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Harriet McBryde Johnson

Posted on July 27th, by It's Our Story in . 23 comments

  • Kalianna Pivett

    This interview had a lot of important stories and information. One thing that stuck with me was when she said “None of us can be secure in our freedom until we all are.” I think this idea has many implications. It also make you think that yes, as a society we have made large strides in disability rights and freedoms, but they are taken one step at a time and there is still a long way for us to go to reach the point that we are striving for as members of disability advocacy.

  • Olivia Fesser

    Harriet, thank you for sharing your experiences as a lawyer, activist, and human. There were many powerful messages in this interview. The one that stuck with me the most was “we need other people to find out who you are”. It inspires me to connect with others more, and helps me to realize I do need others to be who I am. I really respect how she mentioned how “grown ups can be wrong and the whole world can be wrong”. As young people we move through the world as if everything we are told is truth because we don’t know any better. The interview brought forth stories of activism I have not heard before. Perhaps that is because the activism I’ve studied hasn’t been within the field of disability studies. I know from this interview that there is a lot more for me to learn from the movement.

  • Emmalee Mayer

    I like what she said about segregated schools: “…They shouldn’t exist. They’re an injustice and wrong but inevitably build community.” It reminds me of the reading “Conquering LIfe” where they discuss the effects of deinstitutionalization in Sweden. Even though its a good thing, there are negative consequences too.

  • Tran Le

    It’s interesting how religion can influence the way some people view disability. To think that a person with disability is being punished or tested by God is discriminatory, because that mindset automatically associated all disabilities with flaws, errors, and sins, rather than being socially and systemically oppressed. Like she said, religion can guide someone to faith and the pursue of equality, but using religion to explain disability is problematic.

  • Ella Rasp

    There are so many thought provoking aspects of this interview. The thing I found most impactful is how the disability community and disability rights movement was disconnected from each other geographically and how that held the movement back for a long time. We are so lucky now to have spaces online and in more forms of media to bring these ideas and expressions of culture to the forefront. It’s also striking to me how the interview highlighted the “grandfathering” in of old buildings and how she said they value the past more than the present. That resonates in a lot of places where nostalgia for old ways of structuring the world are keeping us from achieving justice for all.

  • Hannah Reichenbach

    Among many interesting conversations in this interview, I found the more revealing perspective of Harriet to be when she described non-disabled people as a different species. Instead of being sad or feeling left out when she seeing people walking or dancing etc., Harriet shared that she sees the beauty in the different movements, but she’s never upset that she can’t be a member of that other species. To me, that’s a really interested and thought provoking way of viewing disability and non-disability. Instead of assuming that disabled people should be longing to be completely abled, it’s more important to recognize that everyone does similar actions, just in different ways.

  • Hallan Farah

    Harriet McBryde Johson’s advocacy work and activism spans many areas of concern and axes of oppression. As an activist, she centers disabled people and the institutionalized oppression they face. Johnson’s description of marginalization as a “ghetto” very curious. These people who are ghettoized at the margins make up her community, her “home folks.” Their “ghetto” isn’t a physical space where they live among each other communally; but rather, their “ghetto” is being borne from the same isolation, struggle, exclusion and marginalization, thus creating a link between geographically disparate disabled people who would otherwise be disconnected.

  • Theresa LaDonna Mueller

    There were many raw realities that Harriet discussed in the video. What I found most pressing was her discussion of community as well as the role of religion as an institution. In regard to community, I appreciate her discussion for how and why having a community is so essential to any human’s existence. Everyone needs a community to feel welcomed, and no one should be deprived of it given their ability. Harriet’s description of her community displays how powerful a community can be.

    Another reality I found insightful is Harriet’s discussion of religion as an institution and how religion grapples with disabilities. Although Harriet mentions she is not religious herself, she explains religion is a means for people to make sense of things around them (which I agree with). In regard to people’s abilities, Harriet explains religious people often look at people with disabilities as someone needing to be healed. And if they are not, then they did something wrong. This logic resembles a collision of the medical model and the social model. In relation to the medical model, people believe religion can heal people with disabilities. But, in relation to the social model, religions look at people with disabilities as “different” and are often the cause of impairment.

    I find it interesting that many people often look to religion to find a sense of community, but for Harriet, she did not feel this.

  • Gaopazong Vue

    After watching this video of Harriet McBryde Johnson’s opinion/experience of advocating for people with disabilities, I found similar issues or noticed that its similar to people who have troubles with being minorities as well. They are not visible and people cant or wont commit to that change of having disability people around. Its like they want to have that power as well and they feel like they are not empowered. They recieve so numerous discrimination just as minorities (Colored people) and have less resources to help contain thier daily mundane lives. It seems like, well according to Harriet, they are capable of it but society believes they are not equal or able to adjust to the lifestyle. It’s also a matter of who and what will help support them to have the freedom that they want, thats where unity comes in. I do understand that they can’t just depend on the government/state and shouldn’t wait for a caregiver. Thats where protesting comes in and telling the truth about what they want or don’t appreciate and so on. It made me also notice that when the disability people need help, they feel useless or out of control and they rely on people. I feel like numerous minorities, for example, Asian American people would protest for their own justice in equality or protesting to have a ethnic studies course at a university, they would do it over and over again because it feels like they don’t have the control over authority. So the only way to be vocal about it is to protest and advocate together, unity. This is very effective and beneficial but also comes with alot of racial slurs, hate, discrimination, attacks and riots.

