Disability Oppression and Empowerment

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Disability Oppression and Empowerment Nothing About Us Without Us This page intentionally left blank NOTHING ABOUT US WITHOUT US Disability Oppression and Empowerment James 1. Charlton UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS Berkeley / Los Angeles / London Quot.uiolls ti'onl Eugene Willi,llllS, Idt:lfS Study Visit RCp01-t, .\fe reprinted by pennission of thc World Institutc on l)is~lbility. Quotation ti'onl JC.lll Stcwart, TbL' Rody's M,,·II'W1"."., cop~ ...ight © 1989 by Jean Stcwart, is reprinted by pcrnlissioll ofSt. 1\1,lrtin IS Press Incorpor~\ted. Quot,uion ti'onl J,lnlcs Baldwin, No NtUI'U' i11 tbe Strfct, copyright © 1972 by )allles It;lldwin., is reprinted by pCrlnission of Doubleday, .1 di\'ision of B,lnt~lnl l)oubleday l)cH Publishing (,roup., Inc. Quot,nion ti'onl l)crrick Bell., FaCt's at tbf Rottmn oftilL' Well, copyright © 1992, is rcprintcd b~' pernlission of HarpcrCollins Publishcrs. University of California Press Berkeley and Los Angeles, California University of California Press London, England First paperback printing 2000 Copyright © 1998 by The Regents of the University of California Library of Congress-in-Publication Data Charlton, James 1. Nothing about us without us : disability oppression and empowerment / James I. Charlton. p. em. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-520-22481-0 (pbk. : alk. paper) I. Handicapped-Civil rights. 2. Handicapped-Social conditions. 3. Discrimination against the handicapped. 4. Sociology of disability. 5. Stigma (Social psychology) I. Title. HV1568.C37 1998 323.3'087-DC21 97-1661 CIP Printed in the United States ofAmerica 08 07 9 8 765 4 The paper used in this publication is both acid-free and totally chlorine-free (TCF). It meets the minimum requirements of ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992 (R 1997) (Permanence ofPaper). e To My Mother and Father for Everything To Ed Roberts and the Movement He Touched This page intentionally left blank Contents THE ARGUMENT ix ACI<NOWLEDGMENTS xi PEOPLE INTERVIEWED xiii PART I. INTRODUCTION 1. Nothing About Us Without Us 3 PART II. DISABILITY OPPRESSION AND EVERYDAY LIFE 2. The Dimensions ofDisability Oppression: An Overview 21 3. Political Economy and the World System 37 4. Culture(s) and BeliefSystems 51 5. Consciousness and Alienation 69 viii CONTENTS 6. Observations on Everyday Life 83 PART III. EMPOWERMENT AND ORGANIZATION 7. Empowered Consciousness and the Philosophy ofEmpowerment 115 8. The Organization ofEmpowerment 130 PART IV. CONCLUSION 9. The Dialectics ofOppression and Empowerment 153 NOTES 169 BIBLIOGRAPHY 179 INDEX 195 The Argument The lived oppression that people with disabilities have experienced and continue to experience is a human rights tragedy of epic proportions. Only in the last few decades has this begun to be recognized and re­ sisted. Today, in fact, we are witnessing a profound sea change among people with disabilities. For the first time, a movement of people with disabilities has emerged in every region ofthe world which is demand­ ing a recognition of their human rights and their central role in deter­ mining those rights. There are a number ofunifying arguments that run throughout this book which attempt to synthesize both the conditions ofdisability op­ pression and the exigencies of its resistance: (1) the oppression of 500 million people with disabilities·is rooted in the political-economic and cultural dimensions ofeveryday life; (2) the poverty, isolation, indignity, and dependence ofthese 500 million people with disabilities is evidence of a major human rights catastrophe and a fundamental critique of the existing world system; (3) the scant attempts to theorize the conditions ofeveryday life for people with disabilities are either incomplete or fun­ damentally flawed as a result of the medicalizationjdepoliticization of disability and the failure to account for the vast majority ofpeople with disabilities who live in the Third World; (4) a disability-based conscious­ ness and organization is emerging throughout the world which has be­ gun to contest both the oppression people with disabilities experience and the depoliticization of that experience; (5) the political-economic and sociocultural dimensions of disability oppression determine who is x THE ARGUMENT affected and the form resistance takes; (6) notwithstanding the impor­ tance ofpolitical-economic and sociocultural differences, all