?

• Is society disabling people — or are people disabled by society?

Rethinking “Normal”

What is a normal body or mind? Who decides?

Disability is often seen as an individual problem — something broken that needs fixing.

But many thinkers and activists argue:

It’s not the person who is broken — it’s the world that refuses to include them.

Barriers Built by Society

Injustice for people with disabilities often has less to do with medical conditions, and more to do with how society is designed:

• No ramps → wheelchair users excluded

• No sign language → Deaf people ignored

• No subtitles → hearing loss becomes isolation

• No flexible work → neurodivergent people left behind

• Stigma → mental health becomes shame, not support

In short: Disability is not inability — it’s often inaccessibility.

Philosophical Perspectives

Martha Nussbaum

Argues that true justice means ensuring all people have the capability to live a full life — which requires support and inclusion, not just formal rights.

Lennard Davis

Says “normal” is a cultural fiction. The average body is a myth — and our systems are built around it in harmful ways.

Judith Heumann

Disability rights activist who said, “Disability only becomes a tragedy when society fails to provide the things we need to lead our lives.”

Immanuel Kant

While Kant emphasized dignity and rationality, his framework excluded some disabled people — raising the question: Is dignity conditional or universal?

Two Perspectives

Charity Model

Sees people with disabilities as passive, needing care or pity.

Rights-Based Model

Sees them as citizens with equal dignity, demanding justice and access.

A Thought Experiment

Imagine a society where every building floats in midair, reachable only by flying.

Anyone who can’t fly is labeled “disabled” and excluded from jobs, school, and democracy.

Is the problem with those people — or with the way the society is built?

Now ask: Is our world really so different?

Justice Requires Inclusion

• Universal design – making spaces accessible to all, from the start

• Legal protections – against discrimination in work, education, housing

• Accessible technology – for communication, mobility, and learning

• Disability representation – in media, politics, and culture

• Community support – including personal care, sign language, and assistive devices

• A shift in attitude – from “what’s wrong with you” to “what’s missing in our world?”

Reflect and Discuss

• What barriers — physical or social — have you seen or experienced?

• Do you think justice has made room for all bodies and minds?

• Is disability a medical issue, a social issue — or a justice issue?

Suggested Readings

• Judith Heumann – Being Heumann

• Martha Nussbaum – Frontiers of Justice

• Simi Linton – Claiming Disability

• Rosemarie Garland-Thomson – Staring: How We Look

• UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities