Power That Isn’t Shared Creates Harm

Part of the Amplify series – naming systemic barriers and access truths.

This post is shared in BSL with English subtitles.

Power does not become harmful because it exists.

It becomes harmful when it is concentrated, unexamined, and protected from challenge.

Decisions are made without those most affected.

Rules are enforced without accountability.

Access is granted or withdrawn based on convenience rather than need.

This kind of power is often described as leadership, expertise, or authority. But when it operates without shared responsibility, they create silence, fear, and dependency, especially for Deaf and disabled people whose access already relies on systems they do not control.

Harm doesn’t always arrive as abuse.

Sometimes it arrives as exclusion disguised as order.

When power is not shared, people are expected to adapt rather than participate, to comply rather than contribute. Speaking up becomes risky. Withdrawing becomes safer. The system remains intact, while trust erodes underneath it.

Power that is shared creates accountability.

Power that is hoarded creates harm.

What changes when power is shared rather than controlled?