The Power of Disability Part 4 — with Rabia Khedr

Rabia Khedr, an activist, consultant, former Human Rights Commissioner and motivational speaker who ‘wears many hijabs,’ joins Al Etmanski for this Power of Disability conversation. They discuss Rabia’s advocacy and policy work within the disability community and the Muslim community; bringing a disability benefit, or basic income, to Canada; as well as the vital importance of having people disabled folks driving systems change. Rabia speaks to the significance of having what she calls a ‘hyphenated identity’ and how disability is just one facet of people's varied and intersecting experiences and identities. She shares with Al how she is working with the Canadian Association of Muslims with Disabilities to connect people to Disability Justice principles through spirituality and culture. She also sheds light on what she means when she says, “Being blind, I see things differently.” “The range of disabilities, of lived experience, needs to be reflected in the journey — at the table, making the decisions, leading the work.” - Rabia Khedr Full episode details: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/series/the-power-of-disability/rabia-khedr.html Read the transcript: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/transcripts/rabia-khedr.html ABOUT THE SERIES The Power of Disability is a series of Below the Radar. Host Al Etmanski brings us enlightening conversations, featuring guests with disabilities who have been influential in arts, activism, science, and more. This series is a continuation of the work Al has shared in the book, The Power of Disability: 10 Lessons for Surviving, Thriving, and Changing the World, which reveals that people with disabilities are the invisible force that has shaped history. Resources: — Rabia Khedr consulting: http://www.diversityworx.com/index.php/consultant-profile/rabia-khedr — Rabia Khedr on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RabiaKhedr — COVID-19 Canadian Muslim Task Force: https://www.cmcovidtf.com/ — DEEN Support Services: https://deensupportservices.ca/ — Canadian Association of Muslims with Disabilities: https://camd.ca/ — Disability and Islam journal (forthcoming) — Al Etmanski’s website: www.aletmanski.com — The Power of Disability: 10 Lessons for Surviving, Thriving, and Changing the World: https://aletmanski.com/books/ Bio: A former Commissioner with the Ontario Human Rights Commission, Rabia is a founder of the Canadian Association of Muslims with Disabilities, Executive Director of the Muslim Council of Peel and President of DEEN Support Services. Rabia has served on many boards and committees including the Accessibility Standards Advisory Council of Ontario, Ethno-Racial People with Disabilities Coalition of Ontario, Ontario Women’s Health Network and Federation of Muslim Women. Currently, she serves on the Mississauga Accessibility Advisory Committee which she has chaired for 8 years, the Peel Region Accessibility Advisory Committee, and the federal Disability Advisory Group. She is also co-chair of the Disability Without Poverty Initiative, a national movement to secure a Canada Disability benefit for disabled adults in Canada. Cite this episode: Chicago Style Etmanski, Al. “The Power of Disability Part 4 — with Rabia Khedr” Below the Radar, SFU’s Vancity Office of Community Engagement. Podcast audio, May 13, 2021. https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/series/the-power-of-disability/rabia-khedr.html