Could Disabled persons ever get organized to protest?
Why do you think its so hard, impossible to get disabled people organized & together to mount a protests in front of Govt offices, parliament bldgs etc?
WHY arent we all working together to DEMAND changes to disability pensions, WCB, social services & benefits & access to bldgs etc, DEMANDING that we be treated with respect ?
Native indians block highways & burn things & they seem to get immediate action from the Government.
Farmers in Saskatchewan can organize & dump a load of manure on the steps of the legislature & a herd of cows on the lawn at the leg.
Gay Pride holds their annual parade.
Where is disabled pride?
I have a dream that someday Parliment Hill will be covered with a sea of disabled people & their families DEMANDING change, & drawing media attention to the injustices.
We cant even seem to get an email campaign going.
It cant be just our physical limitations that are holding us back - what are your individual thoughts about this?
Senior Citizens are always lobbying for their rights and they receive in most cases almost 3 X the pension that a disabled person gets. They dont have families, kids to educate. My mother never worked a day in her life, yet she received $1200 a month from the Govt when my dad died. She didnt contribute to CPP at all. People who DID contribute get a pittance from them when it comes to Disability Pensions compared to Seniors. Seniors in Canada also have OAS and SAFER.
Their pensions ared indexed by income either. If a disabled person can and does work their pension is reduced. Seniors pensions arent.
I am not begrudging seniors their benefits, I am saying WHY are they more worthy then the disabled? Dont tell me they worked hard, raised families, contributed to the country, fought a war, so did many of the disabled.
Judd you are such a charmer ! Miss Radioactive? (batting eyelashes and blushing… )
Mybe its just that apathetic Cdn attitude, let someone else start it and I might join … call me when you get 100 people … I feel like one small voice calling in the wilderness, and no one hears me … come on Canada, this affects ALL of us because it affects our children and they are our future.
Gurlygirl my friend, I can see what you mean, this is how I see it
Disability Pride to me means I have pride in who I am as an individual, I should not have to swallow my pride to BEG for the right to live in this country, & have a roof over my head.
I should not have to sacrifise my pride & grovel for benefits, or be treated like scum by social workers, lumped in with hookers, drug addicts, substance abusers, & system abusers.
Why should Diability not be associated with the word “Pride”.
Why should we feel “shame” or
“humility” because we are disabled.
I have as much right to be “LOUD AND PROUD” as the next person demanding their rights.
I have nothing to be ashamed of because I am disabled - I’m not asking for special treatment, I am asking for what other Cdns receive : respect and consideration, the right to raise our families in safety and security.
The right to be recognized for what we can contribute & to be given that chance.
Posted on December 13th, 2008 in People with Disabilities |
December 14th, 2008 at 12:58 am
i live in the netherlands. and over here, we recently had a pro-disability television show. it was an initiative of a limp female presenter of a game called lingo.
the show took form in a miss padgeant for diabled women. it was a great succes, and it showed the world that disabled people are people aswell. eventhoguh they walk funny, sit in a wheelchair or have a missing limb.
honestly, if you try hard enoguh, and gether enough people around you you can protest. protesting does not always involve shouting and marching. sometimes its just being seen.
December 14th, 2008 at 1:32 am
I happened to be downtown for a LARGE protest organized by disabled persons to protest the state’s unwillingness to provide home health care and hospice care rather than inpatient-only options…many state employees behaved very badly when the protest kept them from leaving their parking lot, including one who was arrested when he pointed his car towards the protestors and kept moving despite police orders to stop. Talk about an indefensible position - state employee in car vs. disabled person in wheelchair! That made the evening news.
I think it’s possible, and even probable, that with more community activism events like this could be seen more often.
December 16th, 2008 at 6:17 pm
Miss Radioactive:
Its called fear, lack of money and lack of close support.
Is there a financial backer or backers, who will put forth the effort to transport sufficent people in one day and provide protection from crowds and harm. Its a big game and most start small before they get big. Start at the town, then city then province and then maybe national.
Even here in the US handcapped/disabled agencies can’t see the same light at the end of the tunnel.
Each has there own game.
Pull some safety rods and turn up the heat.
December 19th, 2008 at 7:43 pm
I have been protesting since 1992 against the many federal laws that are currently STILL on the law books that discriminate against the disabled.
I wrote several letters to Clinton with the belief that if anyone can actually get something done to even of the playing field for the disabled. President Clinton did nothing but ignore my plea for granting equal rights to the disabled. He sent me a thank you for writing him but that was it. So I can’t say that he did not get the letter because he did. Otherwise, I would not have received that “Thank You” letter from him.
I have gone as far as being told by my sorry piece of sh*t Congressman back in 1992 that “The disabled have no rights to live much less deserve equal rights.” The reason why I had such a difficult time even getting acknowledged is the fact that many people consider the issue of disability rights to be a sad joke.
If you ever want to get an campaign started let me know, I would love nothing more than to bring attention to this issue and demand the clowns in DC to do something about it. If they refuse, bring it to the media’s attention and see if we can’t get those morons that are against the issue of fair treatment for the disabled out of office ASAP. I would love nothing more than to stir up a huge honest nest in DC. My sentiments are if they can spend time debating rather to vote themselves another undeserved pay raise, they can spend that same amount of time actually doing something to help the disabled for a change since the Constitution does say “All men are created equal.”
