table of contents - home page - text-only home page Disability Buzz International Agencies & Disability As we post the latest disabilityworld, all the UN agencies are issuing press releases and reports marking the International Day of Disabled Persons, celebrated around the world on December 3. The World Health Organizationstatement was one of the strongest, declaring that, "Nearly 500 million people worldwide live with a disability, 80% of them in developing countries, where only 1-2% have access to needed rehabilitation services." With no little irony, we note that this is nearly word for word the essence of press releases issued in 1981 by UN agencies in their launch of the International Year of Disabled Persons. In an accompanying statement, the WHO Director General, Gro Harlem Brundtland,took a strong position stressing that, "People with disabilities have been discriminated against throughout history. Their participation in life and social activities has been restricted. This has to change." (Details: www.who.org) UN Secretary General Kofi Annan also issued a message on December 3, selecting the theme, "Making information technologies work for all." He detailed the role of information technologies in accelerating growth, promoting sustainable development and eradicating poverty. He said, "We must break through the barriers that stand between technology and the user-whether technical, psychological, physical or financial." Also issued in December was the annual Human Rights Watchreport, covering the situation in 70 countries. As usual, the report had some stark statements to make about transgressions by specific governments and lapses by the international community. Disability is finally appearing on the radar screen of human rights monitoring bodies, but usually in only extreme cases. For example, the report said about the United States: "Human rights abuses continued in the criminal justice system-including brutality by the police, racial disparities in incarceration, abusive conditions of confinement and state-sponsored executions, even of juvenile offenders and the mentally handicapped." Imposters Infiltrate the Paralympic Games During most of October the daily bulletins about the sports competitions in the world's largest Paralympicswere positive, touting Australia's sellout audiences, heralding broken records and a greatly increased participation of countries since 1996 in Atlanta. The first negative press concerned failed drug tests of a few athletes, insignificant though when compared to the Olympics. The story that garnered much more worldwide attention was the post-Paralympics discovery in November that many of Spain'scompetitors on its basketball team for mentally disabled athletes appeared to have no impairments. They beat a Russian team to win a gold medal. As the head of the Australian Paralympic Committee said, "Some of them were so talented they could play in the Australia national league." The imposters were exposed by a fellow teammate from Spain who is a journalist and suspected foul play. This news followed an earlier discovery that a Spanish Paralympic swimmer who won five gold medals was a convicted terrorist that was injured in prison and not, as he claimed, in a car accident. Heads are now rolling in the homeland of Olympic Primo-Maestro Juan Samaranch. (Details: www.yahoo.comand do a search for Paralympics) Recent International Conferences in USA Thanks to Clinton Administration Leaders As the Clinton Administration draws to a close, it is appropriate to recognize the unprecedented commitment of its disability appointees to expanding and deepening the U.S. involvement in international disability research, policy development and collaborative activities. Just in the last few months they committed substantial time and expenditure to host the following significant conferences in the USA, all of which are already resulting in follow-up research, planning and networking: in October the first International Conference on Disability Studies and the First International Conference on Law, Policy & Disability, both held in Washington, D.C.; and in December the Second International Summit on Independent Living, held in Honolulu. In all three cases, significant efforts were made by the appointees to involve leading researchers and activists from both developing and industrialized nations, and to enable in-depth exchange of information, experience and data. Over the eight years of the Clinton Administration, many agencies and their leaders were involved in these and other important initiatives, but first and foremost, in alphabetical order were: Susan Danielsof the Social Security Administration, Judy Heumannof the Department of Education, Kate Seelmanof the National Institute for Disability and Rehabilitation Research and Michael Winterof the Department of Transportation. They will be a hard act to follow. When Pigs Fly Some disabilityworld readers may be old enough to remember petitioning their parents for some extreme privilege or loan and receiving the response, "Sure, when pigs fly." Well, in late October US Airways put a pig named Charlotte into first class on a cross-country flight, much to the consternation of many of the passengers. The pig, unfamiliar with air travel mores, ran squealing through the cabin, discharging as it went. Turns out that the airway personnel allowed the pig to accompany its owner, a woman with a heart condition who said the pig's presence relieved her stress. Reviewing the case, the Federal Aviation Authority stated that the airline "acted in a reasonable, thoughtful manner based on a legitimate request to transport a qualified individual with a disability and her service animal." Disability History Corner: Signing in the Seraglio, 1500-1700 One of the earliest and most durable, well-documented communities of Deaf people seems to have been that of the 'Mutes' who served at the Ottoman court at Istanbul. They were well established by the 1580's or earlier, flourished through the 17th century and continued into the 20th century. Their sign language was learned and used by several hearing Sultans and hundreds of courtiers from about 1600 onward, according to multiple independent reports by European diplomats, travelers and interpreters. The language was taught by older deaf servants to the younger deaf recruits and to anyone else who wished to learn, at a specific location in the Palace. Textual evidence from 1500-1700 is reviewed critically by Mr. M. Miles at: www.independentliving.org/LibArt/mmiles2.htmlMr. Miles also invites readers to test the evidence and draw their own conclusions. table of contents - home page - text-only home page