Hi
I didn't imply that the programmes are a total failure. However I look at
the population of 70 million disabled people with 30 million children in
the age range of 3-14. The education is being received by a mere 2%. Most
of the people are in the villages and tribal belts where none of the
programmes have really made any impact. With legislation which is barely 3
years old and is not even near implementation in a concrete way, I for one
get extremely scared of what is going to happen to my fellow disabled in
India. Any principal strategy has to move beyond medical treatment and ok
for social rehabilitation which definitely has to be community based and
supported by the community
thanks
Anita
----------
| From: Laurence Bathurst <[log in to unmask]>
| To: [log in to unmask]
| Subject: Re: Dogmatic ravings:Blackmail by Institution Supporters
| Date: Monday, June 21, 1999 6:44 AM
|
| Hi Anita
|
| Just a word to let you know that the School in which I work developed
| a community rehabilitation project in India..Each year OT,
| Physiotherapy and Leisure & Health students have been involved in
| the program as part of their final professional practice placement and
| have been travelling over for the last few years and are off again
| soon.
|
|
| > Hi Julie
| > As a person from another developing country that is India, I agree with
the
| > sentiments you have expressed. However in my country, community based
| > rehabilitation has not made much headway. I would therefore tend to
agree
| > with the suggestion that equal representation of individuals with
| > disabilities has to be there in the decision making processes. There
are
| > times when I am totally baffled when I realise that even if intentions
are
| > there , the resources are just not available. So even though I will not
| > really support institutionalisation, more so their quality is always
| > problematic, I am quite unsure of what the appropriate solution can be.
The
| > socio-political and economic reality of developing countries is to be
| > considered, before any models can be imported.
| > Anita
| >
| > ----------
| > | From: Julie Livingston <[log in to unmask]>
| > | To: UK Disability-Research <[log in to unmask]>
| > | Subject: Re: Dogmatic ravings:Blackmail by Institution Supporters
| > | Date: Sunday, June 20, 1999 1:36 PM
| > |
| > | Hi-
| > |
| > | i just wanted to add my two cents onthis topic. While I agree with
the
| > | general argument put forth below -- I do want to break down what we
mean
| > | by institutions somewhat. Again we are talking aboutthe "developing
| > | world" here -- which is, inmy limited experience in Africa, quite
| > | lacking in institutional structures which help the disabled. I would
| > | argue that the few institutions which are in existence are an
important
| > | part of the overarching "community service" program and that in fact
we
| > | do need more of them.
| > |
| > | I work in a "community based rehabilitation program" in Botswana --
| > | which is the cornerstone of the national policy on disability and
| > | assistance. But our CBR program which operates in 8 villages is
linked
| > | to a rehabilitation center -- yes an institution-- which has
| > | physiotherapy, speech therapy /sign language instruction, and
| > | occupational therapy services, and mainatains a residential program
for
| > | disabled children. It is however, quite different from a residential
| > | program in a developed country. There is no chance at all here for
any
| > | person to be completely institutionalized -- I am not saying that the
| > | ideas are so forward thinking but there simply aren't hte resources,
and
| > | I wouldhave to guess that there won't be any time in the forseeable
| > | future.
| > |
| > | Instead, in my experience, residence in this instiution, is one of
the
| > | greatest possible pushes for independence and progress for teh
disabled
| > | in Botswana, becuase teh children are taught skills which their
families
| > | had often assumed them incapable of.
| > |
| > | When a child coems home from a year or two (the maximum possible
time)
| > | at teh center, able to feed, bathe, and dress themselves, for the
first
| > | time, or able to communicate in more sophisticated ways then before,
or
| > | able to write their name, or help weed the garden, it can change
their
| > | position within their family and their opportunitites for the future,
it
| > | is often teh first step towards "independent living" though of course
it
| > | must be followed up by better community services. When we are simply
| > | working with our clients through CBR there are many cases in which
the
| > | teaching of these basic skills is extremely difficult or even
| > | impossible, whether becuase of over protective family members who see
| > | their relative as a "patient" and so fee obligated to do everything
for
| > | them, or simply because families are too overburdened with daily
life,
| > | which can be quite exhausting here (farming, carrying water,
colelcting
| > | firewood) , to take on anything they see as extra.
