Showing posts with label Disability Rights. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Disability Rights. Show all posts
504 sit in
Remembering the disability rights leaders and the landmark 504 sit in, that laid the path for today's generation.
Remembering Judy. We miss you.
Remembering Judy who passed away a year ago this day. We miss you.
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Back in 2019 I had the opportunity to interview the legendary disability civil rights activist, Judy Heumann, for UC Berkeley's "The Daily Californian". Post: https://uniquelyhari.blogspot.com/2022/12/collaboration-cooperation.html
Other posts on Judy in this blog can be found at https://uniquelyhari.blogspot.com/search?q=heumann
Ed Roberts Day
Ed Roberts Day, celebrated annually on January 23rd, marks a significant moment to reflect on the extraordinary life and enduring legacy of a trailblazer in disability rights. Ed Roberts, an alumnus of the University of California, Berkeley, was not just a figurehead but a formidable force in the movement for the rights and recognition of people with disabilities.
Born in 1939, Roberts' journey into activism began with his personal battle with polio at the age of 14. Despite being paralyzed from the neck down and dependent on a respirator, his indomitable spirit led him to challenge societal norms and barriers. His admission to UC Berkeley in 1962 marked the beginning of a transformative era, both for himself and for the university.
At Berkeley, a place known for its spirit of revolution and change, Roberts ignited a movement that would reshape the landscape of disability rights. He became the first student with severe disabilities to attend the university, living in Cowell Hospital (now the site of Haas Business School) since the dorms were not accessible. This experience was not just a testament to his resilience, but also a stark indicator of the need for systemic change.
Roberts' most notable accomplishment was the founding of the Physically Disabled Students Program (PDSP), the first program of its kind in the country. This initiative, which began as a small, student-led effort, evolved into the Disabled Students' Program, a model replicated by universities and colleges nationwide. The program not only provided essential services but also fostered a community and a sense of belonging among disabled students, offering academic guidance, peer support, and advocacy.
Beyond Berkeley, Roberts' impact continued to grow. He became a key figure in the independent living movement, advocating for policies and practices that promoted autonomy and equality for people with disabilities. His work culminated in the development of the Berkeley Center for Independent Living, a groundbreaking model for disability services and advocacy.
Ed Roberts' life is a beacon of inspiration, demonstrating the power of resilience, advocacy, and the relentless pursuit of equality. His legacy at UC Berkeley and beyond continues to resonate, reminding us of our collective responsibility to build a more inclusive and equitable world. Ed Roberts Day is not just a commemoration but a call to action, a day to honor a visionary leader and to recommit ourselves to the principles he championed.
Born in 1939, Roberts' journey into activism began with his personal battle with polio at the age of 14. Despite being paralyzed from the neck down and dependent on a respirator, his indomitable spirit led him to challenge societal norms and barriers. His admission to UC Berkeley in 1962 marked the beginning of a transformative era, both for himself and for the university.
At Berkeley, a place known for its spirit of revolution and change, Roberts ignited a movement that would reshape the landscape of disability rights. He became the first student with severe disabilities to attend the university, living in Cowell Hospital (now the site of Haas Business School) since the dorms were not accessible. This experience was not just a testament to his resilience, but also a stark indicator of the need for systemic change.
Roberts' most notable accomplishment was the founding of the Physically Disabled Students Program (PDSP), the first program of its kind in the country. This initiative, which began as a small, student-led effort, evolved into the Disabled Students' Program, a model replicated by universities and colleges nationwide. The program not only provided essential services but also fostered a community and a sense of belonging among disabled students, offering academic guidance, peer support, and advocacy.
Beyond Berkeley, Roberts' impact continued to grow. He became a key figure in the independent living movement, advocating for policies and practices that promoted autonomy and equality for people with disabilities. His work culminated in the development of the Berkeley Center for Independent Living, a groundbreaking model for disability services and advocacy.
Ed Roberts' life is a beacon of inspiration, demonstrating the power of resilience, advocacy, and the relentless pursuit of equality. His legacy at UC Berkeley and beyond continues to resonate, reminding us of our collective responsibility to build a more inclusive and equitable world. Ed Roberts Day is not just a commemoration but a call to action, a day to honor a visionary leader and to recommit ourselves to the principles he championed.
Improving Accessibility
Amazing piece by @PDSoros fellow and @TheOpEdProject fellow @HariSri108 on the importance of flexible work and improving accessibility
Access to Meaningful Work
Excellent article Hari Srinivasan. This makes sense. Grateful for you and the Frist Center Vanderbilt for promoting access to meaningful work for all.
Important Points
These are important points Hari Srinivasan made in the article. This one included:
"More importantly....."
The Capitol Crawl
Wheelchairs and mobility aids were cast aside, not in surrender, but in a powerful symbol of defiance against a society that had overlooked the rights and dignity of persons with disabilities for far too long. Crawling up the monumental steps of Capitol Hill, these extraordinary individuals weren't just making a physical journey; they were forging a path towards societal inclusivity, equality, and respect.
