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Keith, I agree, "Human rights for people with impairments" makes sense. Some notes: However, few people with impairments are disabled because of their political beliefs, such as 'political prisoners' are, including through restrictive and segregated residential options. They do not become political prisoners either merely because certain disability policies apply to them. I know you probably use this here as convenient shorthand, but to say that they are unnecessarily dramatises and distorts their position. They are primarily disabled, not because 'the others' are evil oppressors but because of often unconsciously held beliefs and fears about vulnerability, fragility, dependence, difference out of an accepted norm and so on. We all have such fears and people with disability are no different, except that their personal disability experience has given them greater opportunities to prick through such fears and beliefs, revealing a more wholesome reality of what it is to be human. Even so having disability experience does not necessarily stop one from having discriminatory beliefs towards other groups, or even sub-categories among disabled people. The 'death culture' is fed by these same fears and beliefs. I think that the core solution is not (no longer) for 'us' to push off against 'them' (apart from opposing and exposing discriminatory practices in various ways) but to push for central policy making around relationship and interdependence. It would then emerge that 'them' need 'us' and vice versa. That is, life that denies fragility, dependence, bodily decline and so on makes a pornography out of life - that is isolating certain aspects of it only as desirable, resulting in removing meaning from it and making it poorer, and unsustainable, for anyone, not just for impaired people. There is only one humanity. I have quadriplegia and have a certain solidarity with disabled people. They are not however 'my' people nor am I one of 'theirs'. Central policy making around relationship and interdependence, instead of around individual material independence and competition, would result in a greater sense and practice of community. Anyone has this as a primary human need - disabled or not. Specific to people with impairments (and disability policy making), it would logically also result in their greater social presence and participation - where everyone else participates. Call me hopelessly idealistic but I believe a much greater emphasis on relationship and interdependence is the only way to go - moreover it is happening now underneath the still powerful modernistic tsunami. Sorry to make much more out of this than you possibly intended Keith but your post presented an opportunity for me to express long-felt unease about some aspects of a wider disability discourse. A discourse that I fear may bring people with disabilities further alienation. Dare I say it, it runs the risk of being a contributor towards embedding disability :-D in society. Regards Erik Leipoldt keith armstrong wrote: > gregor > > the word 'disability' has always referred to the denial of a legal right. > > how about 'human rights for people with impairments' our people are political prisoners imprisoned in 'homes' throughout the western world because of political policies while the states are investing in the death culture. > > keith > > > On Fri, 10 Aug 2007 12:10:20 -0600 , Gregor Wolbring <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > >> yes but if we are not consistent how can we blame others? >> Like we use disability rights however disability describes a violation of a right so to use the term disability right seem to be wrong usage of the term. What is intended is right of a disabled person or right of a person disabled by >> >> cheers >> gregor >> > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG Free Edition. > Version: 7.5.476 / Virus Database: 269.11.13/946 - Release Date: 10/08/2007 3:50 PM > ________________End of message______________________ This Disability-Research Discussion list is managed by the Centre for Disability Studies at the University of Leeds (www.leeds.ac.uk/disability-studies). Enquiries about the list administratione should be sent to [log in to unmask] Archives and tools are located at: www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/disability-research.html You can JOIN or LEAVE the list from this web page.