[UK event] It’s Not Gibberish: ‘Disabled’ Voices in Literature for Young People

It’s Not Gibberish: ‘Disabled’ Voices in Literature for Young People

Prof. Chloë Hughes

Date: Wednesday 17th December 2014

Time: 2.15pm–3.45pm

Place: Eden 109, Liverpool Hope University, UK

What overt and subtle messages in children’s and young adult literature reinforce stereotypes or expand understandings of the social construct known as disability?  After briefly reviewing how disability has been a means in art, literature, and history to render individuals impotent, without identity, and ultimately voiceless, Prof. Hughes will focus on real and fictional voices of individuals and characters with unique communication patterns who claim and articulate their right to self determination.  Dyslexic, stuttered, “crooked,” interior, signed, and computer-generated voices, as they appear in recently published literature for young people, are illuminating and obscuring the boundaries of ability and disability.  How can teachers use such literature to promote inclusion in their classrooms?

Chloë Hughes is Professor of Teacher Education at Western Oregon University where she teaches literacy and diversity classes.  Her research focuses on literacy learning among individuals with disabilities and on the portrayal of disability in children’s and young adult literature.  Her work has appeared in the Journal for Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities; Rethinking Schools; War, Literature and the Arts; and the Journal of Literary and Cultural Disability Studies. She also chairs the US Board on Books for Young People Outstanding Books for Young People with Disabilities committee.

This seminar is part of the CCDS series, The Voice of Disability. Other dates include:

14 Jan 2015, It Must Be Simple: The Supreme Fiction at the Core of the Backlash to Access Debate, David Feeney.

11 Feb 2015, Authorship and the voice of disability in dance, Mathilde Pavis and Kate Marsh.

11 Mar 2015, Which Theory of Democracy for an Inclusive Society? A Pragmaticist Approach, David Doat.

13 May 2015, The Voice of the Disability Activist Movement in the US around the ADA:  A Hidden Minority or a Hidden Army, Lennard J. Davis.

17 Jun 2015, ‘Working together for positive outcomes’: The Appropriation of Voice and Participation in SEN policy, Claire Penketh.

Also, Disability and Disciplines: The International Conference on Educational, Cultural, and Disability Studies will be held 1-2 July, 2015.

For further information please contact:

Dr. David Bolt

Associate Professor, Faculty of Education

http://www.hope.ac.uk/staff/boltd.html

Director, Centre for Culture & Disability Studies

http://ccds.hope.ac.uk/

Editor in Chief, Journal of Literary & Cultural Disability Studies

http://JLCDS.liverpooluniversitypress.co.uk

Joint Editor, Literary Disability Studies

http://www.palgrave.com/products/SearchResults.aspx?s=LD&fid=338267

Email: boltd@hope.ac.uk

Telephone: 0151 291 3346

Office: HCA 012

Postal address: Faculty of Education, Liverpool Hope University, Liverpool, UK, L16 9JD.

Recent Books:

Changing Social Attitudes Toward Disability: http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415732499/

The Metanarrative of Blindness: http://www.press.umich.edu/5725818/metanarrative_of_blindness

The Madwoman and the Blindman: https://ohiostatepress.org/index.htm?books/book%20pages/bolt%20madwoman.html

Persons with Disabilities at Work: The Invisible Workers? Wednesday 10 December 2014 European Parliament | Room ASP 1E1 12:00 - 14:00

SAVE THE DATE

Persons with disabilities at work: 

the invisible workers?

Wednesday 10 December 2014

European Parliament | Room ASP 1E1

12:00 - 14:00

Gender, age, disability type and degree are factors that affect the extent of inclusion of persons with disabilities in the labour market. Identifying these factors through data collection and providing a reasonable accommodation through different employment policy schemes are key conditions for overcoming a situation that has been aggravated by the economic crisis.

According to the latest EU data, there is still a 26% difference in rates of employment for persons with and without disabilities across the EU. This is 30 points lower than the Europe 2020 target of 75% employment for persons with disabilities. Despite the implementation of different national and regional policies aimed at increasing the participation of persons with disabilities in the labour market, overall the participation rate of persons with disabilities is significantly lower than for persons without disabilities, which reinforces social inequalities.

The European Disability Forum, within the framework of its involvement in the DISCIT project, organises a discussion with Eurostat and the main EU policy-makers to exchange information and data on this important topic and gather innovative ideas on the field. Please find enclosed the agenda of this seminar.  

We kindly invite you to join this discussion by sending back the attached registration form to EDF event organiser, Ann Vervaecke (ann.vervaecke@edf-feph.org) by 4 December.  