| > |
| > | Likewise with disabled adults who enter teh Red Cross rehabilitation
| > | center where tehy live for up to two years learning a trade, it is
often
| > | teh first time in this largely rural environment where they meet and
| > | interact with other disabled adults, increasing their social and
| > | political consciousness. or with teh center for the blind which is
the
| > | only place in the country to learn braile, or to train for possible
| > | employment. There is a long waiting list to get a spot in any of the
| > | centers in teh country.
| > |
| > | I am not suggesting that these institutions and programs are without
| > | problems, in fact they strike me as riddled with problems, but I am
| > | saying that they are not necessarily bad, nor are they exactly the
same
| > | as teh institutions in the west. And more importantly neither is the
| > | context.
| > |
| > | We cannot wholly export our institutional models or our culture of
| > | giving, and likewise we cannot simply export our critiques to another
| > | political, economic, social, cultural environment without a nuanced
| > | understanding of that other place.
| > |
| > | i would advocate that what is necesary is not merely a shift away
from
| > | institutions but a policy of inclusion of local disabled people
| > | themselves in the planning and critique of such programs,
institutions,
| > | and policies. I would imagine that one of the best ways for teh
| > | disbaled community in the west to help that in a place like Botswana
| > | would be to foster some sort of dialogue between teh two and to help
| > | develop the nascent political rumblings of the very quiet voice of
the
| > | disabled here.
| > |
| > | it is not simply that we don't need institutions and only need
community
| > | based programs -- here as I see it we need both, but they need to be
| > | coordinated and conceived with community based services as their
| > | organizing principle.
| > |
| > | Perhaps the situation is quite different in other "developing"
| > | countries, at present i can only speak for teh situation as I see it
in
| > | Botswana.
| > |
| > | I'd be interested in other opinions,
| > |
| > | best,
| > |
| > | Julie
| > |
| > | Julie Livingston
| > | National Institute of Research
| > | University of Botswana
| > | P Bag 00708
| > | Gaborone, Botswana
| > |
| > |
| > |
| > |
| > | -----Original Message-----
| > | From: Frank Hall-Bentick <[log in to unmask]>
| > | To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>; OZAdvocacy
| > | <[log in to unmask]>; OZMad
<[log in to unmask]>;
| > | UK Disability-Research <[log in to unmask]>;
USDisabled
| > | List <[log in to unmask]>
| > | Date: Sunday, June 20, 1999 3:32 AM
| > | Subject: Re: Dogmatic ravings:Blackmail by Institution Supporters
| > |
| > |
| > | The following is an article on Supporters for Institutions. The
funding
| > | of
| > | Institutions is a global problem in both North and South Countries.
It
| > | seems
| > | that it's easier to get funds for disability services through
| > | Institutions
| > | as this provides the funders and politians which the bricks and motar
on
| > | which to stick the plaque of recognition.
| > |
| > | Community services aren't as grand as buildings.
| > |
| > | We need to ensure that we don't export these outmoded Institutions to
| > | developing countries, so we must share our independent living models
| > | with
| > | our disabled brothers and sisters in these countries. We need to
| > | increase
| > | our influence on our politicians, bureaucrats and Non-government
| > | organisations who provide funds to overseas disability projects and
| > | services
| > | that they fund local community services and not intitutional bricks
and
| > | mortar.
| > |
| > | This is an ongoing battle in which we must all speak out against
| > | Institutions in favour of local Community Services.
| > |
| > | Frank HB
| > | Australia
| > |
| > | "PatrickWm. Connally" wrote:
| > |
| > | > Dogmatic ravings: Blackmail by Institution Supporters-The Neo
| > | Stalinists
| > | > are up to their tricks
| > | >
| > | > Please follow the logic of the neo Stalinists in their propaganda
war
| > | to
| > | > label people neo Reganites who support closing institutions for
| > | people
| > | > with disabilities.
