Richard wrote:
>
>One issue that has gone entirely ignored in my previous posting was making
>contact with local disability organisations. Irrespective of opinions on
>simulation exercises, building links between representative organisations
>and cultural/educational facilities appears to be useful for all concerned,
>whilst also enabling local disabled people to voice their opinions.
>
>Your experiences and opinions are interesting, but can we please try and
>remember that there is a disabled community out there - it is always good to
>consult 'primary sources'!
>
I want to support Richard on this and I also want to suggest that where
local organisations of disabled people can be particularly helpful is in
demonstrating the sometimes contested nature of 'disability'. Simulation
exercises often have the drawback that they focus on the 'most obvious' and
'easily simulated' both in terms of the individual with the impairment and
in terms of the environment. If the aim of such exercises is really to get
people to think about social and material change, the challenge often lies
in asking the targets of simulation exercises to think about the
implications of a 'wheelchair-friendly' environment for people with
Meniere's disease or blind people, or the implications of a 'Deaf-friendly'
environment for people with visual impairments (colour, light), blind
people (visual/pictorial displays, and DfEE poster campaigns (!)) and
people with cerebral palsy and with restricted arm and hand movement
(Signing).
Best wishes
Mairian
Mairian Corker
Senior Research Fellow in Deaf and Disability Studies
Department of Education and Social Studies
University of Central Lancashire
Preston PR1 2HE
Address for correspondence:
Deafsearch
111 Balfour Road
Highbury
London N5 2HE
U.K.
Minicom/TTY +44 [0]20 7359 8085
Fax +44 [0]870 0553967
Typetalk (voice) +44 [0]800 515152 (and ask for minicom/TTY number)
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"To understand what I am doing, you need a third eye"
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