the individ­ uals and organizations that have taken up the cause ofdisability rights in the last twenty years have embraced the concepts ofempowerment and human rights, independence and integration, and self-help and self­ determination; and (7) these leitmotifs suggest a necessarily fundamen­ tal reordering ofglobal priorities and resources based on equality, respect, and control ofresources by the people and communities that need them. Acknowledgments I have been thinking about the subject matter ofthis book since 1985 when I met people associated with the Organizaci6n de Revolucionar­ ios Deshabilidades (ORD) in Managua, Nicaragua. It was in the midst ofthe proxy war the United States was waging against that country, and although the devastation was widespread, it was quickly evident that ORD had been responsible for many impressive changes for people like myself in their country. By then I had been to Latin America many times, but I had not pre­ viously met other politically active people with disabilities. Myexperi­ ence in Nicaragua motivated me to seek out similar experiences else­ where. In 1991 I received funding from the Institute on Disability at the University of New Hampshire. This grant allowed me to spend a month with members ofthe National Council ofDisabled Persons Zim­ babwe (NCDPZ), an extraordinary disability rights organization. In 1992 I received a one-year fellowship from the Chicago Community Trust, and it is with their assistance that most of the research for this book was done. During that year I visited Mexico, Brazil, South Mrica, I(enya, India, Thailand, Indonesia, and Hong I(ong. Much ofthe credit for the insights in this book goes to my colleagues in the disability rights movement in the United States, especially my comrades in Chicago. I am also indebted to dear friends with whom I have been engaged in political projects over the last twenty-five years. I would like to thank Access Living ofMetropolitan Chicago, where I have worked since 1985, for providing me with love, encouragement, xii ACI<NOWLEDGMENTS and sensibility. I would also like to acknowledge the contacts provided me by the World Institute on Disability in Oakland and Disabled Peo­ ples' International in Winnipeg. Those who assisted me with ideas, comments, and contacts are too numerous to mention here, but I must single out a few ofthem: Caro­ line Harney, Tom Wilson, James Potter, Nancy Reed, Roberto Rey, Alexander Phiri, Rebecca Gonzales, Mauricio Ortiz, Orlando Perez, Fri­ day Mavuso, Marceo Oliviero, Ed Roberts, Marca Bristo, Rosangela Berman, Diane Woods, Susan Nussbaum, Terry Turner, and Mel Rothenberg. I will always be grateful for the support of Stan Holwitz and Michelle Nordon and the editorial suggestions ofSheila Berg at the University ofCalifornia Press. People Interviewed I have had the good fortune to interview disability rights activists over the course ofmany years in the following countries: the United States, Mexico (numerous trips, 1984-1995), Nicaragua (1985), Cuba (1989), Brazil (1988, 1992), Zimbabwe (1991), South Mrica (1992), India (1993), Thailand (1993), Indonesia (1993), Hong I(ong (1993), and England and Sweden (1995-1996). The following people are the disability rights activists interviewed. I have provided the organizational affiliation they had at the time of the interview when useful. I do so for identification purposes only as each individual was expressing his or her own political analysis unless other­ wise indicated. The Americas Felipe Barrera, disabled combatant, activist, San Salvador, El Salvador Rosangela Berman Bieler, president, Centro de Vida Independente do Rio de Janeiro (CVI, Center for Independent Living), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Gabriella Brimmer, poet, member, Asociacion de Personas con Im­ pedimentos Fisicos (Association of Persons with Physical Impedi­ ments); Asociacion para los Derechos de Persons con Alteraciones xiv PEOPLE INTERVIEWED Motoras (ADEPAM, Association for the Rights of Persons with Different Mobility), Mexico City Maria Luiza Camera, writer, activist, Salvador, Brazil Angel PIa Cisneros, economic development secretary, Asociacion Cubana de Limitados Fisicos Motores (Association of Cubans with Physical Motor Limitations, ACLIFIM), Havana, Cuba Maria da Comcei<;ao Caussat, attorney, activist, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Mike Ervin, local coordinator, ADAPT, Chicago, Illinois Ida Hilda Escalona del Toro, presidente, ACLIFIM, Havana, Cuba