Blog Task 1

Disability 

The intersection of multiple marginalisations as spoken by Miss Major. Miss Major Griffin-Gracy- known as Miss Major- is a lifelong activist, author, and community organizer. She speaks about her intersecting identities as a disabled, black, trans woman and her work in both Stonewall and as an HIV/AIDS and disability advocate. 

Being born in the 1940s Miss Major lived through so many kinds of systemic oppression, from the Jim Crow era, fight for civil rights, Anti LGBTQIA+ laws, HIV/AIDS pandemic, lack of access to hormones and trans life saving medication, deliberate over drafting of black GI’s in Vietnam, COVID 19 and the neglect of the disabled populus, Trump’s Anti-trans polocies- 

Her life story has been dictated so heavily by the conditions placed on her by an extremely hostile society. Every section of her life, she had an outward attack on her, and worse still, her white peers stole the spotlight from her voice and advocacy. 

Her work led me to reflect upon the way our identities have dictated us down specific life paths, specifically how being black, LGBTQIA+, or disabled led people to be more prone to contracting HIV/AIDS during the 1980/90s AIDS pandemic. Still to this day HIV/AIDS affects some more than others –

• Median HIV prevalence among the adult population (ages 15–49) was 0.8% globally. However, because of marginalization, discrimination and in some cases criminalization, median prevalence was higher among certain groups of people.
  • 2.3% higher among young women and girls aged between 15 and 24 in eastern and southern Africa
  • 7.7% higher among gay men and other men who have sex with men
  • 3% higher among sex workers
  • 5% higher among people who inject drugs
  • 9.2% higher among transgender people
  • 1.3% higher among people in prisons.

The intersection between disability and socioeconomic status all intertwine in this data as more disabled people enter Sex work, most Sex workers are women, most Sex work is criminalised, criminalised Sex work leads to lower socioeconomic status and lack of legal protection, typically this leads to drug use.  Reiterating the reality that how you’re perceived – often by the conditions of your birth- affects people lifelong and can dictate your future opportunities and ability to live a free life. 

I then looked further into how medications for HIV/AIDS work today and how many of the medications that exist can have an emetic effect on the user, leading to them having to take further medications or requiring more accommodations at work/school.  

I have multiple members of my student body who have disabilities, but we rarely take into consideration how the medications that they need can cause further side effects, which need to be accommodated. I wonder how we can be of more help as an institution to help students who suffer from medical side effects? I had a thought about including free-access vending machines with sugary drinks to help diabetic/hypoglycemic/nauseated students feel a little better whilst they’re at school. 

Sources:

1. Inclusion Europe (2020) – Including People with Disabilities in HIV/AIDS Strategies
Inclusion Europe (2020). Including people with disabilities in HIV/AIDS strategies. Inclusion Europe. Available at: https://www.inclusion-europe.eu/including-people-with-disabilities-in-hiv-aids-strategies/ [Accessed 25 Apr. 2025].

2. Scope (2021) – ONS Disabled Death Rate Response
Scope (2021) ONS figures: Disabled people three times more likely to die of Covid-19. Scope UK. Available at: https://www.scope.org.uk/media/press-releases/ons-disabled-death-rate-response [Accessed 25 Apr. 2025].

3. UNAIDS (2023) – Fact Sheet on HIV and AIDS

UNAIDS (2023) UNAIDS fact sheet – latest global and regional statistics on the status of the AIDS epidemic. UNAIDS. Available at: https://www.unaids.org/en/resources/fact-sheet [Accessed 25 Apr. 2025].

4. Disability Studies Quarterly – Article on Disability and HIV (2023)
Mugo, M.J., Oyaro, P. and Waweru, E. (2023) ‘Exploring disability and access to HIV services in Kenya: lived experiences of persons with disabilities living with HIV’, Disability Studies Quarterly, 43(1). Available at: https://dsq-sds.org/index.php/dsq/article/view/9121/7726 [Accessed 25 Apr. 2025].

5. HIVinfo (2022) – HIV Medicines and Side Effects

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2022) HIV medicines and side effects. HIVinfo. Available at: https://hivinfo.nih.gov/understanding-hiv/fact-sheets/hiv-medicines-and-side-effects [Accessed 25 Apr. 2025].