Posts tagged ‘disability rights’
Disability News Round-Up
I’ve been posting lots of disability-related news on my Facebook, time to share them here!
Neurotribes Examines the History & Myths of the Autism Spectrum– Neurotribes: The Legacy of Autism & the Future of Neurodiversity is a new book by Steve Silberman, a non-autistic man who did wild things that many autism organizations were seemingly not capable of doing (sarcasm) – actually interviewing and listening to people with autism and taking us seriously! He suggests that we channel money into actually helping autistic people rather than researching genes & environmental causes to prevent us from existing. Thank you, Steve! (just don’t read the comments- anti-vaxxers)
The Disability Community’s Bechdel Test– Cast disabled actors whenever possible and tell better stories (Note: comparison to the “Bechdel test” is kind of a misnomer) Still, read it anyway.
Dear Disabled Person, We’re Sorry but You’re a Real Inconvenience, Signed (Insert Conference Name Here) A post from last year, but still just as relevant. I’ve often noticed people running events think of accessibility in various forms as an extra, an add-on, like a luxury. When it determines whether someone can come to the event at all, or fully participate, clearly it’s not a luxury! It’s a basic necessity. Though I imagine there are probably ways we can always improve, I think it made a big difference in planning BECAUSE- Bisexual Empowerment Conference, A Uniting Supportive Experience last year that we had multiple people with different types of disabilities & medical conditions both on the planning committee and on the board- Deaf, learning disabled, psychiatric/mental ill folks, chronically ill folks, folks with various type of mobility needs, food allergies etc.
I *am* in support of euthanasia as an option in extreme circumstances- such as being towards the end of a terminal illness. However with current situations, both in Britain, the U.S., Canada and pretty much everywhere we need to focus on creating a society in which *life is worth living* for everyone. I think we also need to build more intentional, inter-generational communities- biological nuclear families are only one option. Putting supports in place for independent living is important, but *interdependent living* is I think even more key.
RCAD 17, 18: Discrimination, Stigma, Preferential Treatment
Redefine Disability Awareness Challenge by Rose Fischer
My non-linear brain prefers to answer these in a random “what appeals to me today” order, some repetition may ensue.
17) Have you experienced discrimination because of disabilities? Discrimination comes in many forms, from refusal to employ or accommodate a person with a disability to treating that person with disrespect because of it
Possibly, but it’s hard to tell for sure (let alone legally prove!) since my disabilities are hidden/invisible. I do tend to strategically reveal them to employers *after* they have hired me, (often after scoping things out, and possibly allying with a co-worker who has a learning disability, or a kid with one) but before some social, emotional or sensory issues pop up that might endanger my job if I don’t develop a strategy to cope with them. I often figure out these strategies and coping mechanisms on my own, without consulting with anyone, but my ability to do so may depend on the structure and expectations of the job, and how flexible and open-minded the supervisor and co-workers are willing to be. I’ve felt rather annoyed with the conventional disability services complex because the professional helpers seem to have this naive faith that the ADA- Americans with Disabilities Act will always magically protect you from discrimination, and you should just go ahead and reveal your disabilities. I think this is due to shortcomings and assumptions from how they are trained, and professionals who actually are familiar with Asperger’s and ADHD are far more helpful. With more generic disability professionals, I end up spending as much- or more time educating them about my disabilities than actually getting relevant help and suggestions from them.
18) Have you experienced preferential treatment because of disabilities? —By preferential treatment, I mean situations where you were treated better or differently from your peers even though there was no valid reason.
I’ve gotten the condescending kindergarten teacher voice from people- and being treated as if I were “slow” after people found out about my label(s) or picked up that I was a little “different” or “special”. I wouldn’t consider any of that preferential! Honestly, if there were more companies that practiced active recruiting of people with disabilities- and didn’t limit that definition to only certain conditions (as the federal government does) I think that would be fantastic. I know that doesn’t fit with the mainstream disability rights movement’s “we want to blend in and be treated like everyone else” agenda and raises the oh-so-scary specter of affirmative action that makes middle class white people run away screaming, but I don’t really care. Their strategies haven’t been working very well, its time we tried something else.
30 Days of Mental Illness Challenge by Marcy
14: Have you ever experienced stigma?
