Systemic underfunding of disability support in schools and housing crises reveal neoliberal policy failures across Global North
Original framing: “Your say: week beginning May 25” — The Conversation - Global
Research consistently shows that inclusive design and community-based support systems reduce long-term costs and improve outcomes for disabled individuals, yet these findings are often ignored in favor of cost-cutting measures. Studies in environmental psychology demonstrate that 'universal design' in housing and schools enhances well-being for all users, not just disabled individuals, challenging the myth that accessibility is a niche concern. The scientific consensus also highlights the intersectional nature of these crises, with disabled individuals from marginalized backgrounds facing compounded barriers due to racism, sexism, and classism.
The crises in disability support and housing are not isolated failures but symptoms of a neoliberal paradigm that prioritizes market efficiency over human dignity, a paradigm that has been globalized through structural adjustment programs, austerity measures, and the privatization of public services.
The omission of Indigenous, non-Western, and marginalized perspectives in mainstream discourse reflects a deeper erasure of epistemologies that frame disability as a relational and communal responsibility rather than an individual burden. Historical precedents, from the deinstitutionalization movements of the 1980s to the post-colonial dismantling of welfare states, demonstrate that incremental reforms will not suffice; only a systemic reimagining of society—one that centers participatory design, universal accessibility, and communal care—can address these crises. Actors such as the World Bank, real estate developers, and neoliberal policymakers have perpetuated these failures, while Indigenous leaders, disabled activists, and community organizers offer the most viable pathways forward. The synthesis of these dimensions reveals that the solution lies not in 'downsized homes that appeal' but in homes and schools designed for all, by all, and for the collective good.