Social Media Mentions
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/giving-voice/202307/dignity-remains-elusive-for-many-disabled-people
Sins Invalid
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Limitations of Traditional Disability Justice/ Disability Rights Movement
- Ignores Intersectionality
- Race, Religion, Gender, SES, Immigration Status, Cultural Values
- White-male-hetrosexual-Centric. White-privilege centric
- (eg: Parallels in Psychology Research which is WEIRD-centric: Western Educated, Industrial, Rich, Democratic Countries)
- Power/Status-Centric
- Centered around people who have achieved status through legal framework,
- Why: Rights have to be won by litigation. So unequal access to rights across the board. You don’t sue, you lose
- Mobility-Impairment Centric
- Access needs as beyond architectural barriers.
- All mind-bodies unique and essential
- All mind-bodies have strengths + needs that must be met
- All mind-bodies are Powerful, despite complexities
- Mind-Bodies are confined by & cannot be separated from our intersectionalities.
- Connectedness
- Interdependence
- Relational & transformative framework.
Sins Invalid. 10 Principles of Disability Justice
- Intersectionality
- Leadership of the Most Impacted
- Anti-capitalist Politic
- Commitment to Cross-movement organizing
- Reorganizing wholeness
- Sustainability
- Commitment to Cross-Disability Solidarity
- Interdependence
- Collective Access
- Collective Liberation
1. Intersectionality
Impacted by White Privilege,/ Colonial legacy
Intersectionality is not about who is suffering the most but about who is impacted in which areas.
- Within our own intersectionality we experience privilege in some areas and oppression in others; varying across context.
Me --> Autistic + ADHD + other medical/sensory/mood/communication issues + South-Indian descent + Tamil Hindu Iyengar Brahmin + vegetarian + multilingual etc.
- Recognize Disability is not a vacuum.
- Collaborate on overlapping issues
- What else?
2. Leadership of the Most Impacted
- System impacts are not equal.
- People most hurt by the system often have a better understanding of what all is wrong with that system.
What Can be Done
- Prioritize the more marginalized voices
- Be aware of hierarchies within disability
- Eg: an unspoken hierarchy means unequal access
- What else?
3. Anti-capitalist Politic
- Disabled Mind-Body is anti-capitalist
- Why:
- Capitalism = Survival of Fittest
- Competition towards wealth accumulation, land acquisition for the ruling class.
- Therefore:
- By definition the “non-normative” mind-body of disabled people are invalidated.
What can be done
- Rethink Worth of an individual beyond as beyond productivity. Eg: some may not be able to “contribute” in the traditional sense due the more significant disability and THAT’s OK!!
- Work on issues that are exacerbated by capitalism Eg: homeless disabled, health care, poverty
- Access at times has a “price tag” in capitalist society- so either need to be creative with solutions or organize funding sources.
- What else?
4. Commitment to Cross-movement organizing
- A relational and transformation framework of Disability Justice means we need to think about disability and ableism in many different ways
- Learn from other movements
- Paraphrasing what Stuart James, Director of CIL said during class visit to Ed Roberts Campus, Spring 2018 Sem.
- “We need to learn from the Gay Rights movement which in just 30 years has become mainstream. “
What can be done?
- Disability does not exist in vacuum
- You can reach out for allies in unlikely places.
- Eg: Reproductive justice is Disability justice. , Climate Justice is Disability Justice
- Mixed movement organizing (“nurturing old ways & inventing new ways)
- What else?
5. Reorganizing wholeness
- Disabled people are whole people
- Everyone is a living breathing thinking individual with emotions, sensations, perceptions and quirks.
- Reject capitalist notion of worth of an individual as tied to his perceived “productivity”
- Recognize & support: “We all struggle together” imperfectly
- What else?
6. Sustainability
- Transformation needs to be deep, longlasting and sustained.
- But Transformation does not happen overnight.
- Disabled mind-body needs to be paced according to the “spoons” available to us.
- “Rest is resistance, Survival is resistance, Anything else is extra”
- Group effort, flexible schedules/ deadlines
- Avoid Burnout
- What else?
7. Commitment to Cross-Disability Solidarity
- There can be NO Disability Justice, unless there is Disability Justice for all.
- “Honor insights of all community members”
- “We are trying to break down barriers”
- Means working together. Collaboration
- Connections that cross living, advocacy and education.
- Eg: autism + deaf have communication access as a common issue.
- What else?
8. Interdependence
- State Solutions → they control our lives
- Interdependence → we control our lives & help each other. (Our interdependence with other humans & nature was already part of our unconscious before western colonization.)
- Check ins
- How to ask for help & communicate needs
- Share spoons
- What else?
9. Collective Access
- Access Needs are not shameful / not a favor
- Access Needs are not fixed - depend on context and environment.
- We can share responsibility for our access needs.
- Needs community, shared responsibility and creative out-of-the-box nuances.
What Can be Done
- Pool resources
- What else?
10. Collective Liberation
- Disability justice is a vision.
- Moving together is what gets us to liberation
- We are all survivors. “Listen to the Canaries”
- “We honor the longstanding legacies of resilience & resistance” for all non-conforming mind-bodies.
- Recognize: “moving together does not mean we move in the same way;” we are still valued in any way we move.
- What else?
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