        

Lila Sylviti
Communication
European Disability Forum | nothing about us without us
tel +32 2 282 46 04 | fax +32 2 282 46 09
lila.sylviti@edf-feph.org - www.edf-feph.org

   Rela





 

Attachments https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4DDIATl4FpJeUJsMHdqQURsZE9DcDZGM0lKUWFkYm9lLUNB/view?usp=sharing; https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4DDIATl4FpJZkZiNEF2VlpEd2FWNzIwcjZzXzl2VVpuaXZr/view?usp=sharing

 

'Hate Figure' Iain Duncan Smith Sings His Version of Supertramp's "Give A Little Bit"

"Give A Little Bit"

Give a little bit
Give a little bit of your hate to me
Give a little bit
I'll give a little bit of my hate to you
There's so much that we need to share
Send a tweet and show me your despise

I'll give a little bit
I'll give a little bit of my scorn to you
So give a little bit
Give a little bit of your timeline to me
See the disabled man with the lonely eyes
Take his hand, you'll be surprised

he's still alive under my reforms

Give a little bit
Give a little bit of your contempt to me
I'll give a little bit of my loathing for you
Now's the time that we need to share
So find yourself on Twitter, I'm on my way back home

to my mansion.

Going home to my £2million Tudor country pile
Don't you need to feel at home in Austerity Britain?
Oh yeah, Glenda, we gotta sing 

So stop giving me vile looks

and tweeting #IDSMustGo

Iain Duncan Smith: The 'quiet man' has become the 'Teflon man'. Nothing sticks.

Emily Thornberry, the shadow attorney general, was sacked by Ed Miliband for sneering at a family home draped with England flags. Anti-poverty campaigner Jack Monroe was sacked by Sainsbury's after saying David Cameron should resign for using his ‘dead son’ as a front to privatise the NHS.

So why wasn't Iain Duncan Smith, the Work and Pensions Secretary, sacked in 2012 for his ignorant and heartless remarks after saying that disabled Remploy workers were “not doing any work... just making cups of coffee”?

Why wasn't Iain Duncan Smith sacked in 2014, after the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) publicly admitted it was wrong, that it should not have axed the disability benefits of Asperger's sufferer Mark Wood, who starved to death just five months later, weighing five-and-a-half stone.

I could cite additional examples, but suffice it to say that Iain Duncan Smith has committed more wrongdoing than Emily Thornberry and Jack Monroe combined—and astonishingly, has not been forced to resign.  The 'quiet man' has become the 'Teflon man'.  Nothing sticks.

A Prayer For British Disability Campaigner Sue Marsh, Who Is In Hospital Facing Surgery

May the One who was a source of blessing for our ancestors, bring blessings of healing upon Sue Marsh, a healing of body and a healing of spirit. May those in whose care she is entrusted, be gifted with wisdom and skill, and those who surround her, be gifted with love and trust, openness and support in her care. And may she be healed along with all those who are in need. Blessed are You, Source of healing. Amen.

A Prayer For Sue Marsh, British Disability Campaigner, Who Is In Hospital

May the One who was a source of blessing for our ancestors, bring blessings of healing upon Sue Marsh, a healing of body and a healing of spirit. May those in whose care she is entrusted, be gifted with wisdom and skill, and those who surround her, be gifted with love and trust, openness and support in her care. And may she be healed along with all those who are in need. Blessed are You, Source of healing. Amen.

Turns Out That British Conservative MP Philip Davies, Who Tore Strip Off The UN, Is A Hypocrite

The Daily Mail's hatchet job on the UN (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2735958/UN-sparks-fury-launching-human-rights-investigation-Britain-s-treatment-disabled.html) includes this comment from Tory MP Philip Davies:

‘These people at the UN are idiots, frankly. There’s no other way to describe them.

‘This country has led the way in the support and rights that we give to disabled people – such as through the Disability Discrimination Act which was passed by a Conservative government in 1995.

‘If the UN drew up a list of countries in the world showing how much they gave to disabled people they would find the UK was the highest in the world.

‘They are exposing the UN for the completely useless organisation that it is.’


It can be revealed that Conservative MP Philip Davies sparked controversy in 2011 when he suggested that people with disabilities should be paid less than the minimum wage.

Tory MP Philip Davies: disabled people could work for less pay | Society | The Guardian http://www.theguardian.com/society/2011/jun/17/tory-philip-davies-disabled-people-work

As for his assertion that Britain "has led the way in the support and rights that we give to disabled people", it doesn't pass the smell test.  Here's just one example:

Tens of thousands of sick and disabled patients face YEAR-long wait for cash help - Mirror Online http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/tens-thousands-sick-disabled-patients-3958136

Disabled people in Britain will lose their independence, jobs, and Motability vehicles because of failure to quality for Personal Independence Payments (PIP). Hundreds of thousands of lives will tragically be destroyed.

The government has admitted that, at minimum, 400,000 disabled claimants will not qualify for PIP. Moreover, claimants who can walk more than 20 metres (65ft) will no longer be entitled to the £56.75 enhanced weekly mobility allowance and could be offered the standard rate of just £21.55. If they depend on PIP for paying bills and basics, how will they survive on such a meager benefit?

