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The disability 'movement' has achieved a vast amount in a short time. Thirty/forty years ago disabled people were still segregated and force fed low expectations and, whilst this may still happen, to have reached the stage, in the UK, of having, as examples, anti discrimination legislation, services to support people to gain employment and groups providing independent voices for disabled people is a huge step forward. The simple existence and use of this list is an indicator of how far we've come. Where there are confusions is what happens next. How does the 'movement' maintain a momentum for further change and as we become more respected in the mainstream how much do we have to moderate our actions to work within the systems that exist? Maybe we don't speak out because we may believe that we the only voice because the signals coming our way are confused. Paul > ---------- > From: Erik Leipoldt[SMTP:[log in to unmask]] > Reply To: Erik Leipoldt > Sent: 04 January 2001 03:21 > To: [log in to unmask] > Subject: Re: Speaking out against oppression > > Joseph Ross wrote: > > > Re - Pam Thomas and risks of speaking out. > > > > Is change only possible when it is ecconomically driven? > > > > Joseph > > Joseph and Pam do touch on the way things are. And I applaud Graeme Innes' > action as Deputy Equal Opportunity Commissioner for taken the stance he > did as reported by Laurance. We need more of that. Lets see what happens > when I speak out in this forum: > > Change in our time is more possible when economically justified but what > kind of change? Many government funded disability support services have > adopted the 'down-sizing-outcome driven-norightswithout responsibility' > lingo and practices and treat service as > business and people with human needs as no more than consumers. In the > Netherlands where the labour market is hard put to meet demand for workers > in a booming economy some disability groups, I understand, hope to see > people with with disabilities included > in the workforce with a commensurate rise in their perceived equality as > citizen. But what when the economy will, as it will, decline? Who will > be 'down-sized' first? And what about those whose disabilities preclude > them from any employment? Will they > never be equal citizens? > > The disability movement could more coherently fight for an equality based > on a paradigm not founded on economic driftsand but on inherent value > resident in each human being. Where do we find that inherent value? One > avenue to find it is in the dependency > and vulnerability that all human beings experience and people with > disabilities do in often heightened degrees. We all depend on others. No > one is completely autonomous and independent, in spite of the daily > messages in the media. When living in a baby's > body, when ill, when old and frail all people experience a need for > assistance from others -through direct hands-on help, through > consideration of accessible environments, through attitudes towards each > other, through respectful and loving relationships. > Striving for appropriate personal autonomy in balance with acknowledged > dependency and vulnerability, as part of the human condition, would see a > different world. An interdependent one. We already live in one of course > but mostly act as if it is not so. > And we can increasingly see that this is an impoverished, unsustainable > way to live. > > Could disability movements fight a more coherent fight based on that kind > of worldview? There will be difficulties in acknowledging that both > autonomy and dependency/vulnerability are valuable, to be acknowledged as > our world's realities. In being careful > not to confuse the old pity/victim view with this acknowledged > dependency/vulnerability one. And what would disability movements do, on > the basis of this paradigm, with pertinent ethical issues such as > abortion, genetics and euthanasia issues? > > Can disability movements benefit from examining links with environmental > change movements and advances in science that show this world is truly > interconnected from quantum to biological levels and where each part is > part of and affects the whole. > > Some of the sources of my inspiration are: MacIntyre's (2000) 'Dependent > Rational animals', David Loye's (2000) Darwin's lost theory of love', Hans > Reinders (2000) The future of the disabled in liberal society: An ethical > analysis, Clive Hamilton's (1996) > The mystic economist' and Elisabet Sahtouris' books and website: > http://www.ratical.org/LifeWeb/ > > Wishing all a good year where there are plenty of opportunities and > occasions to speak out and to give and receive love and respect. > > Erik Leipoldt > > ________________End of message______________________ > > Archives and tools for the Disability-Research Discussion List > are now located at: > > www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/disability-research.html > > You can JOIN or LEAVE the list from this web page. > IMPORTANT: This message, together with any associated files or any other material attached to it, is a confidential communication and is intended only for the use of the Individual(s) or Body to whom it is addressed. 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