As a blind child I was treated poorly in public schools on more than one occasion. Stories like this continue to outrage me. Abuses of all children occur in our schools but it's clear from the national evidence that kids with autism are targets for the Dickensian nut jobs who are allowed to enter classrooms across the country. S.K.  

 

Parent Advocates Confront District About Vinegar, Soap, And Exercise Punishments
(Katy Times)
October 3, 2011

KATY, TEXAS– [Excerpt provided by Inclusion Daily Express] Residents concerned about the treatment of special education students in Katy Independent School District asked for the board's consideration of an alleged case of abuse at Exley Elementary as evidence for a new plan of treatment of special education students. 

Leslie Phillips, board member of the National Autism Association and Katy Autism Support, described the dangers of using aversive intervention. 

"The vast majority of education and mental health professionals agree that these techniques are not therapeutic, evidence-based practices," Phillips said. "They are not an effective means to calm or teach children, and . . . cause loss of skills or regression." 

Phillips described the practices as overexertion on a treadmill and putting cotton balls soaked in vinegar and soap in the mouth of nonverbal, autistic students.

Superintendent Alton Frailey responded to the comments, describing the case in question as "not something we want to have in our school district."

Entire article:
'Aversive' procedures ruffle feathers in KISD
http://tinyurl.com/3gjofax
Related:
School uses vinegar to discipline children (The Imperfect Parent)
http://tinyurl.com/3clamzy

 

THE WHITE HOUSE Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release October 3, 2011

 

NATIONAL DISABILITY EMPLOYMENT AWARENESS MONTH, 2011 BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA;   A PROCLAMATION 

 

Utilizing the talents of all Americans is essential for our Nation to out-innovate, out-educate, and out-build the rest of the world. During National Disability Employment Awareness Month, we recognize the skills that people with disabilities bring to our workforce, and we rededicate ourselves to improving employment opportunities in both the public and private sectors for those living with disabilities.

 

More than 20 years after the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act, individuals with disabilities, including injured veterans, are making immeasurable contributions to workplaces across our country. Unfortunately, the unemployment rate for people with disabilities remains too high — nearly double the rate of people without disabilities — and reversing this trend is crucial.

 

In both the public and private sectors, we can increase employment opportunities for Americans with disabilities. My Administration is promoting competitive, integrated employment for persons with disabilities and the elderly through the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Last year, we also recommitted to making the Federal Government a model employer for people living with disabilities. Agencies are working harder than ever to promote equal hiring practices and increase retention, while also expanding internships, fellowships, and training opportunities.

 

We know education is the foundation on which all children can build bright and successful futures, and no child should be limited in his or her desire to learn. In September, we announced the final regulations under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Part C, to improve services and outcomes for infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families during the critical years before kindergarten. The educational environments we are creating for children with disabilities will ensure they are better prepared to succeed in the classroom and later in the workplace, helping position our Nation to lead in the 21st century.

 

Work accessibility is just as vital to success as ensuring educational and hiring opportunities. Public transportation is a service that should be available to all Americans, and rules instated this year by the Department of Transportation require new rail construction or renovations to ensure accessibility to persons with disabilities. We are also improving our compliance with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act to make Federal agencies' electronic and information technology more accessible to individuals with disabilities. This will ensure all applicants have equal opportunity to apply for jobs, and it will allow Federal employees to better use technology at work.

 

To win the future, we must harness the power of our Nation's richest resource — our people. Americans with disabilities, like all Americans, are entitled to not only full participation in our society, but also full opportunity in our society. Their talents and contributions are vital to the strength of our Nation's workforce and our future prosperity. Together, we can ensure persons living with disabilities have equal access to employment, and to inclusive, supportive workplaces.

 

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim October 2011 as National Disability Employment Awareness Month. I urge all Americans to embrace the talents and skills that individuals with disabilities bring to our workplaces and communities and to promote the right to equal employment opportunity for all people.

 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this third day of October, in the year of our Lord two thousand eleven, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-sixth.

 

BARACK OBAMA

 # # #

 

 

In the old haiku, geese fly through snow, directed by their voices. Now add Gandhi:

“The human voice can never reach the distance that is covered by the still small voice of conscience.” 

Stir in Virginia Woolf: “Masterpieces are not single and solitary births; they are the outcome of many years of thinking in common, of thinking by the body of the people, so that the experience of the mass is behind the single voice.” 