Working for disability equality in Higher Education - the global perspective July, 20-24, 2015 - Manchester, UK.

Working for disability equality in Higher Education - the global perspective
                                           July, 20-24, 2015 - Manchester, UK.

                                                     Proposals due 10/31/2014.

NADP-UK International Conference 2015

The National Association of Disability Practitioners International Conference –‘Working for disability equality in Higher Education – the global perspective’ will be taking place in Manchester from 20th – 24th July 2015.  It is supported by the University of Manchester Directorate for the Student Experience and Disability Support Office and will provide a global perspective, focusing on disabled student support from pre-entry to University or College onto successful transition into employment.


Support systems and services around the world are often recognized as being of a high quality, however, there is still much to learn and develop.  This conference will enable delegates from the global community to come together and share knowledge, practical skills and good practice in the provision of support for disabled students


We are delighted that Scott Lissner (AHEAD and The Ohio State University), Ann Heelan (AHEAD Ireland) and Nicole Ofeish (Independent Learning Consultant and Stanford University) have agreed to give keynote presentations at the conference.


Please go to the International Conference tab for information about submitting an abstract for consideration.

http://nadp-uk.org/uploads/news/id197/IC15%20Abstract%20submission%20form.doc

Anthology on Autism and Race (by autistic people of color)

Hello everyone,

I'm collaborating with the Autism Women's Network to edit a new anthology
on autism and race to be written entirely by autistic people of color. The
vast majority of literature about autism, whether written by autistics or
non-autistics, largely excludes the voices and experiences of autistic
people of color, and we're hoping to change that conversation. You can read
more about the history and vision for this project (and watch/listen to our
captioned and transcribed intro video) at our fundraiser page
<https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/autism-and-race-anthology>.

Right now, we are fundraising on IndieGoGo
<https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/autism-and-race-anthology> to cover the
costs of printing and publication, since AWN is a tiny nonprofit with a
small budget, and we'd like to produce the anthology independent of any
corporate publishing house. The costs will go toward publishing the
anthology in a variety of formats so it will be as accessible as possible
-- large print, standard print, Braille, e-book formats, etc. We have a
total projected budget of $10,000 to cover all associated costs, and in the
first week of the fundraiser, have raised the first $1,000, but need to
find the rest in the next four weeks. If you can donate anything, or know
anyone else who might be able and willing, it would be awesome to pass on
the link.

We have also published the submission guidelines for the anthology
<http://autismwomensnetwork.org/autism-race-anthology/>, so please share
far and wide. We're especially hoping that autistic people of color who
live *outside *the United States will submit since much literature focuses
only on U.S. perspectives. We're also particularly interested in centering
people who are Black, queer, trans*, chronically ill, poor, migrant, young,
mad, or multiply-disabled. We welcome artists and activists, as well as
scholars. The submission deadline is November 15th.

Thank you so much for any help on either front, and I'm looking forward to
reading any submissions!

Lydia
______________
*Lydia Brown*
lydia@autistichoya.com
+1 202-618-0187 (voice or text)
Portfolio: www.autistichoya.net
Blog: www.autistichoya.com

I will be submitting a UN inquiry request into Britain's benefit-sanctioning regime, and I need your assistance

Ahead of the September meeting of the Human Rights Council (see third paragraph of http://mydisabilitystudiesblackboard.blogspot.ca/2014/08/an-inopportune-time.html), I will shortly submit an inquiry request to the CRPD and Human Rights Council, petitioning them to open an investigation into Britain's benefit-sanctioning regime. (At the request of Jorge Araya, UNCRPD Secretary, I am completing a bibliography of media articles on this subject, with particular focus on inappropriate sanctions.) You may already know my views on this matter: http://twishort.com/1RVfc.

My bibliographic assignment for the UNCRPD Secretary might be an indication that the UN has already opened an investigation into Britain's benefit-sanctioning regime, but for the sake of certainty I'll make that request myself.

In my opinion, there's enough compelling evidence (especially from MPs and the Work & Pensions Committee) to persuade the UN to open an investigation into Britain's benefit-sanctioning regime. (See, for instance:

 1) Stitching-up claimants is all part of the job, says Jobcentre insider - Ros Wynne Jones - Mirror Online http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/stitching-up-claimants-part-job-says-3537051

2) Former DWP Staff Set Up Website To Help Wrongly Sanctioned Jobseekers http://welfarenewsservice.com/former-dwp-staff-set-website-help-wrongly-sanctioned-jobseekers/

3) MPs 'Lying' About Benefit Sanction Targets, Says Whistleblower
 http://welfarenewsservice.com/mps-lying-benefit-sanction-targets-says-whistleblower/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+welfarenewsservice+%28Welfare+News+Service%29

4) A selection of especially stupid benefit sanctions http://dwpunspun.org.uk/sanctions

5) Press release from Sheila Gilmore MP: Work and Pensions Committee member slams overuse of benefits sanctions http://www.sheilagilmore.co.uk/press-release-from-sheila-gilmore-mp-work-and-pensions-committee-member-slams-overuse-of-benefits-sanctions/

6) DWP target mental health claimants for ESA sanctions
http://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/news/2717-dwp-target-mental-health-claimants-for-esa-sanctions)


But there are a couple of caveats. The first, as Jorge Araya, Secretary of the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, points out: "Please be aware that most if not all of the human rights mechanisms cannot base their findings and recommendations solely on media reports."