Paulo Saturnino Figueiredo, activist, Belo Horizonte, Brazil Federico Fleischmann, president, Libre Acceso, A.C. (Free Access), Mexico City Arnaldo Godoy, city council member, activist, Belo Horizonte, Brazil Pablo Medina, military commandant, Sandinista Front; member of Organizacion de Revolucionarios Deshabilitados (Organization of Disabled Revolutionaries, ORD), Leon, Nicaragua Cornelio Nunez Ordaz, president, Asociacion Oaxaquefia de. De­ sportes sobres Silla de Reuda, A.C. (Wheelchair Sports Association ofOaxaca), Oaxaca, Mexico Orlando Perez, external secretary, ORD, Managua, Nicaragua Judy Panko Reis, administrative director, Health Clinic for Women with Disabilities, Chicago, Illinois Ed Roberts, president, World Institute on Disability, Oakland, California
Recommended publications
  • Intersectionality and the Disability Rights Movement: the Black Panthers, the Butterfly Brigade, and the United Farm Workers of America
    JW Marriott Austin, Texas July 19-23, 2021 Intersectionality and the Disability Rights Movement: The Black Panthers, the Butterfly Brigade, and the United Farm Workers of America Paul Grossman, J.D., P.A. Mary Lee Vance, Ph.D. Jamie Axelrod, M.S. JW Marriott Austin, Texas July 19-23, 2021 Faculty Grossman, Axelrod and Vance Consulting, Beyond the ADA Paul Grossman, J.D., P.A. US, ED, OCR, Chief Regional Civil Rights Attorney, SF, retired Guest Lecturer for Disability Law, Harvard Graduate School of Education, Hastings and Berkeley Colleges of Law, U.C. NAADAC, OCR DisNet, & CAPED Faculty Member Former AHEAD Board Member; Blosser Awardee AHEAD and CHADD Public Policy Committees Member The Law of Disability Discrimination for Higher Education Professionals, Carolina Academic Press (updated annually) JW Marriott Austin, Texas July 19-23, 2021 Faculty Grossman, Axelrod and Vance Consulting, Beyond the ADA Jamie Axelrod, M.S. Mary Lee Vance, Ph.D. Dir., Disability Resources, Northern Arizona University Dir., Services for Students with Disabilities, Sacramento State University ADA Coordinator/Section 504 Compliance Officer, Northern Arizona Former AHEAD Bd. Member; University Member, JPED Editorial Bd.; Immediate Past President AHEAD Board Member, Coalition for Disability Reviewer, NACADA National Advising Journal Access in Health Science and Education Co-editor, Beyond the ADA (NASPA 2014) Member AHEAD Public Policy Committee JW Marriott Austin, Texas July 19-23, 2021 Caveat This presentation and its associated materials are provided for informational purposes only and are not to be construed as legal advice. You should seek your Systemwide or house counsel to resolve the individualized legal issues that you are responsible for addressing.
    [Show full text]
  • Beyond Diversity and Inclusion: Understanding and Addressing Ableism, Heterosexism, and Transmisia in the Legal Profession: Comm
    American Journal of Law & Medicine, 47 (2021): 76-87 © 2021 The Author(s) DOI: 10.1017/amj.2021.3 Beyond Diversity and Inclusion: Understanding and Addressing Ableism, Heterosexism, and Transmisia in the Legal Profession: Comment on Blanck, Hyseni, and Altunkol Wise’s National Study of the Legal Profession Shain A. M. Neumeier† and Lydia X. Z. Brown†† I. INTRODUCTION Far too many—if not most—of us in the legal profession who belong to both the disability and LGBTQþ communities have known informally, through our own experi- ences and those of others like us, that workplace bias and discrimination on the basis of disability, sexuality, and gender identity is still widespread. The new study by Blanck et al. on diversity and inclusion in the U.S. legal profession provides empirical proof of this phenomenon, which might otherwise be dismissed as being based on anecdotal evidence.1 Its findings lend credibility to our position that the legal profession must make systemic changes to address workplace ableism, heterosexism, and transmisia.2 They also suggest †Committee for Public Counsel Services, Mental Health Litigation Division. (The contents of this article are published in the author’s personal capacity.) ††Georgetown University, Disability Studies Program, [email protected]. With thanks to Sara M. Acevedo Espinal, Jennifer Scuro, and Jess L. Cowing for support. 1Peter Blanck, Fitore Hyseni & Fatma Artunkol Wise, Diversity and Inclusion in the American Legal Profession: Discrimination and Bias Reported by Lawyers with Disabilities and Lawyers Who Identify as LGBTQþ,47Am. J.L. & Med. 9, 9 (2021) [hereinafter Blanck, et al., Discrimination and Bias].