Pour in Audre Lorde: “I write for those women who do not speak, for those who do not have a voice because they were so terrified, because we are taught to respect fear more than ourselves. We've been taught that silence would save us, but it won't.” 

A jigger of Neruda: ”I grew up in this town, my poetry was born between the hill and the river, it took its voice from the rain, and like the timber, it steeped itself in the forests.”

A splash of Marianne Faithfull: “The voice of God, if you must know, is Aretha Franklin’s.”

 

S.K. 

 

Prisoner Gets 97-Year Sentence For Mental Illness Symptoms
(American Civil Liberties Union)
September 30, 2011

TAMMS, ILLINOIS– [Excerpt provided by Inclusion Daily] Anthony Gay was sentenced to an incredible 97 years in prison for throwing feces out his food slot, behavior experts characterize as symptomatic for severely mentally ill people held in solitary confinement. Yesterday the ACLU joined the National Disability Rights Network, Mental Health America and many others in filing a friend-of-the-court brief in Gay's appeal, calling the sentence "an unconscionable and shocking criminalization of his mental illness." 

Anthony's story is a tragic, but all too common, tale in our criminal justice system, where the severely mentally ill are routinely held in solitary confinement for months, years and even decades — their condition, and the punishment for it, worsening.

Anthony originally entered prison on a low-level charge after violating probation on a seven year suspended sentence. Had he been able to conform to prison rules, he should have served three-and-a-half years in prison. Unfortunately, Gay's mental illness led to bizarre and disturbing behaviors. Rather than treating his mental illness, officials punished him repeatedly for his symptoms; his security level was raised and he was increasingly banished to solitary confinement.

Eventually Gay was sent to Illinois' "supermax" prison, Tamms Correctional Center, reserved supposedly for the "worst of the worst." Subjected to 23 hours or more of isolation a day in a small cell with little to no human contact, Gay repeatedly tried to commit suicide and began to engage in horrific self-mutilation . . . Yet he was still not given meaningful psychiatric evaluation or treatment.

Entire article:
97 Years in Prison for a Mentally Ill Man Who Threw Feces
http://tinyurl.com/3jcdjw5
Related:
Inmate wants out of Tamms; attorney says years of solitary confinement harmed his mental health (Belleville News-Democrat) 
http://tinyurl.com/3k33nc7

 

There's a good piece over at Diversity Inc about employment statistics and disability history:

See:  http://diversityinc.rsvp1.com/diversity-facts/disability-employment-awareness-month-facts-figures-2/

Earlier, Ueriuka Festus Tjikuua, a member of the Namibian delegation, told reporters: "We have come first and foremost to receive the mortal human remains of our forefathers and mothers and to return them to the land of their ancestors."

I saw this story on the BBC News iPad App and thought you should see it.

** Germany returns Namibian skulls **
A delegation of Namibian tribal leaders visits Berlin to collect the skulls of 20 compatriots which were taken to Germany during colonial times.
< http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-15127992 >

** BBC Daily E-mail **
Choose the news and sport headlines you want – when you want them, all in one daily e-mail
< http://www.bbc.co.uk/email >

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Sent from my iPad

 

Someone has stolen my pears. I have a suspect in mind but I won't confront him (or her)–rather I shall say: "Have you noticed anyone in my yard picking my fruit?" 

Stealing pears from a blind dude. Man, does that ever stink!

Of course, there are so many dreadful occurences on this planet that my little pear tree's violation is as nothing…

But I hope they choke on my little Anjous. I hope they get gout! I hope they bite into a live wasp! 

Hey, maybe he or she will grow up to be a saint, like Augustine, regreting the theft of pears. 

I hope they get gout! 

S.K. 

 

 

(Thomson Reuter)
September 28, 2011

NEW YORK, NEW YORK– [Excerpt provided by Inclusion Daily Express] Disability-rights advocates on Monday accused New York City of failing to account for the unique needs of its nearly 900,000 disabled residents during disasters like Hurricane Irene and the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. 

The proposed class-action lawsuit, filed Monday in Manhattan federal court, contended that the city is violating federal and state anti-discrimination laws by failing to make emergency plans, shelters, announcements and transportation fully accessible to individuals with physical disabilities. 