The second is that the UN lacks the statutory power to enforce the UNCRPD, although legally bound signatories to this international law usually comply with its judgements. (In many countries, the UNCRPD becomes domestically operational when it is made part of a national legislation.)

I am looking for any news articles, Hansard transcripts, reports and studies, videos, Parliamentary debates, personal testimonies and correspondence (permissions may have to be obtained) which pertain to or mention benefit-sanctioning and inappropriate benefit-sanctioning.  My e-mail address is: disabilityinliterature@gmail.com

Thanking you in advance for any assistance.

Samuel Miller

An Inopportune Time

From my perspective, this is an inopportune time: UK Parliament is in summer recess; Navi Pillay completes her term as High Commissioner for Human Rights; and, Prince Zeid, who is currently Jordan's U.N. ambassador, begins his four-year term as U.N. human rights chief on September 1.  He will become the first U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights from the Muslim and Arab world and may be preoccupied with the Middle East conflict and its aftermath, in addition to the Russia-Ukraine crisis.

New "poverty" UN special rapporteurs have been appointed, and I will have to spend time familiarizing them with U.K.'s draconian welfare reforms, especially their harsh and punitive impact on sick and disabled people.

The UN special rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities will be appointed by the Human Rights Council, in September.  A 22-page letter, pointing out that cuts to social security benefits introduced by Iain Duncan Smith and enforced by his Department for Work and Pensions on behalf of the Coalition government may constitute a breach of the UK’s international treaty obligations to the poor, will also be discussed at a meeting of the UN Human Rights Council in New York, in September. It is signed by Raquel Rolnik, the former UN special rapporteur on adequate housing; Magdalena Sepúlveda Carmona, the former UN special rapporteur on extreme poverty; and Olivier De Schutter, the former UN special rapporteur on the right to food.

Matilda Ziegler Magazine, once described by Helen Keller as a "godsend," ceases publication

I thought that some of you would want to mark the snuffing-out of a candle for blind culture. I'm very disappointed by this loss of a venue that has published writings by blind people. I'm even more disappointed that it wasn't for lack of funds, but because of the choice to focus on medical research instead.

Letter below.

John

=====
July 25, 2014

As you are aware the Matilda Ziegler Magazine for the Blind has been suspended for the past several months pending a review by the Board of Directors of The E. Matilda Ziegler Foundation for the Blind. Considerable time was spent evaluating its substance, breadth of distribution, and readers' responses. With heavy heart the directors voted to discontinue the weekly magazine and use the Foundation's resources solely for scientific research through grants to highly innovative medical researchers who are making important advances in vision research.

We've come a long way from when my great grandmother, Electa Matilda Ziegler, founded the magazine in 1907 with the goal of producing reading material for the blind "as much as possible like that published for the seeing." Raised type books of the era were expensive, and the freely circulated magazine helped to fill an information void.

Today's blind and those with visual impairment can obtain books and magazines in Braille, on cassette, and in DVD or CD format from the National Library Service and the American Foundation for the Blind. Radio, television, internet, and commercially produced audio books have all become accessible, and provide resources that could not have been imagined in 1907.

Your emails and letters show that we've touched the lives of thousands of blind and vision impaired people. The Matilda Ziegler Magazine for the Blind was once described by Helen Keller as a "godsend," and Mark Twain described it as "one of the noblest benefactions of his lifetime." We hope to realize a medical breakthrough that will be worthy of the same praise.

On behalf of the E. Matilda Ziegler Foundation Board I sincerely thank you for your loyal readership over our many years.

Cynthia Ziegler Brighton
President

UK event: Short Course - Paranoia and Beliefs

HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED HOW TO RESPOND TO SOMEONE EXPRESSING ‘UNUSUAL’ BELIEFS?

Short course (comprising one-and-a-half days)

UNDERSTANDING &

SUPPORTING PEOPLE

WITH PARANOIA AND BELIEFS

Thursday 14^th August 2014, 10.00am to 5.00pm

Friday 15^th August, 10.00am to 2.00pm

run by the London Paranoia & Beliefs Project (part of Mind in Camden)

Applications for this course are online only. Please visit:  https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/understanding-supporting-people-with-paranoia-distressing-beliefs-15-days-tickets-11989190993#

 This short course does not include training in setting up, or facilitating, a Paranoia Peer Support Group. The focus will be on looking at different ways of making sense of, and coping with paranoia and the distress related to beliefs.