  • ayaantuu usman

    Watching this video was really eye opening to a whole different sense on education and how their is segregation in schools. Also the idea of religion was a whole aspect that I did not expect to see. The most significant thing that impacted me most was when she spoke about freedom and how none were truly free unless they all were. That saying resonates a lot with many movements especially the Civil Rights Movement and the movements in South Africa to end apartheid. I think the whole idea of exclusivity and segregation is one that is almost “synonymous’ to race since race is a huge topic that comes to mind when you think of segregation, but to see segregation based on disability is something that I feel we need to be educated on.

  • Ellen Johnson

    I really enjoyed this video, it made me think about a lot more things than I normally would. How people wish disabilities are often put into institutions against their will, and how in most cases the institutions are actually worse for them. When Harriet Johnson was discussing how she had tried writing just as something to do for herself and as a way to get the stories of her life in “Crip Camp” out and to use those stories for something. And it wasn’t until after she was discovered for her story in the New York Times, that people started reaching out to her and wanting to help her get her book published. She got to get her storied out to the public. I was fascinated by the story of the woman who lived on her own in an apartment building and when she was diagnosed with ALS the state tried to force her to move into an assisted living home, when in reality that was not something they could force her to do. Harriet fought that and this woman ended up passing away before the trial was over but she got to live out the rest of her days in a space that made her feel comfortable and safe. Harriet does so much amazing work for disabled peoples and I think it was really nice getting to hear her stories and her take on these types of issues.

  • Kinsey Hegna

    It is so important to listen to Harriet McBryde Johnson and her opinions on health care and how much help people should be getting from the government. She has the view of not being completely dependent, but being able to access help when it is needed. Harriet talks with regret that she has not done worked directly in an institution. It is amazing to me that she feels she should be doing even more when she has made such progressive changes for the rights of the community of people with disabilities. Harriet is one of the most knowledgeable people when it comes to advocacy and legislation regarding people with disabilities.

    The part that stood out to me the most was the discussion of acquired disability versus natural disability. Harriet had a natural disability and is still realizing how different her experience is from others experience. She has been “othered” her entire life rather than being a part of the non-disabled community and then switching. She does not know what it is like to walk or dance, so she does not have the urge to do so and does miss anything, she just admires others ability. For me, I would have a very hard time adjusting to a new lifestyle, but being naturally disabled- there is no adjusting, only learning differently.

  • Maeve K

    An extremely enlightening video! I think her mention of immediate and blunt social dismissal is important. Fighting for equal rights is a never-ending battle simply to get into the door, to be listened to. She said that she knew immediately they were getting”blown off”. This exemplifies the effects of power dynamics in activist fights and social perceptions/attitudes that also influence those power dynamics. While this consistently creates endless barriers for obtaining equal rights being fought for, Harriet reminds us here how this empowers and sparks drastic, effective ideas for change.

  • Dalena Nguyen

    This interview was fantastic! Thanks to Harriet for sharing her story and experiences!

    In Harriet McBryde’s interview she discussed many different issues that I felt were important, especially discussing the issues with institutionalization. Although institutionalization builds community, it is also a tool used for segregation. Another important issue she discussed is the reaction that people have when she tells them that she doesn’t put on her own clothes or clean her own behind. People react by questioning-in her words they are “flabbergasted”, that someone who is a lawyer, could also be a person who needs aid in those areas of her life. McBryde brings up a great response to these reactions that I believe applies everyone, not just people who have disabilities. A person that needs help has not lost control and is “a full person worthy of being included in the community.”

  • Ayano

    This interview was an interesting video for me to watch. I felt that her experience living as a person with disabilities, an attorney, and an activist at the same time has made her perspective unique. When she talks about institutions, she states that they are a violation of human rights and we should look at those people as political prisoners because it’s our political decision on how we spend our money that put them there. The word “political decision” was an impactful word for me because I tended to think that it was the social structure that made the situation, and I had nothing to do with it. But, it reminded me that we are the ones who are making the decisions of choosing our political figures and it doesn’t just happen. Another thing I though was interesting in her interview was that she talked about religion and how powerful it is. The way that religion makes meanings out of everything is a way of thinking that I would never think of. Coming from a non-religious family, it was interesting how a belief that is supposed to make people happy could lead to discrimination. I feel that it is easy to just let things happen thinking that we are not the cause of them, but we need to step out of the box that we are so used to being in and look at what we are actually doing.

