Inclusion Isn’t a Favour

Somewhere along the way, inclusion started getting treated like a kindness. Something generous an organisation does if it has the budget and the time.

That framing makes my blood boil, honestly.

Inclusion isn’t a favour. It’s a right. Being seen, heard, and respected shouldn’t depend on whether it’s convenient for someone else’s calendar this quarter. The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities didn’t get written because inclusion was a nice bonus. It got written because exclusion was, and still is, happening constantly, and somebody finally put it in writing that it has to stop.

I’ve spent enough time in this space to know the difference between an organisation that includes people because it’s required to and one that includes people because it actually believes they belong. You can feel which one you’re dealing with within about five minutes.

When was the last time you were included somewhere and it felt like a right, not a favour someone was doing you?

If you’re done waiting to be granted a seat at the table, Self Advocacy Unleashed gives you the tools to pull up your own chair. Join the waitlist, link in bio.

Madeleine x