Yes- mostly from people making cluelessly insensitive comments in front of me about autism and mental illness, often while not realizing I have either such experience. Sometimes I challenge them while staying “in the closet”, sometimes I come out if it feels safe and appropriate to do so. Often it’s a “Eeeww, I don’t want to be associated with Those Crazy People!”. Maybe this relates more to the pseudo-preferential treatment discussed above, but I’ve especially noticed this stigma when mentioning my past seizures/epilepsy. Sometimes with mere mortals, sometimes with doctors and other Experts ™ who should “know better”. I’ve gotten “back away slowly before she explodes!” style reactions, being treated like I’m a porcelain doll, need to be told what I’m capable of doing and how to take care of myself and “Oh, you poor dear, there but for the grace of God/the Universe go I” and other crap. This is very similar to a lot of the complaints I’ve heard my friends with more visually apparent physical disabilities talk about how they’ve been treated, and I’ve also witnessed some of that nonsense myself while around folks with physical disabilities.
A Guest at the Kwanzaa Table
A couple years ago I intended to write a series of posts on a different set of seven principles- not the UU ones, but the Nguzo Saba, the principles of Kwanzaa. Here’s a link to my earlier post. My struggles with Krampus…err depression have gotten in the way enjoying almost anything this year, holidays most of all! I went thru most of November and December in a haze, almost refusing to participate in Christmas Eve festivities with my partner & his family. Just Not In the Mood! Sometimes you just have to work thru your moods and force yourself to be there, because it’s not about you, it’s about family. Depression makes you self-centered by its very nature, and sucks the joy out of life.
I was reminded of Kwanzaa again by various things such as the prominence of Black Lives Matter campaign in current events, including discussions in the Pagan, polytheist and U.U. communities. In the communitarian values of Kwanzaa, I find pieces of what feels missing from the Nine Norse Virtues, which seems like more of a reflection of American libertarian individualism than the tribal values of pre-Christian Europe.
Upon further reading, I discovered that the Nguzo Saba are part of a broader philosophy known as Kawaida (meaning reason or tradition in Swahili) created by Dr. Maulana Karenga. All this is of course, centered on the experiences and cultures of African peoples and the African diaspora, but I feel that those of us outside of that can also learn a lot. We too are cut off from our roots, sometimes violently, even more so when we go back to the destruction of pre-Christian European spiritual traditions. Is it in part, due to that disconnect, that profound alienation, that many of the peoples of Europe sought to conquer the rest of the world, and later after at least partly realizing the errors of our ways, collect tidbits of music, clothing and spirituality to feed the spiritual hunger within us?
And as an neurodivergent and autistic woman, who has often felt excluded from definitions of “humanity”, I have found many resources in the liberation movements of other oppressed peoples. There are such things as Disability Studies, disabled liberation theology and disability culture(s), but they are not very well developed yet or well-known or accessible to many people, particularly outside of certain countries. To that end, I have often looked to political and cultural theories about race, gender and sexual orientation to put together my own disability theory. There is an emerging sense of “peoplehood” among many disabled individuals, across many types of disabilities, bodies and minds, genders and cultures. And so I come to the Kwanzaa table as a humble guest, to learn, to show solidarity and to listen, grow and celebrate.
Articles on Kwanzaa:
The Blank Candle, a documentary about the holiday narrated by the late Maya Angelou
We Can Learn About the Real Meaning of the Season from a Holiday Most of Us Don’t Celebrate
Christianity & Kwanzaa– Great article for better understanding Kwanzaa within its Kawaida context!
Ancestor Calendar
Here’s a list of dates for honoring ancestors year round- it’s started out very U.S. based, but is a work in progress. It is quite open and adaptable to people of any religion (or none) Starting after Samhain- it’s the Celtic New Year (or Witch’s New Year) Important Note: As you explore history, please make sure to sort out who is dead and who is still living! Some of the Mighty Dead honored below have spouses or friends who are living, and they too can be honored with a toast, but offerings and ancestor shrines should only hold images and symbols of the dead. If you honor people of other cultures and religions, please be sure to check what customs and traditions are appropriate and respectful.
11th November- Remembrance Day (U.K., British Commonwealth) in honor of service members who died in World War I (Personally I think civilian casualties should also be honored) This is also Veteran’s Day in the U.S. is to honor still living service members. Still, even in the U.S. this would be a day for remembering World War I. Called Einerjar in Asatru, Martinmas or St. Martin’s Day
12th November- Beginning of Transgender Rite of Ancestor Elevation
20th November– Transgender Day of Remembrance (International) Day to remember transgender people who were murdered- or took their own lives due to the pressures of a society that did not understand them. It was started by transgender advocate Gwendolyn Ann Smith as a vigil to honor the memory of Rita Hester, a transgender woman who was killed in 1998. Find local events here
4th Thursday of November- Thomas Morton Day– a Pagan take on Thanksgiving (U.S.) in honor of a man who rebelled against the strict laws of the Puritans, founded his own colony & erected a Maypole!
