Ten years after DAN hits Birmingham - a history article by Katherine Walsh

In the September 2005 edition of the Coalition of Disabled People Birmingham Magazine, editor Katherine Walsh, a long time activist in the city, wrote the following article about the history of the disabled people's movement in Birmingham:

Some Local History
by Katherine Walsh

I belonged to the Birmingham Disability Rights Group which I joined in 1987 following an exciting and mind blowing day conference at Tilton Road Day Centre. What was also exciting was the vegetarian food provided by some of the existing members of BDRG.

BDRG had been set up by a quartet of people and some radical views. Of particular importance was the use of language. Among the members were the more left wing orientated members of social services department, some trade unionists and others from around the city. Bob Findlay was at that time Development Worker and later Coordinator and Alan Davies (last heard of as coordinator of Avon Coalition) was the disability awareness trainer.

The organisation was funded via Social Services and from equality training. There was a large contract between Health and Social Services amounting to many 000's and this kept the organisation floating.

The organisation met monthly, often at BVSC in Digbeth, but chose to move meetings around to give as many disabled people as possible the chance to participate in lively debate. The choice of terms was people with disabilities as opposed to the prevailing usage of disabled people and there were some particularly acrimonious disputes around this.

Because of this Birmingham remained isolated from the rest of the Disability Movement until the early 1990s when BDRG became a member of BCODP (then known as the British Council of Organisations of Disabled People).

BDRG was from the beginning a campaigning organisation and the local media bore the brunt of this. A regular monthly newsletter written in columnar fashion like a newspaper called "Building Bridges" was important to the wider membership in a city where transport posed an enormous problem in getting to meetings.

Patronising images of disability in the newspapers and on the television were challenged and the use of appropriate terminology was also introduced. In this case, in line with the policy of BDRG, the term people with disabilities was introduced into the media. The STOMP campaign (Stop Their Offencive Media Propaganda) was one such campaign.

Following the precedent set with the International Marxist Group, the organisation kept to a draft constitution and did not register as a company limited by guarantee. There was much interesting academic discussion that followed at other day conferences and this is an area that is non-existent in Birmingham at the moment. The lack of theoretical debate is greatly missed.

A long-term aim of BDRG had been to set up a disability resource centre following a model already in existence in Waltham Forest, East London. Some of us visited this centre and some of the city councillors were also treated to a day trip there during the campaign to get a resource centre both revenue and capital funding.

Ten years ago, in September 1995, some members of Birmingham Disability Rights Group got together with DAN to organise a weekend's campaign in Birmingham. Disabled people came from all over the country. Following on from Black Civil Rights in the USA, DAN set up weekends of direct action across the country. In Birmingham, we began by bringing the traffic to a halt at 8.45 in the morning around Smallbrook Queensway. Weren't we popular! There followed a barrier at the NEC, another around New Street and perhaps the biggest of the lot, a complete blockage of the transport in New Street on a Saturday afternoon. There was an evening of debate on Central Television accompanied by some good local news coverage by the BBC.

A site for development of a disability resource centre had been earmarked at a central location and this was to be funded by the Inner City Partnership. Unfortunately, following a feasibility study, the development of this site was not seen as economically viable and BDRG was forced to go for an alternative site at Bierton Road.

During the course of its development BDRG had chosen to separate itself from the Disability Resource Centre whilst maintaining control of it. Each organisation was separately funded, with a separate management committee.

Fund raising on a large scale was not possible for an organisation that had chosen not to become a limited company or a charity and the DRC had to register itself as a charity in order to fund raise. By the time the DRC was set up at Bierton Road, most of BDRG's original members were no longer active members. The location of the DRC for many on the east side of the city posed problems of transportation.

Whilst the DRC is still in existence it is sad that the BDRG, that had such radical mind ideas, no longer exists. It would be interesting to hear from people who belonged to the BDRG of the 90s when it had its own room in the Resource Centre at Bierton Road.

Katherine Walsh