The suit was brought by the Brooklyn Center for Independence of the Disabled, the Center for Independence of the Disabled New York, and Tania Morales, a Brooklyn resident who uses a wheelchair. Morales was one of more than 250,000 New Yorkers asked to evacuate from low-lying areas during Hurricane Irene. 

Morales said she arrived at a designated emergency shelter to find the gates leading to the wheelchair ramp were locked. Volunteers at the shelter tried to track down the keys, but after 10 minutes Morales returned home, saying she was afraid to wait any longer on the sidewalk and had no way to get to another shelter.

Entire article:
NYC disaster plan ignores disabled people: suit
http://tinyurl.com/3d8slhd
Related:
Bloomberg's "Irene Preps" Provoke Federal Discrimination Suit (Public News Service)
http://tinyurl.com/45595pz
Disability groups sue city, claims its emergency planning is subpar (AMNY)
http://tinyurl.com/6j8vp77

 

 

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

CONTACT:

Chris Danielsen

Director of Public Relations

National Federation of the Blind

(410) 659-9314, extension 2330

(410) 262-1281 (Cell)

cdanielsen@nfb.org

 

National Federation of the Blind Condemns
 Lack of Access to New Kindle Fire

 

Baltimore, Maryland (September 29, 2011): The National Federation of the Blind commented today on the release of Amazon’s new Kindle Fire, which cannot be used by people who are blind.

 

Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind, said: “Blind Americans have repeatedly asked Amazon to include accessibility for the blind in its Kindle product line.  The feasibility of including accessibility in similar products has been demonstrated.  The Department of Education and the Department of Justice have made it clear that Kindle devices cannot be purchased by educational institutions, libraries, and other entities covered by this country’s disability laws unless the devices are fully accessible.  Despite all this, Amazon has released a brand new Kindle device, the Kindle Fire, which cannot be used by people who are blind.  Enough!  We condemn this latest action by Amazon and reiterate that we will not tolerate technological discrimination.  The National Federation of the Blind seeks nothing less than equal access to all technology for blind people.  It is one of the most critical civil rights issues facing blind Americans in the twenty-first century, and we will do everything in our power to see that this right is secured.”

 

 

###

 

 

 

About the National Federation of the Blind

With more than 50,000 members, the National Federation of the Blind is the largest and most influential membership organization of blind people in the United States.  The NFB improves blind people’s lives through advocacy, education, research, technology, and programs encouraging independence and self-confidence.  It is the leading force in the blindness field today and the voice of the nation's blind.  In January 2004 the NFB opened the National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute, the first research and training center in the United States for the blind led by the blind.

 

 

 

There's a very interesting article at US News by Meryl Davids Landau which highlights the work of progressive college admissions deans who are seeing the advantages of disability inclusion on their campuses. Here's a taste: 

"Some 45 college admissions deans from across the country gathered at Stanford University this past June to learn about high-achieving dyslexic applicants. Experts shared the latest research, and well-known figures—including California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, financier Charles Schwab, and Delos "Toby" Cosgrove, a heart surgeon and CEO of the Cleveland Clinic—described their experiences coping with the disability.

"Our goal is to help colleges realize that, because of their intelligence, out-of-the-box thinking, and perseverance, these students can add luster" to their schools, says Sally Shaywitz, the Audrey G. Ratner professor in learning development at Yale University who helped organize the event."

From a disability studies perspective this is a hopeful sign. They key phrase that Professor Shaywitz offers is "to help colleges realize"–for surely, as those of us in dis-studies have long known, neuro-atypical students and colleagues have spent their lives outside the box and thereby bring fresh thinking to the classroom and the work environment each and every day. I would add though, that this is not simply true for high achieving students with dyslexia–it also holds for nonspeaking people with autism, blind students, students with profound poly-trauma. The recent special issue of Disability Studies Quarterly devoted to autism and neuro-diversity edited by Ralph and Emily Savarese highlights the remarkable insights and imaginative atypicalities of autists and is critically important reading. I like what Jamie Burke, a college student with autism says as a brief epigraph to the issue:

"I must send forward my bold appreciation for taking the soul of this topic … to be shared among the many and diverse hearts who will attempt a new understanding. It can be very lovely when curious old patterns of comprehension shift to a more connected and true demonstration of the improved focus. My deep thanks, then, for the spirit of change and challenge." 

 

S.K.