May the force be with you Ria,
any chance of your article hitting my grapevine?
rgds John
----- Original Message -----
From: Ria Strong <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, October 11, 2000 7:21 PM
Subject: Re: (Fwd) chronic illness, self-help and the disability movement
>
> I'm based in Melbourne, Australia.
>
> I've just flipped through our Collective Of Self-Help Groups' most
> recent directory.
>
> There are 250+ disability or chronic illness related
> groups/organisations listed. The overwhelming majority of them are
> condition specific.
>
> Most of the cross-disability groups/organisations focus on a
> particular *issue*-- employment, housing, attendant care, people from
> minority ethnic backgrounds.
>
>
>
> >The typical new type organisation is thus based on a single
> >impairment (eg fibromyalgia), has a mixed membership consisting
> >in people who have the condition, their carers, interested able-
> >bodied professionals (eg anybody interested in the condition and
> >what are perceived to be its effects), primarily has a self-help
> >orientation where experiental rather than expert knowledge is
> >valued, and where usually but not necessarily, the people with the
> >condition are in formal control.
>
> The group I do most work with fits this pattern reasonably well.
>
> Bear in Mind is a self-advocacy and community education group for
> people with acquired brain injury (brain injury acquired through any
> cause-- head trauma, stroke, anoxia, tumors, infection, alcohol or
> drugs...)
>
> Full membership is restricted to people with ABI. Other interested
> people and organisations can join as associated members.
>
> People with ABI run the organisation entirely-- with 2 exceptions.
> We've found a volunteer accountant (nobody in the group has more than
> basic book-keeping skills). And-- much to my annoyance-- 2 of the 3
> workers employed by the short-term training project we manage are
> non-disabled.
>
> I'm Bear in Mind's acting librarian, and editor of the group's
> newsletter. I'm also a former Bear in Mind co-ordinator-- and I'm
> definately seen as a leader.
>
> Bear in Mind now has a lot of disability movement/identity/pride
> library resources-- announced in the monthly newsletter as they
> appear, and sometimes reviewed.
>
> I'm planning to write a "What is disability?" article this month,
> too-- pulling apart the medical model vs social model and impairment
> vs disability distinctions.
>
> I certainly make sure members know about cross-disability campaigns--
> in the last few months, these have included a "homes, not nursing
> homes" campaign, and one around accessible public transport.
>
> Finally, we've established strong links with a number of
> cross-disability organisations-- as well as other organisations for
> people with brain injury.
>
> That all said, I think a lot of our members don't get it (yet)-- one
> of the reasons for my planned article.
>
> Some of that is probably about *acquired* disability-- slowly coming
> to terms with a new self.
>
> Some of it, too, is about *cognitive* disability. In my experience,
> people with ABI-- like those with learning/intellectual disabilities
> and psychiatric disabilities-- often aren't welcomed in
> "cross-disability" organisations. The discrimination can be quite
> overt. Most often, tho, it's much more subtle. Focusing on issues of
> concern to people with physical disabilities and visual impairments
> ("ramps into buildings", as one self-advocate said)-- while ignoring
> issues of concern to us ("ramps into minds"-- and attitudes, of
> course). In the end, people simply feel left out of the majority
> disability movement discourse.
>
> I don't have any easy answers.
>
> - Ria
>
> *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
> Ria Strong
> Melbourne, Australia
> *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
> [log in to unmask]
> *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
>
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