Disability Buzz
Disability World Hits Milestone: 20th Issue
As the witches head for their covens, ghostbusters go off to conventions and ripe pumpkins fall from the vines, a 20th issue of Disability World takes its place in cyberspace. First posted in March 2000, we have averaged 5 issues a year in English and Spanish, with each issue delivering news, research, reports and reviews from 20-30 countries around the globe.
In-depth reports and reviews
This issue presents a number of in-depth reports countering the "conventional wisdom" on particular topics: a comprehensive overview of disability and development from the European Disability Forum; an analysis of efforts to eliminate leprosy, polio, iodine deficiency disorder, cataract and other conditions resistant to prevention and public health strategies in South Asia; an historic look back at the development of Independent Living in the U.S., concluding with some challenges for its adaptation to 21st century exigencies; and a provocative frontlines report from South Africa challenging all of us to examine our prejudices and assumptions about HIV/AIDS in order to reduce the stigma towards people who have contracted the virus.
Taking Inventory
Many cutting-edge articles in this issue take inventory of national progress in tackling specific issues: inclusive education in Armenia and Russia, the impact of elected and appointed disabled politicians in sub-Saharan Africa; the distance between ideals on paper and implementation of disability-friendly policies in Peru; initiatives in Britain and Australia to jump-start increased employment of disabled persons; and reviews of Canadian and New Zealand attempts to introduce more disability-positive broadcast media.
Summer Reading
Some countries don't have this tradition of summer reading lists, like Sweden where summer often lasts only a week or two, but many of us have an actual season where we can justify reading off-beat or less demanding material, informally called "Beach Books." For many of us, that season just ended and for the other hemisphere it is just beginning. Here are some suggestions for more relaxed reading: 1) The World Became My Room by Kalle Konkkola (Werner Soderstrom Osakeyhtio, Helsinki, ISBN 951-21023-4), a delightful and raucous, yet serious and insightful, more or less autobiographical presentation by the Finnish former chair of Disabled Peoples' International, who always has a different point of view than you think he will; 2) My Path Leads to Tibet by Sabriye Tenberken (English language translation 2003, Arcade Publishing, New York, www.arcadepub.com), the story of a blind, German woman who decides at a young age she will come to the aid of blind Tibetan children and proceeds to do so, taking on bureaucrats, learning to ride a horse on steep mountain trails, and confronting the public and oppositional groups in both cultures to open a school in Lhasa; and White Sticks, Wheels and Crutches: Disability and the Moving Image by Dr. Paul Darke, published April 2003 by the British Film Institute (ISBN 0-85170-962-1, email cate.mckay-haynes@bfi.org.uk), a 132 page catalogue and commentary on the disability-themed films held by the BFI. Also available is a CD-ROM containing sample pages, interview with Darke and essays. Darke's commentary is educational but it's also amusing and the photographs are great.
Disability Rights in the News
As we post this issue, the UK Direct Action Network (DAN) is launching a three-day protest in London against the largest disability charities, such as Mencap, the Royal National Institute for the Deaf, the Royal National Institute for the Blind and Scope, charging them with not representing or hiring disabled persons; a major article, "Losing the Mind," an overview of the philosophy and recent protest activities of the MindFreedom Support Coalition International, appeared in the October 26 issue of the Los Angeles Times Magazine; and 18 U.S. based disability rights organizations have issued a joint statement demanding the continued feeding of Terri Schiavo, a hospitalized disabled woman who has been the subject of court and media battles between "right to life," "right to die" and disability rights groups.
A Word from our Sponsor
The financial support for Disability World is provided by the U.S. National Institute for Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) has a redesigned and upgraded website.
To Contribute to Disability World
To contribute to future issues of Disability World, contact us: in English, editor@disabilityworld.org, or in Spanish: espanol@disabilityworld.org
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