ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book discusses the impact of neoliberalism and linked welfare reform has been in terms of realities of disabled people’s lives. The trajectories of new activism have also been criticised as being neo-colonial, racist and mostly from North to South with very little cultural sensitivity and local expertise, as exemplified by the Kony 2012 video campaign cited in Cole. Disability activism is also incorrectly viewed as only about disability ‘rights’ or with inadequate cross-cultural or interdisciplinary reach. The history of disability and activism has also been viewed mainly from the global North and in response, newer models have started to evolve: Latin, African and Asian. While national and international legislation changes have been made and litigation engaged in, what has been critical is the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
