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Community Economic Development as a Strategy for People with Disabilities: Intentions and Tensions
by Alice Rose
Community Economic Development challenges the dominant
discourse that a diminished social and economic status is the inevitable
result of a disabling condition. This article examines the tensions and
contradictions found in the application of Community Economic Development
strategies within the psychiatric survivor community. It begins with an
overview of the principles of Community Economic Development. A summary
of traditional approaches to participation in work for disabled people
is provided. Gallery Gachet, an artist's co-operative in Vancouver, is
presented to illustrate the potential and limitations of Community Economic
Development as a tool for empowerment and liberation. This dichotomy is
presented as a consequence of political choices, either liberal or progressive.
By exploring the tensions and contradictions behind the application of
Community Economic Development principles with psychiatric survivors,
we are better able to think, talk and evaluate the potential, the theory
and the practice of Community Economic Development.
E-Mail: arose@telus.net
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