Lecture 1 of my first Disability Studies Class at UC Berkeley with Prof Victor Pineda.
CYPLAN 120 Community Planning and Public Policy for Disability
We got to see the movie "Lives Worth Living"
Impressions:
I am thrilled that there were so many front-runners who have eased the path for disabled individuals like me by making ADA possible. The movie was very powerful and moving.
The disability rights movement was inspired by the civil rights and gender equality movements and drew on many of their tactics, especially that of civil disobedience.
The sit-in in the rotunda was a masterful stroke, and more so tying themselves to their wheelchairs and to each other, so as to prevent forcible removal. It is definitely not easy for a cop to lift both a person and a heavy motorized wheelchair. I can imagine that the image of disabled individuals dragging themselves up the steps did not sit well with lawmakers, especially since it was televised and drew the attention of a national audience.
No laws get passed without the support of lawmakers and in a way it was fortunate that the Kennedy family had a personal stake in the issue along with a few other well-wishing lawmakers. Robert Kennedy was able to end large institutions by exposing the appalling practices at places like Willowbrook in NY. Though he had not intended to, President G.W Bush ended up being a proponent of the movement and declaring, “let the wall of exclusion come tumbling down.”
I liked the movement’s clear message of, “nothing about us without us,” and that the change had to happen “now.” For too long, the non-disabled had decided what was best for the disabled, a very paternalistic attitude. A non-deaf president of Gallaudet University for the deaf was forced to step down, which added momentum to the movement. Incidentally, the director of Disability Services at San Jose City College is deaf.
Early on, the disabled had realized that there was strength in numbers and came together as a community instead of each disability acting for its particular interests. Clearly, as a very large group, their tireless efforts did help get laws passed.
Since the movie laws like IDEA have passed which has addressed both physical and intellectual access. The disability movement which started with physical disabilities grew to include developmental, intellectual and other forms of disabilities.
However, implementation of the law is still lax and societal attitudes have not caught up. I have experienced a pervasive culture of low expectations by special educators and a reluctance to mainstream despite the underlying principles of LRE and FAPE in IDEA. In high scoring districts like those in south bay, the reluctance is also fueled by parents of typical kids who do not want their high-achieving, kid’s education to be distracted by the presence of disabled kids in the classroom. The result is the large numbers or special education classrooms rather than mainstreaming a great majority of those kids. It ends up limiting their opportunities in life.
I have been fortunate that Cal is such an accepting place. I wonder about my life after Cal, would ADA give enough protections or would I be presumed incompetent or an economic burden yet again.
The disability rights movement was inspired by the civil rights and gender equality movements and drew on many of their tactics, especially that of civil disobedience.
The sit-in in the rotunda was a masterful stroke, and more so tying themselves to their wheelchairs and to each other, so as to prevent forcible removal. It is definitely not easy for a cop to lift both a person and a heavy motorized wheelchair. I can imagine that the image of disabled individuals dragging themselves up the steps did not sit well with lawmakers, especially since it was televised and drew the attention of a national audience.
No laws get passed without the support of lawmakers and in a way it was fortunate that the Kennedy family had a personal stake in the issue along with a few other well-wishing lawmakers. Robert Kennedy was able to end large institutions by exposing the appalling practices at places like Willowbrook in NY. Though he had not intended to, President G.W Bush ended up being a proponent of the movement and declaring, “let the wall of exclusion come tumbling down.”
I liked the movement’s clear message of, “nothing about us without us,” and that the change had to happen “now.” For too long, the non-disabled had decided what was best for the disabled, a very paternalistic attitude. A non-deaf president of Gallaudet University for the deaf was forced to step down, which added momentum to the movement. Incidentally, the director of Disability Services at San Jose City College is deaf.
Early on, the disabled had realized that there was strength in numbers and came together as a community instead of each disability acting for its particular interests. Clearly, as a very large group, their tireless efforts did help get laws passed.
Since the movie laws like IDEA have passed which has addressed both physical and intellectual access. The disability movement which started with physical disabilities grew to include developmental, intellectual and other forms of disabilities.
However, implementation of the law is still lax and societal attitudes have not caught up. I have experienced a pervasive culture of low expectations by special educators and a reluctance to mainstream despite the underlying principles of LRE and FAPE in IDEA. In high scoring districts like those in south bay, the reluctance is also fueled by parents of typical kids who do not want their high-achieving, kid’s education to be distracted by the presence of disabled kids in the classroom. The result is the large numbers or special education classrooms rather than mainstreaming a great majority of those kids. It ends up limiting their opportunities in life.
I have been fortunate that Cal is such an accepting place. I wonder about my life after Cal, would ADA give enough protections or would I be presumed incompetent or an economic burden yet again.
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