The London Paranoia & Beliefs Project launched in February 2012, and is run by Mind in Camden in partnership with the National Paranoia Network. Mind in Camden is known for its previous success establishing a Londonwide network of groups for people who hear voices. Founded on an ethos of acceptance and validation, Hearing Voices Groups provide a safe space where members can share without fear of judgement, and where their experiences are understood as having personal meaning. The London Paranoia & Beliefs Project aims to develop a similar network of peer support groups for people experiencing paranoia or distress related to beliefs. There are now 12 such groups currently running in London – where beliefs can be explored, common ground discovered, and coping strategies shared.

£7 for individuals with lived experience of paranoia

£50 for individuals without lived experience of paranoia

£50 for Voluntary Organisations

£75 for Statutory Organisations

Venue

Cardboard Citizens

77A Greenfield Rd

Whitechapel

London E1 1EJ

with best wishes

John Wetherell

Project Assistant

020 7241 8978

London Paranoia & Beliefs Project

run in partnership with the National Paranoia Network

http://nationalparanoianetwork.org/

Mind in Camden

Barnes House, 9-15 Camden Road, London, NW1 9LQ
www.mindincamden.org.uk

Fundraising Appeal From Left Foot Forward

Dear Friend,

 

TONIGHT at the private members’ club, Hurlingham, the Tories will host around 500 of the mega-wealthy to raise funds that they hope will fool the public into forgetting everything they’ve done since coming to power.

 

Can you help us even-out the playing field? Click here to support Left Foot Forward so we can continue to write fact-based articles about what Tory policies are really doing.

 

Last year at a similar private fundraiser, David Cameron rubbed shoulders with the likes of Vladimir Putin’s aide (and judo partner), Vasily Shestakov, and the lobbyists who represent the wife of the Syrian president Asma al-Assad. 449 of the super-rich, holding a combined £11 billion, paid £12,000 per table and then donated a further £5 million.

 

The strength of the left is in the power of us all coming together to combat these few mega-wealthy individuals. Can you donate £5 right now to help us?

 

Click here to chip in just £5: https://leftfoot.bsd.net/donate

 

Between all of us, every little bit makes a big difference. Thank you for supporting us.

 

Best wishes,

James Bloodworth, Left Foot Forward

When Lord Daniel Finkelstein makes a case for a crackdown on corporate and personal tax evasion and avoidance, does anyone hear?

Three days ago, Inside Housing featured this news story: http://www.insidehousing.co.uk/further-cuts-to-the-poor-are-inevitable-says-tory-peer/7004319.article. 

Further cuts to the poor are inevitable, says Tory peer

Lord Daniel Finkelstein, a Conservative peer and friend of George Osborne, said today that further cuts to the poor are inevitable.

In a debate at the Chartered Institute of Housing conference in Manchester on whether the state has abandoned the poor, Lord Finkelstein said: ‘It’s a trick to believe it’s possible to do something about this problem of over borrowing without cutting people’s income. Any government that is elected will have to cut expenditure and that will undoubtedly fall on poor people.’

He said the solution was: ‘To refuse in future to make promises to people that we then can’t redeem.’


In response, I tweeted: Predictably, no mention by Lord Daniel Finkelstein of the need to crack down on corporate and personal tax evasion and avoidance. (https://twitter.com/Hephaestus7/status/481786633935540226)

Much to my surprise, two days later Lord Finkelstein  responded: I only had 15 mins, but of course I am in favour of that. (https://twitter.com/Dannythefink/status/482466687393226752)

After favoring and re-tweeting his response, I  countered with  @Dannythefink I appreciate that clarification, but a tweet is akin to a tree falling in the forest that nobody hears. Would you be willing to contact "Inside Housing" (http://www.insidehousing.co.uk/further-cuts-to-the-poor-are-inevitable-says-tory-peer/7004319.article) and inform them that you agree with me on the need to crack down on corporate and personal tax evasion and avoidance? (http://www.twitlonger.com/show/n_1s29ei3)

Silence from Lord Finkelstein. A tree has fallen in the forest that no one has heard.