3rd Monday in January- Martin Luther King Jr. Day (also called Human Rights Day in Idaho, and Civil Rights Day in Arizona) A day to honor civil rights activists in general, MLK was awesome but many others do not get enough credit: Bayard Rustin, Ella Baker, Malcolm X, Rosa Parks has her own day on Feb. 4th
27th January- Holocaust Remembrance Day (International) This is the most broadly observed, here is a list of other Holocaust Memorial Days in different countries, notably Yom HaShoah in Israel & the Jewish diaspora
4th February- Rosa Parks Day, could also be a day to honor contributions of women to the civil rights movement, and Black/African Diasporan women in general.
15th February Susan B. Anthony Day (U.S.) Hmm, this may also be a good alternative to Valentine’s Day! My birthday is the day after!
3rd Monday in February– George Washington’s birthday/President’s Day (properly the 22nd) As I discussed in another post, I do not honor presidents or First Ladies who were involved in slavery (owning or trading) or Indian genocide. However, I know many other Americans will continue to do so, often with justifications that “he was a product of his time” and “our country wouldn’t be what it is without so and so”. As an alternative, I propose that we honor the slaves of these presidents, more research has been uncovered about them, we know some of their names, and after all, so many things that made this country what it is, are owed to human beings who were owned and unpaid for their work. It’s about time we gave them some credit!
1st March- Day of Mourning (International)- for people with disabilities killed (or died due to neglect or abuse) by their caregivers. A time to read the names of individuals who were killed, recognize their humanity and educate the public about how these murders are often depicted in the media.
8th March- International Women’s Day- I think this is meant more as a day to promote issues of concern to women around the world rather than women of the past, but I added it to give an international option. This is another day with hidden socialist origins!
31st March- Cesar Chavez Day (California & other states) – he was a migrant farm worker who became a labor organizer and a great hero to Chicanos/Mexican-Americans. There’s a movement to make it a national holiday– Pres. Obama is in support. You could also add any other Mexican or Mexican-Americans that you find admirable.
1st May- Labor Day in many countries around the world- in the U.S. because we’re scared of its socialist associations, we observe it in September. A great day to honor labor organizers, reformers and other rabble-rousers, as well as regular workers, both living and dead.
2nd Sunday in May- Mother’s Day (U.S.) A day to honor mothers, biological or adoptive, living and dead, and other female relatives and ancestresses. Interestingly, an early effort to establish Mother’s Day in the U.S. was connected with women’s peace groups that united mothers who had lost sons on both sides of the Civil War. Mother’s Days around the world listed here.
22nd May- Harvey Milk Day (California, other states) in honor of Harvey Milk, a leader of the gay rights movement, and others- Harry Hay, founder of the Mattachine Society, Bayard Rustin, Audre Lorde, Del Martin and other founders & activists in the Daughters of Bilitis, an early lesbian organization
4th Mon in May- Memorial Day (U.S.) – originally for the Civil War, this now includes all war dead. At one time it was just for Union dead, and so there is a Confederate Memorial Day in some Southern states in January. Traditional beginning of summer, celebrated with picnics, barbecues- why not invite the Dead along? It used to be a tradition to have picnics in cemeteries.
3rd Sunday in June- Father’s Day (U.S.) A day to honor fathers, biological or adoptive, living and dead, and other male relatives and ancestors. Dates around the world here.
27th June- Helen Keller Day– in both her honor and that of other disability rights activists
26th August- Equality Day (U.S.) celebrating when women won the right to vote in the U.S. in 1920– a time to honor suffrage activists and later feminists.
1st Mon in September- (Capitalist) Labor Day (U.S.) Another day to honor workers and labor organizers, both living and dead. Traditional end of summer, celebrated with more picnics and barbecues.
Sunday after Labor Day Grandparents Day (U.S.) A day to honor grandparents and great-grandparents, biological or adoptive, living and dead. In fact the founders of the holiday encourage youth to “adopt” grandparents. Dates around the world here.
25th October Paul & Sheila Wellstone Day– this is not official, even in Minnesota, but many progressives here and across the land will remember the terrible day a plane crashed carrying Senator Paul Wellstone, his wife Sheila, daughter Marcia and staffers Tom Lapic, Mary McEvoy, and Will McLaughlin. To me this is of great personal importance as after finding out while in college, I decided to be a political science major and dedicate my life to political activism. There’s a great organization which I linked to above, Wellstone Action, which teaches community organizing using Paul’s campaign techniques.
