The archive began in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, a pandemic that has laid plain the brutal body costs of ableism, racism, capitalism, and more.  We acknowledge the devastating parallels between the ongoing realities of environmental injustice and our society’s unjust responses to COVID-19.  We bear witness to the way that disabled people, poor people, communities of color, indigenous communities, and communities in the global South have once again been left to shoulder the worst risks and bear the brunt of the harm, while wealthy, white, and nondisabled communities have often prioritized a “return to normal.”  At the same time, we also recognize that the pandemic has catalyzed powerful impulses toward mutual aid and collective care.  

Conversations in this strand chronicle activism and care work conducted by disabled people during the pandemic. Though not all of these conversations make explicit connections to climate justice, we include the stories in the archive because they offer a powerful witness to the possibilities of organizing in response to large-scale social upheaval, because they document disabled people’s responses to the realities of profound structural inequality, and because they showcase disability resilience in crisis.