Have you ever noticed clashes among disability advocates over which issues are most important to address? Have you ever felt overwhelmed when trying to decide what advocacy issues most urgently require your attention? You’re not alone. In this episode, we talk about prioritizing advocacy in light of current events. A transcript for this episode can be found here.

How do we even begin to figure out how we can go about prioritizing advocacy?

Ponder this: advocates fought like hell to block the nomination of Betsy DeVos for Secretary of Education. She was nominated anyway. What’s the next cause disability advocates should take on? Where will we be heard?

There’s another layer to this conundrum. We supposed to be a “disability community,” but more often than not, our advocacy priorities are at odds with other people who also count themselves as part of that community. We recognize that our overarching goals are the same: access and inclusion. Unfortunately, here’s where the similarities often hit a wall. The best ways to reach these goals will look different to everyone.

Everyone wants a chance to grab the megaphone and speak their minds, but the resulting discord can create confusion among the people we want listening. And that gets us nowhere.

But the reality is that there’s a lot happening in the world that does require advocacy. We’re not all going to agree on what’s most important.

So, how can we decide where to direct our advocacy efforts? What can we do so our advocacy is more than just shouting into the void?

Now, more than ever, prioritizing advocacy is a crucial strategy if we want our voices heard.