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Down Syndrome NSW
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Tuesday 28 February 2017

News and commentary from the broader disability community

Dave Hingsburger, Of Battered Aspect, 26 February 2017
... the fellow who was supporting the young man was a highly skilled and clearly compassionate guy. There were several things that he did that were of note:

He wasn't even slightly embarrassed by the situation. I don't know what he was feeling inside but to all the world and for all the world he just calmly did what needed to be done to keep the young man safe ...


White football player accused of raping black teenager with a mental disability spared prisonCharlotte England, The Independent, 26 February 2017
Family of victim claim brutal assault followed months of racist abuse, but state prosecutor said attack was 'not racially motivated and did not constitute a sex crime' ...

He Is Smiling
Dave Hingsburger, Of Battered Aspect, 21 February 2017
... Isn't is responsible for the media to inform the public? Isn't it responsible of the courts to understand crimes against people with disabilities in the context of disability? I think both have failed Brendan and the community of others with learning difficulties (intellectual disabilities) and their families and support workers. We need to know about these crimes. We need to know how the perpetrators got to him, how they manipulated him and then the level of violence they sunk to in attacking him. We need to know these things, not to scare us, not to have us hiding in our homes, but to prepare us ...

Why we need to teach disability history in schoolsMatt Stafford, Blasting News, 20 February 2017
If students are lucky, they'll learn about a little Disability History during Disability Awareness Week in late October. Even then, it's mostly the same few figures like Thomas Edison. At absolute best, they might have a learn a few bits and pieces about the Americans with Disabilities Act during the portion near the end of the year that covers the late 80's and early 90's. That's if they're lucky. Many schools don't bother teaching it. This is a problem for several reasons. For starters, an entire population doesn't know their history. They barely know that until incredibly recently, kids like them weren't allowed in public schools in any state ...

Say the Word: Disability
Meriah Nicholls, Black Hills Parent, 17 February 2017
... I think that we—as a society—seem to dislike the word “disability,” walking on eggshells when interacting with people with disabilities. We just don’t dig it.

Since there’s not a better English word to use instead, people within the disabled community have gone about reclaiming the word “disabled.” We also have attempted to place disability within a social model ...
Alex Lu, The Establishment, 14 February 2017
... If your goal is to get people to see our humanity, why is it wrong for us to act human?

Because I am human, I’ll get angry and frustrated if you say things that are hurtful to me. Because I am human, I’ll get tired and struggle in the face of persistent barriers. Because I am human, I’ll have needs and take up space. I trust that the people in my life will see these truths as well and adjust their attitudes to make room for me. I am lucky enough that for the most part, they do. As for those who do not, who hold me to a standard they would never hold themselves to — we are not operating from the same basic premise in the first place. No number of words from me can change that ...


Karin Hitselberger, Claiming Crip, 31 January 2017
Please understand that even now we are not equal. I still have to fight for my right to exist. Every day of my life I have to prove that I am worthy to have the life that I do. The things I fight for are not abstract, nor are they idealistic. Recognize that, for me, there is no Plan B, because I don’t have the same access to housing, employment, or other opportunities that you do. I’m asking you to realize that political decisions are not abstract, that these decisions have real impacts even fatal ones. Most of all, I’m asking you to understand that I go to bed every night terrified that tomorrow I won’t have access to the basic things you take for granted ...

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