#Nothing about us without us full#

I remember when I first moved to Liverpool, one of the first things I did was google mental health, visual impairment, and learning disabilities. There were lots of charities that were impairment specific. I learned very quickly that there didn’t seem to be any disabled people’s organization that was looking at pan impairment. I moved to the northwest of England in 2017 to study and live in Liverpool. So, intersectionality is a huge part of not only myself but also my family sometimes it’s a lot to shoulder on my own. My family members also have various other impairments and conditions, I have to educate myself on those and attend family conferences around them. I’m very passionate about being a disabled person because ultimately being prescribed to a special school meant that I wasn’t flown to Pakistan and got rid of, like other members of my family because I’m also an intersex person and identify as nonbinary. I’ve been visually impaired from birth and attended both a special and mainstream school. So everything I do is very much focused on intersectionality and how different social justice movements, equality, diversity and inclusion intersect with each other. And I’m a Survivor/Ambassador for Karma Nirvana, which is a charity that looks at the honour-based violence system. I do a lot of activism in Bradford, Leeds and Manchester around people of colour, disabled people and LGBTIQAP+ people. My pronouns are they, but I’m happy with any pronouns. Trigger warning: this interview contains content on honour-based killing. MRG’s Lauren Avery interviewed Anis about their experience working on the exhibition and the intersectionality in the UK’s disability rights movement history. The exhibition officially launched on 16 November 2022 to mark the first day of UK Disability History Month.

Special thanks to the Victor Pineda Foundation for its contribution.Anis Aktar is a community curator for the landmark exhibition ‘Nothing About Us Without Us’ at the People’s History Museum in Manchester. Organized by the Division for Social Policy and Development, Department of Economic and Social Affairs with the support of the Department of Public Information. The event aims to highlight the role of media in raising awareness about the rights and potentials of persons with disabilities as well as the importance of the participation of persons with disabilities in all aspects of life. The theme for observance of the Day in 2004 is “Nothing About Us Without Us” aims to provide an opportunity to focus on the active involvement and participation of persons with disabilities in the planning of strategies and policies that affect their lives. The observance of the Day aims to promote an understanding of disability issues and mobilize support for the dignity, rights and well-being of persons with disabilities. The annual observance of the International Day of Disabled Persons was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in its resolution 47/3 of 14 October 1992. UN Chronicle – International Day of Disabled Persons, 2004 Question and answer session Secretary-General’s message on the International Day of Disabled Persons

#Nothing about us without us full#

Observance of the Day offers an opportunity to foster changes in attitudes towards persons with disabilities and eliminate barriers to their full participation in all aspects of life. The active involvement of persons with disabilities in the ongoing elaboration of a convention on the rights of persons with disabilities has proved to be an excellent example of how the principle of full participation can be put into practice and how it can contribute to the development of truly inclusive societies, in which all voices are heard and persons with disabilities can help shape a better world for all. The motto “Nothing About Us Without Us” relies on this principle of participation, and it has been used by Disabled Peoples Organizations throughout the years as part of the global movement to achieve the full participation and equalization of opportunities for, by and with persons with disabilities. The observance of the Day in 2004 will focus on the active involvement of persons with disabilities in the planning of strategies and policies that affect their lives. International Day of Disabled Persons 2004