ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the young disabled people experience, perceive and interact with the Disabled People’s Movement (DPM). It examines the power dynamics within and surrounding social movements; furthermore, and focuses on the wider discourses, political ideologies and power structures that both prevent and deter young disabled people from participating in and being included in the Movement. Social movements and activism are considerable points of interest; they provide an opportunity to explore how the premise of disability is articulated from a basis of human and civil rights. The chapter outlines a specific point raised by participants as they discussed their priorities for the DPM’s future. The findings illustrate that there is a suggestion of hierarchy amongst young disabled people involved in the DPM, implying that their position may be in competition with established members and their outlooks. Embracing futurology is complicated by how the social model of disability is understood within the DPM.