| > | >
| > | > The Neo Stalinists argument runs like this: There is the huge chunk
of
| > | > money that can be spent on institutions. If you are not for
spending
| > | on
| > | > institutions then you are for abandoning vulnerable people on the
| > | street
| > | > just like Ronald Regan did when he was Governor. Regan's policy
was
| > | to
| > | > close institutions and not provide community services. He
literally
| > | > dumped people from the mental health institution out on the street.
| > | > (Many were immediately institutionalized in the criminal justice
| > | system
| > | > at increased cost to everyone.) Therefore if you want to close
| > | > institutions you want to dump people on the street. Pro
Institution
| > | > people ask "Where are they suppose to go?" Never asked is where
did
| > | > people come from and how do we get them back.
| > | >
| > | > So these compassionate people are saying that the only thing money
can
| > | > be spent on is institutions. Billions of public dollars are
available
| > | > for institutions with their building and ongoing support, so much
| > | money
| > | > that we could buy the institutionalized population a condo with a
room
| > | > for a live-in attendant, pay the live-in attendant and visiting
| > | nurses
| > | > and leave more than $30+ a month in spending money the
| > | institutionalized
| > | > disabled person receives from their monthly SSI check. (Most of
the
| > | > benefit check the institution keeps for board and care.)
| > | >
| > | > Academic studies and media exposi's from Willow Brook scandal of
over
| > | > twenty years ago until today have shown that people get better
| > | services,
| > | > better protection, and a better quality of life with resources
spent
| > | in
| > | > the community. Yet the pro institution people tell us public money
| > | can
| > | > only be spent on institutions?
| > | >
| > | > This is blackmail. The idea that you either go along with
| > | institutions
| > | > for people with disabilities or you get nothing!
| > | >
| > | > Why are policy makes suddenly buying into "the state will take care
of
| > | > you." Especially after they saved us from "communist or socialized
| > | > medicine." Us who receive the brunt of disability policy know the
| > | state
| > | > can facilitate its "choice." What choice do people have when beds
in
| > | a
| > | > government institution need to be filled and justified. What
choice
| > | is
| > | > there when there is no money for attendant wages and benefits yet
| > | > hundreds of millions for institutions?
| > | >
| > | > Do we make it easy to fill institutional beds or do we make it easy
| > | for
| > | > people to stay in their homes with their families and communities.
Do
| > | > we tell our children, that at a point in the life cycle when you
| > | become
| > | > too disabled, you will be uprooted and shut away. What do we tell
| > | them
| > | > of life and their culture when we say, "A lot of those places are
bad
| > | > and I hated to do it but it was the only choice I had. It seemed
like
| > | > there were nice people there."
| > | >
| > | > Laguna Honda the public institution in San Francisco, California is
| > | > tenure for a professional and managerial class along with job
| > | security
| > | > for the maintenance staff and groundskeepers. It is a fundraiser
and
| > | an
| > | > artificial ghetto environment. It is an investment in a show piece
| > | and
| > | > not dealing with the real issues of disability policy like
| > | > transportation, housing, employment, adaptive equipment, and
| > | > healthcare. The money spent on the bond would buy a whale of
| > | community
| > | > services, but the Neo Stalinist have framed the issue as their way
or
| > | no
| > | > way.
| > | >
| > | > Policy makers can always get by with saying "look at Laguna Honda,
see
| > | > all the money we are spending." The community based hands on
workers
| > | in
| > | > California's Developmental Disabilities System have been hearing
this
| > | > for years and are paid poorly. Institutional workers in the system
| > | are
| > | > paid better. What a great system for everyone if community
programs
| > | > were reimbursed comparable to institutions.
| > | >
| > | > I guess people think the poor house model of service delivery was a
| > | > success in Victorian England.
| > |
| > |
|
|
| Best regards
|
| Laurence Bathurst
| School of Occupation and Leisure Sciences
| Faculty of Health Sciences
| University of Sydney
| P.O. Box 170
| Lidcombe NSW 2141
| Australia
|
| Phone: (62 1) 9351 9509
| Fax: (62 1) 9351 9166
| e-mail: [log in to unmask]
|
| Please visit the School's interim web site at
| http://www.ot.cchs.usyd.edu.au
| ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
| Not one shred of evidence supports the notion that life is serious
|
| ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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|