Self-Care Virtues: Self-Advocacy
Of all the Nine Noble Virtues, the one that I most wanted to re-write/re-frame from a disability-inclusive perspective was self-reliance. Even from a historical view-point, it does not really make sense. A tribe or village or household had to rely on itself but an individual did not have to be completely self-reliant unless they were utangard– cast out from society and left on their own. This “virtue” seems to be more of an influence from extreme individualist capitalism than ancient Norse culture.
The Greek Delphic Maxim of “Know Yourself” also comes to mind. From what I understand this is often seen as “know your limitations, know that you’re human, mortal, imperfect”. This sort of idea is a lot more emphasized in Christianity, but in European polytheist traditions we often go to the opposite extreme of proving how awesomely heroic we can be, how many mystical, magical powers we can develop and so forth.
Self-advocacy is a movement among people with disabilities, particularly developmental/intellectual disabilities. Self-advocacy means explaining your disability or health condition to others, and advocating for accommodations, equipment or other considerations that you need. When growing up as a child with a disability, parents and others do advocacy for them (well hopefully they do!) but as a child gets older, he/she/zie needs to learn to effectively self-advocate for themselves. Non-disabled people do self-advocacy as well- a pregnant woman might ask for accommodations in her working conditions, a left-handed student might ask for a left-handed desk, and so forth.
Being a self-advocate is different from being a disability rights activist, because it is only asking for getting your own needs met, and not trying to change broader social structures to make society accessible to all. However, being an effective self-advocate can be a great step towards becoming an activist.
Resources:
History of the Self-Advocacy Movement– Interesting that it started in Sweden!
Are we that Clueless about Disability?
So is it true that Pagan communities are less disability-friendly than other religious communities? I think that’s a really hard question to answer, especially considering how you can debate what “pagan” or “disability” even means. An Asatruar might insist they are not Pagan, a Deaf person may insist they are not disabled, regardless of how others may view them.
Progressive/liberal movements also often don’t “get” disability, which likewise influences progressive-oriented Pagan and alternative spiritual groups. It’s a very mixed bag in everything from feminism, racial and economic justice groups, GLBT groups etc. One thing I can say across the board, whether dealing with Pagan groups or lefty activist groups, is it depends on the individuals in the group, and what they are aware of and advocating for. The disabilities that they have, or have encountered in their personal lives are key. Then disability groups themselves vary widely in what other “isms” and minority concerns they include, and what disability issues they “get” or don’t. The disability rights and Deaf movements in the U.S. started on college campuses, among relatively privileged activists, the movements still reflect those origins, along with mostly white middle/upper-class parents, family members and professionals.
That said, I’ll share some of my own experiences and observations- both good and bad about attitudes toward disability I’ve encountered among Pagans. A big positive for myself as an autistic person, is that Pagan communities tend to very accepting of eccentric behavior. There may be debates about exactly what kinds, or how far such behavior, dress and appearance should go, but in general, having quirky mannerisms is more tolerated. I pretty much bring up autism as it comes up and seems relevant, but otherwise I seem to get along pretty well with Pagans without mentioning a label. When it does come up, I find people are usually pretty accepting- often people will feel as if they understand me better, and they often mention autistic traits they notice in others, (or themselves) or family members/friends who have been diagnosed.
Often when trying to get disability services I have more trouble getting people to understand autism as a disability, especially since I am fully verbal, live independently etc. But on the other hand, I seem to have an easier time with social acceptance- I think because people don’t usually immediately put me into a “disability box” based on use of a wheelchair or other such visible signals. That gives me the freedom to explain it when it feels comfortable, appropriate and relevant. In sociological terms, I am able to manage the “stigma” surrounding my disabled identity, whereas others with more overt disabilities get hit with more of the brutal impact of disability prejudice- the kind of crap I’ve managed to mostly avoid since high school. I have noticed, interestingly that people do seem to have a stronger, more uncomfortable reaction when I mention the epilepsy than the autism. Hence why I don’t mention it much.
No, most of the cluelessness about disability hasn’t been directed towards me, it’s been to other people. Frankly there are plenty of times when I haven’t thought about accessibility until I encountered it through the eyes of a friend.
