The ambiguous role of welfare structures in relation to the emergence of activism among disabled people: research evidence from Northern Ireland

The boundary between the disability movement and traditional forms of welfa re production, whether in the statutory or voluntary sectors is discussed i n this article. Drawing on the resource mobilization paradigm in social mov ement theory, it discusses the role played by existing welfare structures i n the formation of disabled people as activists and in the initial stages o f mobilization. The article reports on the findings of interviews with acti vists in the emerging disability movement in Northern Ireland, a region wit h a very low level of movement activity. It concludes that in such areas, d isabled people often lack the resources to mobilize on their own account an d are heavily dependent on formal welfare for the necessary networks and op portunities. Although this can be a significant constraint, it is not neces sarily so if these opportunities enable the infant movement associations to grow beyond the welfare settings lying behind their emergence. This is mor e likely to take place if other supportive factors are in place. Many of th e required resources are to be found within more traditional voluntary orga nisations. Few of these organisations play any role in the process of mobil ization. But where mobilization is taking place, they are invariably presen t.