ABOUT US
Vision. Mission. Values.
"How do we hold each other up in a world where oppression can be louder than love?" - Cristy C Road
ABOUT US
Birthing Ourselves is for multiply marginalised Disabled people who want to build a Disability Justice movement that feels like it is for us. One in which Queer, Trans, Black and Brown Disabled people are able to find ourselves and each other in the full spectrum of what it means to be human - through joy, heartbreak, confusion and most importantly - belonging. We are, and always will be a work in progress - but we exist to as a refusal to dilute or silence our longings, instead working on our own bravery - taking steps towards each other as a pathway to our collective and individual thriving. We exist to centre the leadership, knowledges, art and imagination of Disabled people who are also black and brown, also trans, also queer, also gender non-conforming, also refugees and asylum seekers, also poor, also resist categorisation. ​​Our work is deeply political, because our existence is political.
Vision
A vibrant, inclusive and healing Disability Justice movement that welcomes and is relevant to all.
Mission
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We exist to co-create healing, powerful and creative ways to turn our shared struggle as Disabled people, into shared power across our movement.
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Mission
We exist to co-create healing, politicised and imaginative ways to turn our shared struggle as disabled/marginalised people into shared power across our movements.
Mission
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We exist to co-create healing, powerful and creative ways to turn our shared struggle as Disabled people, into shared power across our movement.
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Aims
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We are currently co-producing the aims of our work. If you'd like to be involved in helping us shape what we do, please e-mail aman@birthingourselves.co.uk
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aims
We are currently co-producing the aims of our work.
If you would like to be involved in our workshops and help us shape what we do, please e-mail Aman on aman@birthingourselves.co.uk
GUIDING PRINCIPLES
Disability Justice at the centre
We use interdisciplinary thinking underpinned by the principles, wisdom and gifts of Disability Justice. We use this generative frame to inspire thoughtful, brave, and creative leadership capable of building the Disabled people's movement that we want to see. Read more about Disability Justice here.
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Taking a Transformative and 'politicised' approach to Lived Experience
Using our first-hand experience of ableism, and the other ways that we are marginalised by the everyday practices of people, services, organisations, and systems to recognise and challenge the systems and behaviours that create/re-create inequality and systemic injustice.
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Women of Colour Feminism inspired practice
We use Women of Colour Feminist principles and practices to deepen our community building work and thinking.
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Committed to working in relationship and building connection
Movement building, without the practice of building genuine connection is project/event management – an important tool, but not a means to transformation. We therefore judge the pace of change/intensity of our work by the quality of relationship.
Wholeheartedly Generous / Trauma Informed Leadership
To resist the call to understand the world in an uncomplicated way; we always try to show up as our full, most generous selves. Part of this generosity is to understand the messy nature of the social relations of power – and that we are (no matter our position of power) are both victims and perpetrators of power.​