When Power Is Not Shared, Harm Follows
Sometimes you know a decision has been made long before anyone tells you.
I’ve noticed how often people are expected to live with decisions they had no part in shaping.
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Access is granted or withdrawn based on convenience rather than need.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, it creates silence, fear, and dependency.
For Deaf and disabled people, this can be especially harmful when access already relies on systems they do not control.
Harm does not 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.