December 21st, 2008 at 7:38 pm
No offense but I find the idea of disability pride as something rather oxymoronish. First off I feel disabled can be a rather subjective term and it’s based on an ideal of nomalcy and how everybody should be like physically and mentally. Yes you can argue the same about gays, blacks, and other minorities but the difference is, these people don’t feel the need to be medicated or treated for their minority status nor do the majority of people see problems with ethnic differences or sexual differences. And yes these minorities are happy. Disabled people don’t want to be disabled, they don’t want to celebrate the physical and mental pains they feel. They want to be cured of it. Think about it.
December 25th, 2008 at 4:55 am
Well for one thing, it’s money and transportation for money, most disabled people are on in Canada anyway CPP or a provincial disability allowance, so to stage a protest in Ottawa would be costly. We barely get enough to cover the essentials let alone organize a trip to Ottawa and many of us don’t have families who hand us sums of money at the drop of a hat.
Secondly turf wars, Canadian disability groups like to preserve their own little turfs and despite mouthing the idea we’re all in this together , they don’t walk the walk or talk the talk because they then might lose funding .
See it’s all about the money.
In Ontario many disabled groups have allied themselves with antipoverty groups who sometimes have a more violent agenda than disability organizations.
And lastly most politicians don’t know any disabled people personally for the most part, aren’t interested in our issues because we can’t contribute big sums of money to their campaigns. A few individuals have their hearts in the right place but disabled people whether in Canada or the US or the UK or elsewhere are the Rodney Dangerfields of society. We get no respect and we are not treated with dignity. Dogs and cats, igaunas , horses , bunny rabbits and hamsters, get more laws passed for them than the disabled do. But until disabled groups here in Canada lose the turf wars and begin to speak with one voice we’ll never get any further than we are at the moment.
Sad isn’t it , but then all disabled people are mentally challenged and have every disability as well as the one we already have anyway in the politician’s and public’s eyes.
December 26th, 2008 at 2:21 am
OMG!!!! KUDOS!!! im SO in!!!!
wow, u are soo cool!!! but anyway, i guess disabled ppl bcome isolated from society and its like they feel that they may not be able to make things happen bc people wont listen to them bc their disabled. i speak from experience. on a way way smaller scale i used to get treated meanly when i was little, and i never did anything to stop it bc i thout i wouldnt b able to change anything so y bother???
i guess its a self-esteem or a self-advocacy issue. its hard to fight for something..especially when ur young and are doing it for the first time. i guess the idea scares some ppl. i dont really think its apathy…im sure everyone would love the chance to fight for rights.
but dude!! im SO in!! its a shame we disabled ppl arent taken seriously sometimes…i say we sho em what we’re made of and FIGHT for better treatment!!!!
lemmie kno more! im so in!!
best wishes and good luck!!
esh
December 26th, 2008 at 9:33 pm
sorry dont know about canada. In US there have been several including a one that turned pretty crazy in minnesota in the early 90s i think.
also there was one in ny lately at the capital building they blocked all staircases.
December 27th, 2008 at 9:53 pm
There’s an increasing level of organization and activism. Here’s three places fo ryou to check out
Check out aapd-dc.org (AmericanAssociation of People with Disabilities)
A good listserve– Justice for All (google it to find the link to sign up)
here’s one activist group that s disability specific: nfb.org (National Federation for the Blind)
December 31st, 2008 at 7:04 am
GOOD LUCK. Both my wife and I are disabled and been trying to get respect from people and government agencies for the last 22 years. Government DOES what government WANTS and protesting isn’t what will change things unless you wish to do as many of those you mentioned have done. It’s called “MARTYRISM.” When certain people SACRIFICE themselves for a cause, people can’t help but to notice the CAUSE because death is involved. Even then it takes YEARS before anyone LISTENS. If you have a complaint the best route to take is your Congress women/men and tell them your grievances…….
January 2nd, 2009 at 4:39 pm
protests arent effective during a **** govt…they would just have the doctors kill us….wait for truth and justice to be elected…we may be seniors by then
January 5th, 2009 at 7:34 am
USA, and other nations. 1960s. Man named Deal. Man named Skarloff. Both instrumental in rights for challenged people. USA is pretty good for providing environmental equal opportunity. Cut-outs in street corners, wide doors, bus lifts, etc. Rally often to bring focus to issues. Things better but not good. Several state permanent residents killed last year by staff, mentally ill shot by police, Veteran monument not assessable, funding to provide not at level it should be. One area for physically challenged still primitive is employment. Few wheel-chairs seen in jobs. Keep strong, investigate more about history, please, to see where movement has failed.
January 7th, 2009 at 7:57 pm
I attended a protest once that a man with a disability organized. It was a small protest but still 30 people or more.
about 5 speaker they had. Some one asked if I would go and so I went.
January 8th, 2009 at 6:59 am
There are lots of protests organized by people with disabilities - some are small, some online, some includes hundreds of people. I have been to 3 demonstrations so far this year. I have organized an online protest petition, and signed several others.
There is a disability pride parade. It is held in Chicago every year the Saturday closest to July 26th. This year it is the 21st. I would never miss the parade - it is an exciting way to network with people from across all disabilities and from places near and far.
All political activism begins with one person having an idea and deciding that they will go forward with it. I recently was very disturbed by the treatment of a disabled child by her parents and the medical establishment and created a statement of solidarity against the Ashley Treatment. It has over 650 signatures from around the world. People have used the statement and the website I created to change the way children are treated. One person can have an impact when then mobilize others. The internet is an amazing place that offers people with disabilities the opportunity to network, organize, and affect change in amazing ways.
So stop whining - do something.