[UK] Centre for Culture & Disability Studies: Seminar Reminder

Crip Displacements: Voices of Disability, Neoliberalism, and Resistance

Prof. Robert McRuer

Date: Tuesday 15 July, 2014

Time: 2.15pm–3.45pm

Place: Eden 109, Liverpool Hope University, UK

Theorists of neoliberalism, from David Harvey to Judith Butler and Athena Athanasiou, have placed dispossession and displacement at the center of their analyses of the workings of contemporary global capitalism.  Disability, however, has not figured centrally into these analyses. Professor Robert McRuer’s seminar attends to crip echoes generated by dispossession, displacement, and a global austerity politics.  Centering on British-Mexican relations during a moment of austerity in the UK and gentrification in Mexico, “Crip Displacements” identifies both the voices of disability that are recognized by and made useful for neoliberalism as well as those shut down or displaced by this dominant economic and cultural system.  Professor McRuer particularly focuses on two events from 2013: a British embassy good will event touting access in Mexico City and an installation of photographs by Livia Radawanski, from the same period.  Radwanski’s photos of the redevelopment of a Mexico City neighborhood (and the displacement of poor people living in the neighborhood) are examined in order to attend to the ways in which disability might productively haunt theories of neoliberal dispossession. 

Robert McRuer is Professor of English and Chair of the Department of English at George Washington University.  He is the author of Crip Theory: Cultural Signs of Queerness and Disability (2006) and editor, with Anna Mollow, of Sex and Disability (2012). He is also a JLCDS editorial board member, contributor, book reviewer, and guest editor.

This seminar is part of the CCDS series, The Voice of Disability. Other dates include:

8 Oct 2014, Manifest Pleasures: Litany, Utopia, and Literary Autism, Julia Miele Rodas.

12 Nov 2014, Discourses, Decisions, Designs: An international comparative analysis of “special” educational policy making, Jessica Chong.

17 Dec 2014, It’s Not Gibberish: ‘Disabled’ Voices in Literature for Young People, Chloë Hughes.

14 Jan 2015, It Must Be Simple: The Supreme Fiction at the Core of the Backlash to Access Debate, David Feeney.

11 Feb 2015, Authorship and the voice of disability in dance, Mathilde Pavis and Kate Marsh.

11 Mar 2015, Which Theory of Democracy for an Inclusive Society? A Pragmaticist Approach, David Doat.

13 May 2015, The Voice of the Disability Activist Movement in the US around the ADA:  A Hidden Minority or a Hidden Army, Lennard J. Davis.

17 Jun 2015, ‘Working together for positive outcomes’: The Appropriation of Voice and Participation in SEN policy, Claire Penketh.

For further information please contact:

Dr. David Bolt

Associate Professor, Education, Culture, and Disability Studies

http://www.hope.ac.uk/staff/boltd.html

Director, Centre for Culture & Disability Studies

http://ccds.hope.ac.uk/

Editor in Chief, Journal of Literary & Cultural Disability Studies

http://JLCDS.liverpooluniversitypress.co.uk

Joint Editor, Literary Disability Studies

http://www.palgrave.com/products/SearchResults.aspx?s=LD&fid=338267

Email: boltd@hope.ac.uk

Telephone: 0151 291 3346

Office: HCA 001

Postal address: Faculty of Education, Liverpool Hope University, Liverpool, UK, L16 9JD.

Recent Books:

Changing Social Attitudes Toward Disability: http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415732499/

The Metanarrative of Blindness: http://www.press.umich.edu/5725818/metanarrative_of_blindness

The Madwoman and the Blindman: https://ohiostatepress.org/index.htm?books/book%20pages/bolt%20madwoman.html

Sigmund Freud and David Freud: How they treated people with cerebral palsy

Sigmund Freud was an early researcher in the field of cerebral palsy; his great grandson, David Freud, is the architect of the bedroom tax, a much hated government policy which is hurting Wayne Blackburn, who has cerebral palsy.

Link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21926402

 

Sigmund Freud (1865 – 1939)

First to Group a Wide Range of Motor Impairments

Dr. Sigmund Freud, a neurologist, was first to state that cerebral palsy might be caused by abnormal development before birth. Prior to that, orthopedic surgeon Dr. William Little had postulated that cerebral palsy was acquired at birth due to difficult labor. Freud disagreed, stating that difficult birth is “merely a symptom of deeper effects that influence the development of the fetus.” At the time, this conclusion was virtually ignored. It wasn’t until decades later that researchers began to support Freud’s theories.
Freud on the Cause of Cerebral Palsy
Freud disagreed with Little’s findings and fueled a debate that is still argued in courtrooms and researched within the medical community today. Freud noticed that many children who experienced birth asphyxia went on to develop normally with no indication of cerebral palsy. Little believed that birth asphyxia caused cerebral palsy.
Little’s background was orthopedic surgery, and Freud believed that this limited both the type of patients that Little saw and the way Little viewed their condition. Also, Freud was studying the brain and its pathways, which allowed him to see a connection between cerebral palsy and other conditions such as intellectual impairment and seizures. All this led Freud to state that these conditions were likely caused by problems occurring very early in the development of the brain and central nervous system, certainly before birth.
Despite this observation, researchers and doctors continued to follow Little’s conclusions. Freud wasn’t proven correct until almost a century later when research indicated only a small percentage of cerebral palsy cases, approximately 10 percent, were caused by birth asphyxia.
Freud First to Unite Motor Impairments Under One Term, ‘Infantile Cerebral Palsy’
Although the term ‘cerebral palsy’ was not used in the mid-1800s, Freud was first to unite the wide range of infantile motor impairments caused by abnormal brain development under one term: infantile cerebral palsy. This grouping is still relevant today, although Freud intended it as temporary classification; one that would be proven outdated by future research. Today, doctors and researchers continue working toward better methods for classifying cerebral palsy.
The Peculiar Birth of Sigmund Freud
Ironically, Freud was protected from asphyxia at birth. He was born in a Caul, which means he was born inside an intact amniotic sac. This happens most often in preterm birth, and can allow a baby to develop as if they were still inside the womb, not needing to breathe, protected from infection, and taking nourishment from amniotic fluids. According to the folklore of Freud’s day, birth in a Caul was an omen of future success. He was destined to be a great man.

