By Jeannie Stranzl
I love cooperatives, or anything that could be described as an “intentional community”. I was lucky enough to get a spot in a food cooperative house during my last year of undergraduate education, and I have spent the past 5 years volunteering at a co-op café and grocery store in my chosen home city of Milwaukee. So at this point, you might be wondering - what is a cooperative organization? What is an intentional community? And most importantly, what do they have to do with disability justice?
I will start with disability justice. The Sins Invalid collective, led by and for disabled folks (with a focus on amplifying the voices of BIPOC and LGBTQ+ disabled people), defines 10 Principles of Disability Justice as follows:
“INTERSECTIONALITY
‘We do not live single issue lives’ –Audre Lorde. Ableism, coupled with white supremacy, supported by capitalism, underscored by heteropatriarchy, has rendered the vast majority of the world ‘invalid.’
LEADERSHIP OF THOSE MOST IMPACTED
‘We are led by those who most know these systems.’ –Aurora Levins Morales
ANTI-CAPITALIST POLITIC
In an economy that sees land and humans as components of profit, we are anti-capitalist by the nature of having non-conforming body/minds.
COMMITMENT TO CROSS-MOVEMENT ORGANIZING
Shifting how social justice movements understand disability and contextualize ableism, disability justice lends itself to politics of alliance.
RECOGNIZING WHOLENESS
People have inherent worth outside of commodity relations and capitalist notions of productivity. Each person is full of history and life experience.
SUSTAINABILITY
We pace ourselves, individually and collectively, to be sustained long term. Our embodied experiences guide us toward ongoing justice and liberation.
COMMITMENT TO CROSS-DISABILITY SOLIDARITY
We honor the insights and participation of all of our community members, knowing that isolation undermines collective liberation.
INTERDEPENDENCE
We meet each other’s needs as we build toward liberation, knowing that state solutions inevitably extend into further control over lives.
COLLECTIVE ACCESS
As brown, black and queer-bodied disabled people we bring flexibility and creative nuance that go beyond able-bodied/minded normativity, to be in community with each other.
COLLECTIVE LIBERATION
No body or mind can be left behind – only moving together can we accomplish the revolution we require.”
I see a lot of overlap between these Principles of Disability Justice and the Foundation for Intentional Community’s description of their guiding mission and vision:
“We face an overwhelming and inextricably intertwined set of challenges. They are all results of mutually reinforcing systems, operating on a global scale, that perpetuate harm and foster violence. They include:
Social isolation, division, disconnection, & trauma
Inequality, injustice, oppression, & exploitation
Climate disruption and ecological system collapse
Because of their integrated, place-based nature, intentional communities provide unique opportunities to address a variety of issues in a holistic way. As places for sharing lives, resources, land, and purpose, they provide and maximize an interconnected set of ecological, social, and economic benefits. As a movement, intentional communities have unfulfilled potential to
Support the wellbeing of the people who live in them
Support each other
Support the shift the world needs towards cooperation, justice, and resilience”.
Cooperative organizations, likewise, typically rest on a foundation of the 7 Cooperative Principles that were officially defined in 1995:
“Voluntary membership: Any person who is willing to accept the responsibilities of co-op membership and who wishes to use the services of a cooperative is welcome to become a member.
Democratic member control: Co-ops are controlled by their members. Members have control over setting policies for the co-op and making decisions for the cooperative.
Member economic participation: Members contribute to the capital of the co-op democratically and equitably. Most of the capital of a co-op remains the property of the co-op and isn’t redistributed to members.
Autonomy and independence: Co-ops are meant to be autonomous and democratically controlled, meaning they aren’t subject to control by outside organizations.
Education, training and information: A cooperative provides education and training to members and board members to allow them to contribute to the development of the co-op. Cooperatives also seek to inform and educate the public about the mission and operation of a co-op.
Cooperation among cooperatives: Co-ops will often work together, creating regional, national and international structures that help to improve the community and create a better world.”
Concern for community: The policies approved by the members of a cooperative should help to develop the community around the co-op in a sustainable way.”
What I see as the foundation bringing these three concepts together is the recognition of the value of the whole self, of every part of the ecosystem in which we live. I have personally experienced and benefited from this as a multiply neurodivergent member of cooperative organizations and intentional communities, because I can contribute what I am able and be valued and accepted for my authentic self rather than having to perform at a level that I cannot physically or mentally sustain. Valuing of the whole self and the whole ecosystem is the root that unites all of the other parts of these respective principles, because it acknowledges that we all cannot do everything and be everything to everyone. If we want to be healthy living beings and to live on a healthy planet, we cannot deplete our own and others’ resources without replenishing. We cannot do it alone, because we all as living beings on this planet need each other in order to survive. Incidentally, these principles also align closely with my academic discipline of Public Health, because Public Health aims to honor the individual while also having a macro-level focus on the health and wellness of whole communities. Overall, the principles of cooperatives, intentional communities, and disability justice inspire me personally, academically, and professionally, and I aim to put them into practice in some way or another during the rest of my life.