  • Michelle Lavelle

    I really enjoyed listening to Harriet McBryde Johnson’s talk and hearing her stories surrounding her life and how she has become involved in the movement. Her point about being able to talk to others that are in similar situations but this should “not at the expense of being removed from the mainstream” really resonated with me, when she talked about the segregation of schools and other aspects of life. I also found the segment where she talks about the disability rights movement in South Carolina and how the institutions and mindsets of the society in a specific state can have such an impact on how groups decide to organize.

  • Nicole Bindner

    I feel it is really important to get first hand accounts from the people who experience things such as oppression, segregation, classism etc. Since they are the one with lived experience. With that being said, everyone has different experiences. So, I really enjoyed when Harriet spoke about “The Disability Experience: Natural Vs. Acquired.” It gave a bit more insight into why and how the disability experience is different when a person is born with disability vs. a person who became disabled. Along with this argument, towards the end of the interview, Harriet spoke about people having the resources to better their situation when it comes to disability. This is a wonderful thing to shed light on. Harriet spoke about how she would not have had the opportunity to further her education if not for her parents having the resources to support her. This is something that also gives people with disabilities different life experiences.

  • Rachel

    This was super interesting! When Johnson discussed “segregated schools and special camps,” I thought it was important when mixed feelings were brought up in terms of injustices and community building, where people at similar intersections were brought together. She brings up the “community of exclusion,” in the sense that people with disabilities were different than their non-disabled families and were therefore disconnected. This made me think about how different power dynamics affect different marginalized groups of people, and the importance of social connections for self-esteem and recognizing “difference.”

  • Sharitah Nalule

    It’s very important to watch the interview of Harriet McBryde Johnson because it open doors of having an experience with someone who has faced issues of oppression in our society that’s promotions normalness and obtaining absoulate order. Something which caught my attention was when she discussed about “segregated school and special camps” and how she compared them to “Ghettos”. If was one to look at the definition of a ghetto, one can see how such definition carries a negative connotation with the people who reside there as well as the lack of resources implicated in such community. But even if the “ghetto” holds injustices against disabled bodies, at the sometime it “inevitably” helps create a community. The way she talked about community and how she had to find an alternative community because if she did not have an alternative, then she will have been comparing herself to people who did not share a similar identity to her. It made me think of how our identities play a lot in how we try to engage with society we each live in. How sometimes we may deny our identity, so we don’t seen out place, so we don’t get discriminated at, and also find a place of belonging.

  • Nouchee Vang

    This video really opened my eyes about issues between disabilities and religion. It really surprised me that people believed that those who were born with a disability were that way as a punishment from God. This builds a negative belief around people with disabilities and further promotes discrimination against people with disabilities. Not just looking at this from a societal view, but as individuals this can make people with disabilities self conscious and insecure. It is important for people to watch this interview so that they understand how their words and actions really affect someone.

  • Erica Lopez

    There was so many things that I learned throughout watching this video. Even though, people said she would not be able to do the things an abled person did but, that did not stop her from pursing herself to be a lawyer. The way she described segregated school and special camps in her video was very interesting. It also seemed like she felt almost like safer with disability people then with abled people since they would also discriminate her or had to face many challenges just for being a disabled person. This video really opened up my eyes on how many challenges disabled people have to face on a daily basis.

  • Surbhi Sarup

    I really enjoyed this talk! It was interesting to listen to her perspective on communities that she has found as a disabled person. One point that really stood out to me is the congregation of disabled people by way of the government or other organizations. This can be done by making disability housing all located in the same place. The intention may be good, but the resulting effect can be harmful. Placing a minority group all in one location is scarily similar to creating a ghetto. There may be less care given to an overall community if people are aware of who is living there which is problematic. Despite it being an injustice, it does inevitably form society. Harriet McBryde Johnson shared that if she found herself in a non-disabled community she would have judged her deficiencies a lot harder. Being around other disabled people allowed her to have some perspective about herself. Being able to see your struggles in other people can be a really comforting force. Community is extremely important in allowing individuals to find a place where they can see themselves represented. This dichotomy between ghettos and inclusivity is important to understand the complexity of disabled living.

  • Graham Harrison

    I found this interview to be incredibly lovely and insightful, and am incredibly grateful to Harriet McBryde Johnson and her story.

    Overall, I found the discussions of us vs. them and both the pros and cons of community and isolation to be the most significant. I’m not sure of the state of people with disabilities in rural communities, but this interview made me incredibly curious to see the kind of progress being made in terms of disability activism in rural communities, if any at all. I also very much sympathized with McBryde Johnson’s discussion of a feeling of “we-ness” even though she was part of a community isolated from the rest of “normal” society. It really spoke to the perpetuation of the idea of us vs them that a lot of people, especially those who are in positions of power, can have. To put it simply, if you tell someone their whole life that they are different and that is a disadvantage, they will not want to spend time around those who see them as different because of that subconscious division. I feel like there has to be a nuanced way to include those with disabilities in community with those who are able bodied by societal standards without having that incredibly harsh us vs. them divide.

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