Appeal from James Bloodworth of Left Foot Forward

Dear Friend,

 

Last month we hit our highest number of readers ever. Nearly 100,000 people read our piece on why women shouldn’t vote for UKIP published the day before the election. We’re expanding our readership and influence - but we could be doing even more.

 

We need funds to gear up for the run-up to the General Election so we can keep pushing against UKIP and the Tories. Advertising doesn’t pay very much and to remain independent and credible we need generous readers to step up. Want a fun way to help Left Foot Forward now?

 

Buy a ticket to our fundraising dinner next month - it’s only £45 and you get a meal, a chance to socialise with like-minded people and support Left Foot Forward during this critical time.

 

Buy your tickets now here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/left-foot-forward-dinner-with-gloria-de-piero-mp-tickets-11619663727

 

Gloria De Piero MP, Shadow Minister for Women and Equalities, will be joining us at the dinner which will take place on Tuesday, 15 July at 7 PM at Mumbai Square in London.

 

Hope to see you there!

 

James

 

Help Stop the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP)

Dave, a 38 Degrees member from Minehead in Somerset says “it’s absolutely essential that we campaign on this”. And tens of thousands of other 38 Degrees members agree - the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) is disastrous and together we have to do all that we can to stop it going through as it is. [1]

TTIP is a hugely influential trade deal between the US and the EU. 38 Degrees members recently voted to prioritise stopping the part of the deal which lets businesses sue governments that introduce new laws that could damage their profits. [2] This is already happening in other countries. Right now the Australian government is being sued by a tobacco company after introducing laws banning branding on cigarette packets. [3]

Sounds sinister right? It really is. And, unsurprisingly, negotiations over TTIP are shrouded in secrecy. The deal’s being thrashed out right now by politicians and corporate lobbyists behind closed doors.

So if we’re going to beat this thing together, first thing’s first - we need to bring TTIP into the open. Let’s get TTIP out of secret negotiations, and into public conversation. We need to cause a massive public outcry to stop this trade deal from sliding under the radar.

Let’s create hard-hitting ads and splash them all over the country. From full page spreads in newspapers, to bus stops and billboards. The 38 Degrees staff team will work with an agency to come up with a brilliant design, and we’ll make sure it’s seen everywhere.

Together we can stop global corporations running our government and ruining our planet. Can you chip in a few pounds now to help fund a massive, people-powered ad campaign across the country?
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/TTIP-Ad-Fundraiser

TTIP would put the profits of big business ahead of everything else. It would weaken the rules which protect consumers, our environment, our welfare and health services, to much weaker levels seen in the USA. And it would stop future governments from rolling back privatisation of our public services, such as the NHS, energy companies, or the Royal Mail. [4]

There are a lot of things 38 Degrees members could do to stop this. A no-holds-barred nationwide ad campaign will shine a spotlight on these dangerous proposals. And it’ll be a first step towards making sure TTIP becomes too toxic for any of our MPs or MEPs to back.

We know how much of a stir massive ad campaigns like this can cause in Westminster. During the gagging law campaign, after a key vote in the House of Lords, one peer cited newspaper ads funded by 38 Degrees members as an important reason why he voted the right way. [5]

If nobody is talking about the issue, then it’s easy for the government to go ahead and agree to this dangerous deal. Will you chip in now so these ads can be designed, printed and put up across the country as soon as possible?
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/TTIP-Ad-Fundraiser


Thanks so much for being involved,

Megan, Bryony, Blanche & the 38 Degrees team


PS: TTIP is a pretty complicated issue. But there are lots of helpful resources out there to understand it more clearly.

