Zimbabwean Disability Activism From a Higher Education Perch

Well-meaning interventions for people with disabilities in the education system can have unintended negative effects which hinder rather than enable intended beneficiaries. Often it is difficult for authorities to realise the unintended outcomes of interventions and this suggests that those who implement policies and work directly with people with disabilities should engage in a new kind of activism to remedy the situation. This chapter analyses the rationale and manner in which an academic leads disability activist practices in a Zimbabwean higher education landscape which is largely oblivious of the unintended outcomes of its interventions for people with disabilities. Analysis is grounded on an emerging activist ethos which initially focuses on individual initiatives but is aimed at collectively protesting ableism and rethinking human rights, not only in the restricted higher education area but in a democratic, extended sense in society generally. To this end, the chapter discusses ableism in deaf education in Zimbabwe before analysing emergent activism in higher education institutions. The discussion revolves around leadership initiatives which complement the collective activism of the Deaf ¹ community and disabled people’s organisations (DPOs) in general.