Origins of the phrase NAUWU:
Nothing about us, without us.
Origins of the phrase NAUWU:
Mental Age
- Normative Bias: Mental age is based on comparing an individual's performance to the average performance of a specific age group. However, these age norms may not adequately account for cultural, linguistic, or socioeconomic differences. The concept assumes that all individuals progress at the same rate, which may not be true or fair across diverse populations.
- Arbitrary Cutoffs: Mental age relies on the notion of discrete age categories, which can lead to arbitrary cutoffs and potential misclassifications. Development is a continuous process, and individuals may display a range of abilities that do not neatly align with specific age groups.
- Lack of Sensitivity: The concept of mental age does not capture the full complexity and multidimensionality of human intelligence. It may oversimplify and overlook individual strengths, weaknesses, and variations in cognitive abilities across different domains.
- Limited Predictive Value: Mental age alone may not provide sufficient information about an individual's future development or functional outcomes. It does not account for the dynamic nature of cognitive abilities and the potential for growth and change over time.
- Reinforcement of Deficit-Based Approaches: The focus on mental age as a deficit-oriented measure may perpetuate stigmatization and negatively impact individuals' self-perception and opportunities for growth.
Disability Rights Movement
DRM emerged in the late 1960s and gained significant momentum in the 1970s and 1980s. One of the key milestones was the passage of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 in the United States, which prohibited discrimination on the basis of disability in programs receiving federal funding. This was followed by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990, which further strengthened protections and rights for individuals with disabilities in various aspects of life, including employment, transportation, public accommodations, and telecommunications.
DRM focuses on promoting the principles of accessibility, independence, self-determination, and inclusion. It advocates for reasonable accommodations, accessibility in the built environment, educational opportunities, employment opportunities, healthcare access, and overall social acceptance and support for people with disabilities.
DRM has made significant advancements in raising awareness, changing societal attitudes, and implementing legal protections for people with disabilities. However, there are still ongoing challenges and areas for improvement to ensure full inclusion and equal opportunities across all aspects of life.
Dear Colleague
Principle of inverse effectiveness
Ergo, when the individual sensory cues are relatively weak or have low impact, the brain tends to rely more on multisensory integration to enhance the perception and processing of the stimuli. eg: people with hearing loss exhibit increased visual abilities, and increased crossmodal activation within the auditory cortex.
The principle of inverse effectiveness highlights the advantage of combining multiple sensory inputs in situations where the individual senses may provide limited or unreliable information. By integrating sensory cues from different modalities, the brain can enhance the overall perception and make more accurate judgments about the external environment. This principle has been observed across various species and sensory domains and is believed to reflect a fundamental property of multisensory processing.
Spoon Theory
The metaphor works by using spoons as a representation of a person's energy reserve for the day. Each activity, such as getting out of bed, taking a shower, or going to work, requires a certain number of spoons. People with disabilities have a limited number of spoons available to them each day, and they must carefully budget their energy throughout the day to avoid running out of spoons.
In the context of autism, spoon theory can be used to explain the challenges that many autistics may face when it comes to sensory overload and social interaction.
Sensory processing issues can make everyday tasks like going to the grocery store or attending a social event incredibly exhausting. These experiences can be likened to using up spoons, or units of energy, more quickly than someone without sensory processing issues might. Additionally, social interaction can also be a source of stress and exhaustion for people with autism. Social situations can require a lot of cognitive and emotional effort, which can also deplete one's energy reserves.
The Grandmother of the Disability Rights Movement turns 103
Zona is the mother of Ed Roberts, who started the very first Disabled Students Program at UC Berkeley as well as starting the Independent Living Movement.
So if Ed is the father of the Disability Rights Movement, she is the grandmother behind it all.
Imbecile
The term "imbecile" has historically been used as a diagnostic label for neurodevelopmental disabilities like autism.
