Hi Anita and All,
What's wrong with ableism? Look forward to hearing from you.
Smile,
Phyllis Rubenfeld
On Sat, 31 Oct 1998, Anita Silvers wrote:
>
> This request for advice is made to members of the disability-research and
> disability studies in the humanities lists - apologies to those whose
> membership in both lists results in their receiving two copies of this
> message.
>
> BACKGROUND: Recently, Marta Russell, author of Beyond Ramps, noticed that
> the Radical Philosophy Association, a large and influential U.S. scholarly
> organization formed in 1982, was including disability topics, but no
> speakers with disabilities, at its biannual meeting, to be held at San
> Francisco State University next week.
>
> FAST FORWARD: After a month of discussion, certain understandings appear
> to have been reached. We now are seeking advice from the scholars on
> these two lists as to the best language in which to implement one of the
> understandings, and as to the best content for implementing the second.
>
> UNDERSTANDING ABOUT RPA STATEMENT OF PURPOSE: The current RPA Statement of
> Purpose reads as
> follows -
> "RPA members struggle against capitalism, racism, sexism, homophobia,
> environmental ruin and all other forms of domination."
>
> The domination of PWDs is now to be elevated from the catch-all "other
> forms of domination" category to its own place in the list of RPA targets.
> The question is, What word shall be used to describe this form of
> domination against which RPA members henceforth shall explicitly struggle.
>
> My personal inclination is to use the expression "disablement". My own
> philosophical position is that racism, sexism, and homophobia are
> subcategories of disablement, but, of course, others emphasize the
> differences rather than the similarities between disablement and racism,
> sexism and homophobia. However, whether or not one is convinced by my
> arguments in this regard is not critical to the issue before RPA.
>
> What is of concernis whether "disablement" is the most felicitous
> expression to use in the RPA statement of purpose, or whether there is a
> better expression. I would guess that U.K./Canadian listmembers will be
> more comfortable with identifying "disablement" as the target of
> social struggle than U.S. listmembers will be, but that may turn out not
> to be the case.
>
> PLEASE LET US HAVE YOUR RECOMMENDATIONS IN REGARD TO THIS MATTER ASAP.
>
> UNDERSTANDING ABOUT RPA PROGRAM: There appears to be mutual agreement that
> the drawbacks to amending the 1998 RPA Program to include PWDs are
> formidable. The drawbacks are:
>
> a. The program is already printed.
> b. It is unclear that hotels identified as housing recommendations for the
> conference are
> systemtically accessible.
> c. It appears to be too late to make the program accessible to community
> members
> with disability - arrange for interpreters, etc.
> d. San Francisco State University currently is the defendant in a lawsuit
> brought by Disability Rights Advocates on behalf of students with
> disabilities and the California Faculty Association (the faculty union).
> Substantial elements of the conference site thus have been identified as
> being out of
> conformity with the ADA.
>
> Consequently, the discussions have resolved that RPA will plan to act
> affirmatively to include PWDs at its next national meeting. One part of
> the plan is to do a session on Marta's very good book. List members
> interested in participating in this session should contact me at the above
> email.
>
> RPA also has generously proposed to initiate a project to increase the
> participation of PWDs in RPA. Joan Mason-Grant, a Canadian philosopher,
> has volunteered to coordinate this project. One aspect of the project will
> be to make RPA's website accessible. Another is likely to be a
> foregrounding
> of disability studies at the next RPA meeting. List members who have
> suggestions for Joan can contact her (cc. to me) at the above email
> address.
>
> Thanks for your attention to this long email and your help with the issue
> about language presented above
>
> -Anita Silvers
> Profesor of Philosophy
> San Francisco State University
>
>
>
>
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