A Very Capitalist Condition: A history and politics of disability*

Thursday 10^th November 2016, 5pm-7pm

Venue: Lecture Theatre C, Central Teaching Hub, Crown Place, University of Liverpool, L69 7ZJ

(*includes BSL translation)

Speaker: Roddy Slorach (Imperial College London)

Disability is much misunderstood, both as a term and as a form of discrimination. It has been referred to by disability activists as ‘the last civil rights movement,’ partly due to perceived similarities with the US struggle against racism, and partly because it is less widely known or recognised than other ‘equality strands’.

Despite recent anti-discrimination legislation, disabled people have been among those hit hardest by the austerity agenda, with huge cuts in benefits and services. What lies behind such discrimination? Has it always existed?

Roddy Slorach, author of new book, “A Very Capitalist Condition: a history and politics of disability”, is a senior disability advisor at Imperial College London, and also a longstanding equalities campaigner. He will discuss the nature of disability discrimination, along with the durability and relevance of the social model of disability in the 21st century.

*engage@liverpool and the University of Liverpool would like to thank Kate Labno from Lipspeaker UK for providing BSL translation at this event.