Going it alone or working together? Inter-movement protest collaboration in the disability rights struggle
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Social movement mobilization is often interspersed with episodes of collaboration with other causes, groups, and constituencies. Using the case of disability rights-related protests in the United States, this paper examines inter-movement protest collaboration based on data gathered from 234 protest events between 1961 and 2021. We analyse factors associated with inter-movement protests in comparison to insular protests, including the role of goals, grievances, and threat, and then examine whether inter-movement and insular protests dixer in observable goal achievement. Our 2ndings indicate that inter-movement protests are positively associated with threat, raising awareness goals, and with the period following the Americans with Disabilities Act, but inter-movement protests are no more likely than insular protests to achieve their observable protest goals. We do 2nd that protest goal achievement is positively associated with the simultaneous use of institutional tactics, especially working with policymakers and with litigation. With both collaboration and goal achievement, we 2nd some key negative associations with issue areas (e.g. social welfare, education, etc.) within which the disability rights movement works. This paper contributes to a broader discussion on mobilization dynamics by addressing when, how, and why dixerent groups and constituencies collaborate to exect change, and what they may get out of it.
Source: Social movement studies
Authors: David Pettinicchio, Andy Holmes
Institution: University of Toronto
Language: English
Subfield: Safety Research
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7212258939