One of the most well-known cases involving the use of the term "imbecile" was the Supreme Court case Buck v. Bell, in which the court upheld the constitutionality of forced sterilization for individuals classified as "imbeciles." The decision paved the way for similar laws in other states, and resulted in the sterilization of tens of thousands of individuals with disabilities.
Buck v. Bell (1927): This case involved the forced sterilization of a woman who was deemed "feeble-minded" by the state of Virginia. In its decision, the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of Virginia's sterilization law and stated that "three generations of imbeciles are enough." (274 U.S. 200)
Disabled People are not ADA People.
Judy, My Friend: A Tribute to an Unparalleled Disability Rights Legend
Judy, My Friend: A Tribute to a Disability Rights Legend
Judy my friend, I miss you dearly
But your legacy lives on, ever so clearly
As a trailblazer, a hero, a friend
Your spirit will never, ever end
Historic gains in disabled employment during the pandemic.
Author of the Social Model of Disability
What I learned today from Cal Montgomery. Thx Cal.
Vic Finkelstein, not Mike Oliver, was the author of the social model. Oliver's book just hit big in the U.S.Holiday Giving
In this holiday season of giving, a plug for all autism/disability organizations I've been involved or benefited from growing up with autism. All of them have done impactful work on varying fronts and close to my heart. Consider donating. It takes a village where many different angles need to be acted on.
- Autistic Self Advocacy Network https://autisticadvocacy.org/about-asan/
- Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund https://dredf.org/
- Autism Society of America https://autismsociety.org/
- Communication First https://communicationfirst.org/
- The Brain Foundation https://brainfoundation.org/
- Inclusive World. https://inclusiveworld.org/
Doomscrolling
Came across a new term, rather a term that's been around for a while.
Doomscrolling is the act of compulsively scrolling through negative news or social media feeds, often for hours at a time, despite feeling upset or stressed by the content. The term "doomscrolling" gained popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic, as people spent more time online and were inundated with a constant stream of alarming news about the virus and its effects. This behavior can lead to feelings of anxiety, hopelessness, and helplessness, as well as difficulty sleeping and concentrating
So it became this "vicious cycle in which users find themselves get stuck in a pattern of seeking negative information no matter how bad the news is."
Satici SA, Gocet Tekin E, Deniz ME, Satici B. Doomscrolling Scale: its Association with Personality Traits, Psychological Distress, Social Media Use, and Wellbeing. Appl Res Qual Life. 2022 Oct 19:1-15. doi: 10.1007/s11482-022-10110-7. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 36275044; PMCID: PMC9580444.
A wider picture
DREDF Spotlight
This month is Disability Rights. Thrilled to be on the same board with the likes of living disability legends like Judy Heumann. What an honor to be invited.
https://mailchi.mp/dredf/dredf-monthly-august-22
Hari Srinivasan joins the DREDF Board of Directors.
Hari Srinivasan just moved from Berkeley to Nashville, but we're lucky that he's staying connected to Berkeley by joining DREDF's Board of Directors. Hari has autism and ADHD with very limited speech ability, and primarily uses Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) to communicate. He is a Ph.D. Neuroscience student at Vanderbilt University, a PD Soros Fellow, and a Fellow at the Frist Center for Autism and Innovation. Hari graduated from UC Berkeley in 2022 as a University Medal Finalist, along with a Departmental Citation Award, Highest Honors, Phi Beta Kappa, and Psi Chi. As an undergraduate Haas Scholar, he carried out a year-long independent funded research on awe and empathy in autism. He also served as student president of the Berkeley campus organization Autism: Spectrum at Cal, stressing the idea of autism needing to go beyond mere Awareness, Acceptance, and Inclusion and towards Belonging. Hari's other affiliations include serving on the board of the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network, and as a Non Federal Committee member of the Interagency Coordinating Committee (IACC). He is also a member of the Council of Autistic Advisors for the Autism Society of America and sits on the Community Advisory Board for The Brain Foundation.