Disabled and chronically ill people are some of the most harmed by the commodification of human bodies to produce capital, due to having physical and mental differences that are stigmatised and marginalised.

Today, healthcare systems rely on colonial regimes of biocertification. Those who are born disabled often face challenges not only with getting enough help within these systems, but also face social discrimination in everyday life. In turn, war and occupation also produce disabled people, whether they are civilians or military. Many others become disabled through work, whether it’s over time in an oppressive environment of burn out, or due to dangerous workplace practices. Capitalism values people who are able to produce profit, and devalues those who aren’t seen as productive.

Disabled people have been at the forefront of fighting for welfare and medical advancements, organising against eugenicist policies, job and housing discrimination. Disabled experiences are all unique. We want to honour our different ways of thinking, insights, and different ways of communicating to build a shared culture and respect people’s bodily autonomy and wholeness. It’s not just about ‘accommodating’ access needs, disabled people know as well as anyone the need to overthrow any system that only values bodies for the labour and profit they can produce.

The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic continues to draw out latent immune problems and chronic illnesses in previously healthy people – this newly disabled population are learning to cope with their new reduced capacities, flooding disability support groups for advice and to lament how they weren’t warned properly about the possible side-effects of repeat Covid infections.

Existing disabled and chronically ill people have either been forced into now life-threatening working conditions to survive, or if they’re the lucky ones, they’ve have been able to retreat from public life and live solitary lives. Unable to safely go to the shops, to appointments, see friends, visit family without incurring risk that could totally ruin their remaining quality of life or worse. People that still wear masks are harassed and side-eyed in the street. This extreme marginalisation is unprecedented and there are no serious attempts to address this from any advocacy body or organisation in society.

The Left seems largely to be relishing being able to return to organising as usual, and hasn’t yet contended with the reality of a mass disabling event on working people. A minority of left-wing events recommend masking, but many attendees don’t wear them, and the other half wear ineffective cloth or unfitted masks, creating exclusionary zones of what are meant to be the last bastion of inclusion for the marginalised. It seems the propaganda of the ‘new normal’ has been successful, along with confused messaging about effective measures against disease spread.

Our organisation has meetings online and attends public events safely. This is both out of respect for the disabled and chronically ill community, and because its the only way to be a principled Anarchist in an ongoing pandemic. We refuse to risk harm because its easier than facing reality, and we refuse to allow our organisation to be yet another inhospitable place for disabled or health-conscious people.

More broadly, we are committed to addressing ableism and sanism in our org, and reject burn out and self-sacrificial cultures of activism. We seek a creative, flexible relationship and collective responsibility to doing, sharing, communicating about work, capacity, and accessibility, and to support our members, including disabled people, to do important political work. We want to be capable of care and support and equitable treatment of our disabled members, even if the purpose and sole focus of the organisation isn’t on creating a support group for disabled people. Our care work needs to be in service of revolutionary ends. We want sustainability and healthy interdependence for the long term.