The Protection and Wellbeing of Human Rights Defenders with Disabilities

While many human rights defenders live with disabilities, there has been little research, analysis and reflection on how disabilities affect the risks they face, and how protection actors respond to these disabilities when providing them with support. People with disabilities may engage in human rights activism, or people may acquire disabilities as a result of the risks, threats and attacks they face. In human rights movements, disabilities can be overlooked, with 'able-bodied' activists presumed to be the norm.

In a new research project led by Alice Nah and Martin Jones in collaboration with Adam Brown from The New School in New York and funded by the Ford Foundation, we examine how human rights defenders understand and manage their disabilities as they navigate risks and how protection actors provide support to them. Using an intersectional lens, we examining how race / ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation and type of disability shape risks, access to resources, and protection outcomes. The research will also explore different types of wellbeing interventions and develop resources that can be used by scholars and practitioners to strengthen the security, protection and wellbeing of defenders with disabilities.