Direct Action Planning Resource for (and by!) Sick and Disabled Comrades
l've been sitting a lot with the idea that disabled people/crips only (can) engage in direct action or support with escalation from our beds. Although many of us are bed-bound a lot of the time, I thought it might be helpful to have a matrix of actions to refer to when our bodies are in certain places.
This is an 8-page toolkit for people navigating chronic pain, illness, or disability - but I imagine this can also be useful for anyone tbh.
This is not meant to be an exhaustive list or followed strictly; it’s a starting point. For example: you may have Low Mobility and Manageable Pain, but still engage in frontline/on-site action. In this scenario, what supports might you need from others to make that work possible? (Examples: mobility such as carrying by one or more comrades (e.g. carry types such as the one-person lift or two-handed seat), consent for someone who can walk or run to maneuver wheelchair to swiftly retreat. Literally giving a comrade direction on what you would like to do in the moment!).
Also:
These ideas were offered by my dear kin and comrades, and are options!
This is intended to be a resource for self check-in, not used for or against others. This also doesn’t exempt more able-bodied people from finding ways to support sick and disabled comrades!
This is a complement to (not a substitute for) acknowledging your full positionality/levels of access based on race, class, gender, etc.
Rest should happen whenever possible - not just when depleted, but at this point becomes absolutely necessary to prevent medical emergencies.
Use the templates to copy and create your own! Get creative! What else needs to be done that isn’t (or shouldn’t be) as visible, disclosed, or traceable?
Consider actions that are in service to agitation, in opposition to violent hierarchies of harm, and towards liberation from the system - NOT reform, which is an anti-tactic that ultimately strengthens the state!
