Advocacy in Action [Oct 24th Episode]

Harper Bennett

Hey everyone, welcome back to Beyond the Label. I’m Harper, and joined as always by Eric, our resident Brit and master of calm podcast wisdom. Today, we’re digging into something I call advocacy with a capital A—how disabled folks and allies can actually team up to push real, lasting change. So Eric, have you ever stood in the middle of a rally with what feels like a thousand different groups, all chanting louder than the last? It’s...chaos, sometimes, but it plugs you right into some wild energy.

Eric Marquette

I must admit I haven’t, at least not quite like that, Harper. But it sounds exhilarating—and maybe a bit overwhelming? Coalitions can be a bit messy by design, right? Bunch of organizations, all with their own identities, missions, egos—oh, and everyone’s certain they have the best slogan, naturally. But that’s the magic, I think, underneath all the noise. That solidarity. Out of curiosity, do you remember your first rally—what stood out to you?

Harper Bennett

Oh, for sure. My first big rally was in college—a classic, right? I remember making a last-minute sign with a glitter pen that exploded everywhere, so I basically sparkled through downtown. But I’ll never forget the feeling—people with wheelchairs, service dogs, sign language flying—everyone focused on one cause, even though our groups sometimes disagreed about the "how." That sense of, like, "we’re all in this together," it actually worked. Even after the rally, those connections lasted.

Eric Marquette

And that’s exactly it, isn’t it? Doesn’t matter if you’ve got differences—different kinds of disabilities, different priorities—if you find the common ground, you can be remarkably effective. It reminds me of a point from our episode on grassroots action, where persistence and storytelling turned out to be absolutely fundamental for organizations working together. But I’m curious—how do those coalitions stay cohesive? When things get difficult or there’s an internal clash, what stops them from falling apart?

Harper Bennett

Well, part of it’s ego-checking, honestly. Sometimes you gotta remember: it’s not about being the loudest voice, it’s about all those voices joining up—like a protest choir, even if some folks are a bit off-key. There’s almost always some trade-off or compromise. I’ve noticed the most effective coalitions assign roles, agree on small wins, and have those "vent sessions"—sometimes private, sometimes in the parking lot—but they stick with the shared mission. It’s messy but real. Actually, Ruby talked about this once—how the actual energy and support at her first rally changed her view entirely. She said it was the crowd, not the stage, that gave her courage.

Eric Marquette

That resonates—and the longer I’ve worked in advocacy media, the more I see that same dynamic. An effective coalition harnesses both professional organization and that electric grassroots energy you mentioned. All right, let’s pivot a bit—because those united voices don’t just matter on protest days. They’re critical for making real, structural changes, especially when you want to move beyond the rally into actual policy shifts.

Eric Marquette

So, Harper, we’ve talked before about policy on this pod, but today let’s go deeper. When you take all that coalition energy and point it at the folks who actually write the laws—how does it work? How do advocates break through the noise with campaigns and public messaging?

Harper Bennett

Yeah, it’s kind of like cooking up a viral campaign, but with a lot more meetings and...probably less glitter. But, real talk, when you pull groups together—parents, disabled activists, students—suddenly you’ve got stories and stats. And, if you get the media involved, it’s boom: now you’re not just talking to city hall, you’re nudging TV producers, tweeting at reporters. Sometimes it’s even just catching a local newspaper’s attention. Remember when we talked about the impact of public narratives on that Blueprints for Equality episode? Shifting stories can shift policies. And when that happens on a global scale—I mean, look at the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities from 2006. That didn’t just appear out of thin air!

Eric Marquette

Absolutely, that’s a brilliant example. It really shows that coordinated advocacy—and getting the right people listening—can drive seismic change. Media, in particular, is a double-edged sword. It can amplify voices and stories, but it can just as easily misrepresent or oversimplify. So, Harper, how do you reckon advocates make sure media coverage actually helps rather than harms?

Harper Bennett

Oof, that’s the million-dollar question, right? I mean, I’ve seen news crews zoom in on a single protest sign or run a feel-good story that skips all the work behind the scenes. One trick I’ve seen is coalitions prepping spokespeople—folks who can drop a one-liner that sticks, but also steer the story back to the big picture. There’s also media training, kind of like press bootcamp, showing folks how to reframe questions and push back on stereotypes. We actually talked about something similar in our Connected Voices episode—using new tech and online campaigns to get the word out, fact-check nonsense, and actually set the narrative from the inside out. It’s exhausting, but wow, it can move the needle fast.

Eric Marquette

And when coverage gets it right—when there’s context, honest discussion of the issues, and visibility for people with disabilities—public perception shifts. That’s when you see the ripple effects on everything from local ordinances to international conventions. It’s not perfect, but it opens the door for the next part of advocacy, which, honestly, might be the most important—lifting up lived experience itself.

Eric Marquette

Let’s dig into what happens when the people at the heart of all this—the actual experts, those living with disabilities—have the platform. Because there’s no substitute for lived experience when it comes to meaningful advocacy. I always think about how campaigns gain authenticity when they center real stories, and, honestly, that’s what sticks with decision-makers, too.

Harper Bennett

Totally! Sometimes I joke that “nothing about us without us” isn’t just a slogan—it’s like a rule of physics in disability advocacy. You want real change? Get the people who live it in the room. All the fancy slogans and hashtags don’t mean much unless the movement is rooted in lived reality. There was that case I followed—a wheelchair user’s lawsuit that forced an entire city to actually enforce its own curb cut laws. The difference wasn’t some big organization parachuting in; it was a person tired, frustrated, and—okay, a little stubborn—who just said, "Nope, not one more blocked ramp." Suddenly rights on paper turned into curbs you could actually roll over.

Eric Marquette

That’s spot on. You know, I once interviewed a brilliant activist—a parent, actually—who described her advocacy as “ordinary stubbornness.” I came in thinking I understood the issue, but she reframed the whole thing. It wasn’t about heroics, it was about daily negotiations, knowing the law, showing up to endless meetings. After that chat, I saw how policy and everyday experience aren’t separate—they’re tangled up together. That perspective changed how I approach every story now.

Harper Bennett

And I think that’s the final piece of the puzzle—centering those voices isn’t just good strategy, it’s the most honest way to change hearts and policy at the same time. We’ll keep shouting about that on every episode, promise. For everyone listening, thanks for hanging out with us today, and remember—your story’s important, whether it’s rally-sized or a quiet moment that sparked something.

Eric Marquette

Absolutely, Harper. Cheers to every story—big or small—that keeps this movement alive. We’ll be back soon for another deep dive. Until next time, take care of yourself and each other.

Harper Bennett

See you next episode, Eric! And goodbye, everyone—go out and make some good trouble.