I have just seen this story about disabled South African scholar and
activist Eddie Ndopu, who has been awarded a scholarship for a Masters
degree at Oxford University, but is being effectively prevented from
actually attending by Oxford not providing funding for his support
needs: http://www.gal-dem.com/oxford-university-eddie-ndopu/
I haven't personally met Eddie Ndopu (and also I don't know whether he
is on the Disability Research list - apologies for any embarrassment
if so!) but I have read some of his online work and think his
intersectional voice as a Black, Queer, Disabled activist and writer
is incredibly important.
My thought/response to this was: Is there anything that the Disability
Studies community (in the UK and elsewhere) can do about this - either
a collective public challenge to Oxford University about their refusal
to enable Eddie to attend the course he has won a scholarship for, or
perhaps (though I know there is a debate to be had about whether such
an individualistic approach is appropriate) a direct redistribution of
funds - particularly perhaps from those more privileged (white,
non-disabled, in secure and relatively highly paid academic jobs in
the Global North) people in Disability Studies to enable Eddie to pay
for the support he needs to live and study in the UK?
Or perhaps, to make this less individualistic, should there be a
community-sourced fund to enable other disabled (would-be-)scholars
from the Global South to come to universities in the Global North, and
thus bring their much-needed perspectives into the forefront of the
Disability Studies community - any thoughts welcome...
(I have CCed a few people on this email who I am not sure whether or
not they are on the Disability Research list, so apologies if anyone
gets this twice. Also apologies for any clumsy use on my part of
inaccurate or non-preferred identity terminology.)
Steve
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