Countering disablism: an alternative universal income support system based on egalitarianism

• Main Author: Jennifer M. Mays
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Stockholm University Press 2015-01-01
• Series: Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research
• Subjects: disability policy; poverty; disability pension; economic security; universal income support; neoliberalism
• Online Access: https://www.sjdr.se/articles/315

The long-term vision of economic security and social participation for people with a disability held by disability activists and policy-makers has not been realized on a global scale. This is despite the implementation of various poverty alleviation initiatives by international and national governments. Indeed within advanced Western liberal democracies, the inequalities and poverty gaps have widened rather than closed. This article is based on findings from a historical-comparative policy and discourse analysis of disability income support system in Australia and the Basic Income model. The findings suggest that a model such as Basic Income, grounded in principles of social citizenship, goes some way to maintaining an adequate level of subsistence for people with a disability. This article concludes by presenting some challenges and a commitment to transforming income support policy.