    [Show full text]
  • Disability Studies 1
    Disability Studies 1 DST:1101 Introduction to Disability Studies 3 s.h. Introduction and overview of important topics and discussions Disability Studies that pertain to the experience of being disabled; contrast between medical and social models of disability; focus on Chair, Department of Health and Human how disability has been constructed historically, socially, and Physiology politically in an effort to distinguish myth and stigma from • Warren G. Darling reality; perspective that disability is part of human experience and touches everyone; interdisciplinary with many academic Coordinator, Disability Studies areas that offer narratives about experience of disability. GE: • Kristina M. Gordon (Health and Human Physiology) Diversity and Inclusion. DST:1200 Disabilities and Inclusion in Writing and Film Undergraduate certificate: disability studies Around the World 3 s.h. Website: https://clas.uiowa.edu/hhp/undergraduate/ Exploration of human experiences of dis/ability and exclusion/ disability-studies-certificate inclusion. Taught in English. GE: Diversity and Inclusion. Same Disability studies examines disability as a social, cultural, as GHS:1200, GRMN:1200, WLLC:1200. historical, and political phenomenon rather than focusing DST:3102 Culture and Community in Human on its clinical, medical, or therapeutic aspects. It is an Services 2-3 s.h. interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary field that draws on Influence of social issues (e.g., diversity, equity) on human scholarship from diverse disciplines, including anthropology, services;
    [Show full text]
  • Foundational Principles for Sustainable Inclusion Of
    Foundational Principles and Guidelines for Sustainable Inclusion of People with Intellectual Disability This resource provides organizations with necessary principles and guidelines to ensure the full and sustainable inclusion of people with intellectual disability (ID) in health policies and laws, programming, services, training programs, research, and funding streams. 2018 Foundational Principles and Guidelines for Sustainable Inclusion of People with Intellectual Disability FINAL_03.26.2018 2018 Suggested Citation Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD), Special Olympics International (SOI), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Center for Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, and Golisano Foundation. (2018). Foundational Principles and Guidelines for Sustainable Inclusion of People with Intellectual Disability. Funder This publication is supported by a subcontract from SOI to AUCD under Cooperative Agreement Number U27 DD001156, funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the Department of Health and Human Services. Lead Authors Tanisha Clarke, MPH, Senior Program Manager, Disability and Public Health, Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) Adriane K. Griffen, DrPH, MPH, MCHES®, Senior Director of Public Health and Leadership, Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) Daphnee Guillaume,
    [Show full text]
  • The (Narrative) Prosthesis Re-Fitted Finding New Support for Embodied and Imagined Differences in Contemporary Art
    The (Narrative) Prosthesis Re-Fitted Finding New Support for Embodied and Imagined Differences in Contemporary Art Amanda Cachia Independent scholar and PhD candidate The (Narrative) Prosthesis Re-Fitted This article undertakes analyses of the contemporary American artists Robert Gober and Cindy Sherman to argue that they use the tropes of the obscene, abject, and traumatic—as discussed by Hal Foster—to make literal and metaphorical reference to David T. Mitchell and Sharon L. Snyder’s narrative prosthesis and its “truth,” while simultaneously leaving out the lived experience of disability. Consideration is given to the works of artists Carmen Papalia and Mike Parr, who use complex embodiment as a new methodology to signify empowerment and agency over what we might previously have considered the obscene, abject, or traumatic. They transform traditional understandings of the “prosthetic” within the specific rhetoric of disability. Introduction Why is it so de rigueur for contemporary artists to use disabled embodiment as a means to convey troubled emotional states, as a narrative and literal prosthesis? Narrative prosthesis is a term originally developed by David T. Mitchell and Sharon L. Snyder, where the disabled body is often inserted into literary, or in this case, visual narratives as a metaphorical opportunity. The disabled body or character is used as a type of crutch or supporting device that allows the narrative to take a turn or a new direction, but often the relationship between the story itself and the disabled body is one based on exploi- tation. “Through the corporeal metaphor,” Mitchell and Snyder articulate, “the disabled or otherwise different body may easily become a stand-in for more abstract notions of the human condition, as universal or nationally specific; thus the textual (disembodied) project depends upon—and takes advantage of—the materiality of the body” (50).
