'The Mermaid and the Smoo'

The story of Josie, a sixteen year old Sydney student who has Down syndrome, who was not invited to her public high school's Year 10 formal, and her family's response, released on video, has spread widely online this week, stimulating a good deal of discussion.  You might have followed it from our Facebook page.

There has been some robust discussion about whose responsibility it was to ensure that all students were included, and why some were not.

The school has released a response, published by here, by Mamamia yesterday.

Creative radical activists, The Bolshy Divas, based in Western Australia, have produced The Mermaid and the Smoo, 'a little bolshy book about inclusion' prompted by the incident.

You can read it online, and/or download a.pdf version to print out and share. Links to Josie's story and the video her mother made are also provided.

You might think that this story is a story about special schools.

It is not. 

It is a story about inclusion, and how there are no choices for people with disability. Universal design means flooding our schools and public buildings with support, so that everyone can join in. Together we are better.

Who are the Bolshy Divas?

We're disability activists in the style of feminist masked avengers, exposing and discussing discrimination, unmet need and issues which affect people with disability and their families. 

Bolshy Divas use humour, art and passion to talk about the overlooked, the unfair and the subtext behind real issues which affect Australians with disability. 

There are no requirements to be a Bolshy Diva, just owning a desire to bring about change, a sense of humour and a tonne of 'bolshiness' - enough guts to talk about the issues openly and honestly. We could be anyone - we are everywhere. We rank amongst the almost four million people with disability, plus their families. We are strong. We are Bolshy Divas.

bolshydivas.weebly.com