This report by John Hilary, executive director of War on Want, is good place to start. It looks at the many problems with TTIP, and deals that allow businesses to sue governments, in a clear, but thorough way.
http://rosalux.gr/sites/default/files/publications/ttip_web.pdf


NOTES:
[1] 38 Degrees: TTIP- Poll results:
http://blog.38degrees.org.uk/2014/05/22/ttip-poll-results/
[2] ACTA: Investor-to-state dispute settlement is a rigged system:
http://acta.ffii.org/?p=2112
Corporate Europe: Civil society groups say no to investor-state disput settlement in EU-US trade deal:
http://corporateeurope.org/trade/2013/12/civil-society-groups-say-no-investor-state-dispute-settlement-eu-us-trade-deal
[3] BBC: Philip Morris sues Australia over cigarette packaging:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-15815311
[4] John Hilary: The transatlantic trade and investment partnership: A charter for deregulation:
http://rosalux.gr/sites/default/files/publications/ttip_web.pdf
[5] Hansard: Transcript of a debate on the gagging law in the house of lords. Lord Walton of Detchant references our newspaper advert in the link below:
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201314/ldhansrd/text/140128-0001.htm#14012860000858

Lord Falconer’s Assisted Dying Bill

Lord Falconer’s Assisted Dying Bill had its first parliamentary reading last week. It allows doctors to prescribe a lethal dose of drugs to terminally ill people with just six months to live who wish to end their lives. Here, a leading campaigner warns of the dangers to all those with special needs.

http://www.thetablet.co.uk/features/2/2562/fatally-flawed




Petition | Follow through on your declared support for the idea that Assisted Dying should not be legalised. | Change.org http://www.change.org/petitions/david-cameron-follow-through-on-your-declared-support-for-the-idea-that-assisted-dying-should-not-be-legalised

It is my belief that debt-ridden governments have increasingly come to regard sick and disabled people as financial burdens on the state—resulting in euthanasia being proposed legislatively as a "final solution" to stem the rising tide of disability benefit claims.

When government ministers opine that the benefits bill is unsustainable, what they're implicitly stating is that government can no longer afford to look after their most vulnerable citizens.

—Samuel Miller, in a June 15, 2013 letter to McGill University bioethicist, Margaret Somerville

I hope that you are not correct in your assessment of what is happening but I fear that you might be.

Even though the situation for vulnerable people and for important values looks grim I believe that ethics will eventually prevail. We must remain hopeful and not give up the good fight. 

—Margaret Somerville 

 

EU published its first report on the implementation of the UN Convention

Brussels, 6 June 2014 | On 5 June 2014, the European Union published its first report on the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD). The EU ratified the Convention in 2010 making it the first international human rights treaty ever ratified by a regional organisation like the European Union. The EU has the obligation to prepare and submit a report on the actions it took to give effect to the Convention. Considering this as a historic moment for the rights of persons with disabilities, EDF welcomes the publication of the EU report as an evolving and dynamic process to which it would like to contribute by sharing the clear and structured view of 80 million persons with disabilities.

The EU report offers a complete description and information on the actions taken by the European Commission. However, it misses the opportunity to involve the Council and the European Parliament, as well as the Commission at its highest political levels. The report also fails to include civil society, first and foremost organisations of persons with disabilities, as well as to trigger a substantial debate on the role of the EU in implementing the rights of persons with disabilities.

WHAT ARE THE GAPS? EDF IDENTIFIES THEM IN ITS ALTERNATIVE REPORT!

Read more here

Lila Sylviti
Communication
European Disability Forum | nothing about us without ustel +32 2 282 46 04 | fax +32 2 282 46 09 lila.sylviti@edf-feph.org - www.edf-feph.org

   

Web Accessibility: No More Time To Waste! If Not Now, when?

Brussels, 5 June 2014 | This Friday 6 of June the Transport, Telecommunication and Energy Council will meet and discuss the state of play of the Web Directive. Unfortunately, during the last two presidencies of the EU, there has been no further progress on the Proposal for a Directive on the Accessibility of Public Sector Bodies’ Websites in Council. EDF wants to see the forthcoming Telecommunications Council conclusions include a clear political commitment to ensure rapid progress on this Directive during the forthcoming Italian Presidency. This would make a real difference to 80 million Europeans with disabilities.

The Parliament’s report on the proposal for a Directive on the Accessibility of Public Sector Bodies’ Websites introduced extremely valuable changes to the Commission’s proposal. These changes would benefit the majority of citizens across the EU and would boost the web-developing European marketplace, giving a perfect example of how a piece of legislation can contribute to inclusive growth in the digital field.

EDF regrets that the Greek Presidency failed to take this very important legislation further, and hopes that the forthcoming Italian presidency will treat the web directive as a priority.

- WHAT DO WE NEED?

- WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?

- CAMPAIGN WITH US ON SOCIAL MEDIA #webaccess

Read more here

Lila Sylviti
Communication
European Disability Forum | nothing about us without ustel +32 2 282 46 04 | fax +32 2 282 46 09 lila.sylviti@edf-feph.org - www.edf-feph.org