    [Show full text]
  • Minorities and Social Security: an Analysis of Racial and Ethnic
    POLICY PAPER This report addresses how Minorities and Social Security: An Analysis of Racial and individuals from various racial and ethnic groups Ethnic Differences in the Current Program fare under the current Social Security system. by Alexa A. Hendley and Natasha F. Bilimoria, It examines the relative Office of Retirement Policy, Office of Policy, importance of Social Social Security Administration Security for these individu- als and how several aspects of the system affect them. Executive Summary · Several aspects of the Social Security system work to the advantage of In recent articles, some commentators minority groups. For example, have criticized the Social Security system as minorities who tend to have lower being unfair to minorities. This criticism has Acknowledgments: The authors earnings (blacks and Hispanics) generated discussions about how minority would like to thank the Office benefit from the progressive benefit groups fare under the current Social Security of Retirement Policy staff as formula, and those with shorter life well as Dan Durham, Ben system and how they might be affected as expectancies (blacks) benefit from the Bridges, Jan Olson, Sharmilla the system undergoes changes in the future.1 disability and survivors benefits. Choudhury, Harriet Duleep, To understand the policy implications of any and Alicia Cackley for their changes for these groups, it is important to · Minorities will become a greater assistance and comments on understand the current system. This paper percentage of the U.S. population. this paper and earlier drafts. addresses how minorities fare under the Minorities are expected to increase current system and sets the stage for a later from 25 percent of the population in discussion on how various changes to the 1990 to 47 percent in 2050, with most Social Security system may affect them.
    [Show full text]
  • “Difference” 2017 ASTR / TLA Conference November 16 –19 Atlanta, GA
    ASTR / TLA 2017 Interrogating the Performance and Aesthetics of “Difference” 2017 ASTR / TLA Conference November 16 –19 Atlanta, GA 1 ASTR / TLA 2017 Table of Contents Leadership & Special Thank You ......................................................................3 President’s Welcome ..................................................................................4 Note from the VP for Conferences .....................................................................5 Note from the Program Chairs ........................................................................6 Mayor of Atlanta Welcome Letter .....................................................................8 Schedule at a Glance ..............................................................................9-12 Keynote Plenary .......................................................................................13 About Full Radius Dance .............................................................................14 About Katia Tirado ....................................................................................15 Plenary Sessions ................................................................................16-18 Curated Panels ..................................................................................19-21 Working Sessions 1-8 ...........................................................................23-28 Working Sessions 9-16 ..........................................................................28-33 Working Sessions 17-24 .........................................................................33-38
    [Show full text]
  • Section 7: Social Security Disability Benefits and Work Incentives
    Section 7: Social Security Disability Benefits and Work Incentives Introduction ............................................................................................................ 116 Social Security Protection if You Become Disabled .......................................... 117 Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) .............................................. 117 Disability Determination for SSDI .............................................................. 117 Supplemental Security Income (SSI) ......................................................... 118 Disability Determination for SSI ................................................................. 118 Social Security Employment Supports ............................................................... 119 Impairment Related Work Expenses (IRWE) ............................................. 119 Plan to Achieve Self-Support (PASS) ........................................................ 120 Ticket to Work (TTW) ................................................................................... 121 Summary ................................................................................................................ 121 Resources .............................................................................................................. 122 A Planning Guide and Workbook for Ag Families 115 Social Security Disability Benefits and Work Incentives Learning Objectives: 1. Identify how to apply for Social Security disability programs. 2. Understand how Social Security
    [Show full text]
  • Monitoring of the Living Conditions of People with Disabilities in Ukraine Under the Conditions of the Covid-19 Pandemic (On
    Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe Volume 41 Issue 4 Ukrainian Protestants Article 12 5-2021 Monitoring of the Living Conditions of People with Disabilities in Ukraine under the Conditions of the Covid-19 Pandemic (On the Example of Evangelical Christian Baptists) Olga Polumysna V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.georgefox.edu/ree Part of the Christianity Commons, and the Eastern European Studies Commons Recommended Citation Polumysna, Olga (2021) "Monitoring of the Living Conditions of People with Disabilities in Ukraine under the Conditions of the Covid-19 Pandemic (On the Example of Evangelical Christian Baptists)," Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe: Vol. 41 : Iss. 4 , Article 12. Available at: https://digitalcommons.georgefox.edu/ree/vol41/iss4/12 This Article, Exploration, or Report is brought to you for free and open access by Digital Commons @ George Fox University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe by an authorized editor of Digital Commons @ George Fox University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. MONITORING OF THE LIVING CONDITIONS OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES IN UKRAINE UNDER THE CONDITIONS OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC (on the example of Evangelical Christian Baptists) By Olga Polumysna Olga Polumysna is a doctoral student at the Institute of Journalism of the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, a Candidate of Philological Sciences, and an Associate Professor of the Department of Journalism at the V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University. Research interests: mass media, people with disabilities, religion. E-mail: [email protected] Orcid: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4289-0588.