Once I invited a friend to Imbolc ritual. The leader of the group was encouraging us to invite friends and family so they could get the chance to learn about our religion. My friend did enjoy the event, but it was on the third floor of a decrepit building and she had bad knees, so it was difficult for her to climb all the stairs. Later I brought this up to my teacher, and asked what we would do if a wheelchair user wanted to attend an event. His reply: “Oh I’m sure his or her fellow students would be happy to carry him up the stairs”. Right, because that would be so dignified. Not to mention the assumption of ability to carry the person, and the safety issues involved. Later on, after I left this group (for many reasons) the teacher bought a house, and again placed the temple on the second floor of the house. Another group I was involved with met at a metaphysical bookstore on the second floor. Someone e-mailed us that they were interested in coming, and mentioned that they used a wheelchair. I explained to them the situation, but told them I would try to move the discussion to an accessible location. But the other two people would hear none of it. Seriously. In retrospect, I should’ve e-mailed the person and said that I would be happy to meet with them somewhere accessible. If that situation arises again, that’s what I’ll do.
I am going to give props though, to the folks involved in Pagan Pride and Paganicon. They have been really awesome about trying make sure those events are accessible to people of varying abilities and to the public transit system and for that I am thankful. There are some kinds of accessibility that harder to deal with in rural settings and since many groups meet in homes those also tend to be less accessible. I think in general, though as we move toward larger more public events we will have more options for accessibility.
We Are More Than Our “Special” Skills
Follow-up to “Anyone Noticed…” and “Autism” on two other blogs. In the first, Amanda Baggs. an autistic blogger who I’ve long enjoyed reading, notes that if you are autistic you can’t just be religious or non-religious without someone claiming that the reason(s) you are are due to your disability. Autistic or disabled people are inherently seen is being more or less inherently spiritual than others. Leigh Archer, a pagan on the spectrum chimes in with her own experiences. She notes that as a Loki-worshipper she often gets people dismissing her path, or attributing it there being something “wrong” with her.
“Disability and religion isn’t something that’s talked about much in pagan communities, and that really needs to change. Ableism is, to be honest, rather rampant in pagan communities, both online and off. Much of it is covert or “casual” ableism; things you might not notice if you’re not disabled and haven’t had to deal with it yourself. ” Very true, most ableism I’ve seen among pagans has been directed towards others- typically physically disabled folks. Yet when I’ve confronted it, I’ve generally gotten a bunch of paltry excuses. Many from people who don’t know that I’m disabled in some way.
I’ve found some odd paradoxes about being autistic and belonging to various other “non-mainstream” groups- in some ways it seems that because I’m autistic I can “get away with” having interests (including religion) and behavior that are unusual. “Oh, it’s just her cute little mythology special interest”My dad kept patting me on the head thru high school with that line’ til it finally sunk in to him that this was an Actual Religion. Fortunately I haven’t had too much in the way of dramatic ecstatic spiritual experiences as a teen, or my lack of internal filter would probably have resulted in mental health practitioners getting trigger happy with prescriptions for anti-psychotics. My seizures only result in symptoms similar to hangovers, no cosmic trippy dreams. Hate to disappoint anyone.
There are several problems in this discourse that I’d like to highlight- the black/white thinking- you either must be atheist because you’re autistic, or have a less of a sense of love/empathy/a soul- or you must be a Child of God/angel/otherkin/psychic/Indigo etc. The Magical Retard instead of the magical Negro (case in point would be Forrest Gump) The dehumanizing of people with disabilities- generally related to “real humans do/have trait x, you don’t, therefore you’re not really human/Pagan etc. (The No True Scotsman logical fallacy) Or you’re delusional. Moses, Muhammed, Jesus. All prophets are just nuts, right? Some people with disabilities or medical conditions will try to find spiritual ways of making meaning out of the circumstances of their lives. That’s fine. Let us do that. Don’t tell us what it means, or if it means anything. You can be compassionate and supportive without pulling in lines like “God has a plan”. I don’t find that comforting, leaving aside which God you’re assuming I believe in, my response is “Well, all of his other plans have failed”.
The idea of having “special skills” I’ve had hammered into my head from a young age from Temple Grandin and a zillion other people who repeat everything she says- yes you’re disabled, but don’t make a big deal out of it- accentuate the positive and find your special skills, get really good at it, and then people will tolerate you if you’re a little odd, so long as you’re good at what you do. Newsflash: Not all of us have a special savant skill. Or if we do, it’s not something someone will pay us to do on a basis which we can make a living.
And to my fellow folks with disabilities, let’s do what we can to challenge these attitudes- we get these messages from society and internalize and reinforce them. So let’s stop.
*my use of “retard” in this context is satirical, I’m making fun of the attitude behind that word, not people with mental disabilities.
**Nothing against Temple Grandin, I’m just sick of everything she says being constantly repeated. Usually by people who claim they aren’t autistic ironically…
The Lefthander's Path 