    [Show full text]
  • Programs Around the World in Areas Pertinent to the Study of Media Ecology
    The Twenty-First Annual Convention of the Media Ecology Association June 17-20, 2020 Goals of the MEA • To promote, sustain, and recognize excellence in media ecology scholarship, research, criticism, application, and artistic practice. • To provide a network for fellowship, contacts, and professional opportunities. • To serve as a clearinghouse for information related to academic programs around the world in areas pertinent to the study of media ecology. • To promote community and cooperation among academic, private, and public entities mutually concerned with the understanding of media ecology. • To provide opportunities for professional growth and development. • To encourage interdisciplinary research and interaction. • To encourage reciprocal cooperation and research among institutions and organizations. • To provide a forum for student participation in an academic and professional environment. • To advocate for the development and implementation of media ecology education at all levels of curricula. 2020 Executive Board President: Paolo Granata, University of Toronto Vice President: Peggy Cassidy, Adelphi University Vice President-Elect: Adriana Braga, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro Treasurer: Paul A. Soukup, SJ, Santa Clara University Recording Secretary: Cathy Adams, University of Alberta Executive Secretary: Fernando Gutiérrez, Tecnológico de Monterrey Historian: Matt Thomas, Kirkwood Community College Internet Officer: Carolin Aronis, Colorado State University EME Editor-in-Chief: Ernest Hakanen, Drexel University
    [Show full text]
  • Fostering Employment for People with Intellectual Disability: the Evidence to Date
    Fostering employment for people with intellectual disability: the evidence to date Erin Wilson and Robert Campain August 2020 This document has been prepared by the Centre for Social Impact Swinburne for Inclusion Australia as part of the ‘Employment First’ project, funded by the National Disability Insurance Agency. ‘ About this report This report presents a set of ‘evidence pieces’ commissioned by Inclusion Australia to inform the creation of a website developed by Inclusion Australia as part of the ‘Employment First’ (E1) project. Suggested citation Wilson, E. & Campain, R. (2020). Fostering employment for people with intellectual disability: the evidence to date, Hawthorn, Centre for Social Impact, Swinburne University of Technology. Research team The research project was undertaken by the Centre for Social Impact, Swinburne University of Technology, under the leadership of Professor Erin Wilson together with Dr Robert Campain. The research team would like to acknowledge the contributions of Ms Jenny Crosbie, Dr Joanne Qian, Ms Aurora Elmes, Dr Andrew Joyce and Mr James Kelly (of the Centre for Social Impact) and Dr Kevin Murfitt (Deakin University) who have collaborated in the sharing of information and analysis regarding a range of research related to the employment of people with a disability. Page 2 ‘ Contents Background 5 About the research design 6 Structure of this report 7 Synthesis: How can employment of people with intellectual disability be fostered? 8 Evidence piece 1: Factors positively influencing the employment of people
    [Show full text]
  • Being an Ally for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and T Ransgender People
    Being an Ally for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender People 1919 University Avenue West, Suite 400, St. Paul, MN 55104 Tel. 651-645-2948 or 888-NAMIHELPS www.namihelps.org Here are some guidelines for people wanting to be allies for LGBT people around them. In today’s world, LGBT issues are being discussed more than ever before…in the media, in community programs, in schools, churches, offices, in the streets, and in people’s homes. These discussions are often emotionally charged as this can be a threatening topic for many people, and clear information is often difficult to find. Being an ally is important, but it is challenging as well as exciting. This list is not exhaustive, but provides some starting points. Add your own ideas and suggestions! Don’t assume heterosexuality. We tend to assume that everyone we meet is heterosexual even though we know this is not true. Often people hide that they are LGBT until they know it is safe to “come out” in a given situation. Use neutral language when first working with students/clients/customers until you know for certain what the person prefers (for example, the gender of their significant other). Educate yourself about lesbian, gay, bi, and transgender issues. There are many resources, reading lists, and organizations available for information. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Explore ways to creatively integrate LGBT issues in your work. Doing so can be a valuable process for everyone, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Integrating LGBT people and issues instead of separating them out as a “special topic” is an important strategy for conveying and creating respect and acceptance.
    [Show full text]