NJN Network

Nothing on TV could rival the Myrtle Jenkins Smith story

By Stephen Pate, NJN Network, Charlottetown, PEI, Canada, February 21, 2009

I was up way to early and tired of writing so I went into the TV room, yup that’s what we call it. Mostly a place for Hannah and Natalie to hang with the door closed and their friends over. I go in late at night – like 1 am when it may be free. Law and Order came on so I watched this complicated plot about a couple arguing, a woman gets shot, there’s a stripper, her photographer boyfriend, a lawyer with a dead wife, two ex-cons and a 22 caliber pistol. The thing was so complicated then I realized no less strange and complicated than our our Myrtle Jenkins Smith story.

I’ve known Myrtle for decades mostly because Vaughn, her husband, and I were business associates. He’s a pretty easy going guy. Myrtle was always pushing somewhere. When I ran into her as the lead consultant on the Disability Services Review Committee I thought it would be pleasant. She has a good way with people, getting things organized. We seemed to get along but there was something wrong.
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OSCAR SHOWDOWN

By The Trouble with Jerry, Hollywood, CA, USA, Feb 20 2009

Los Angeles – Nearly 50 activists from across the US protested at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) headquarters in Beverly Hills today, demanding to meet with AMPAS officials and to present a petition signed by over 2600 individuals objecting to the plan to grant Jerry Lewis the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at this Sunday’s Oscar Awards ceremony. The protesters, mostly people with disabilities, occupied the lobby and refused to leave. Finally, AMPAS Executive Director Bruce Davis was summoned to meet with the group, called The Trouble with Jerry. Lewis has long defended the use of pity as a fund raising tactic. He has also described disabled individuals as “half a person” and referred to a wheelchair as “a steel imprisonment.”
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$113 Billion to be spent on health, disability and poverty related issues

NJN Network, Charlottetown, PEI, Canada, February 21, 2009
with story from The Arc, Disability Policy Collobaration News

Editor - there will be more than the anticipated $18 billion spent of Americans living with disabilities in the ARRA with health, poverty, housing and disbility related spending combined. Medicaid spending is $87 billion and all other categories are in excess of $26 billion. President Barack Obama has kept his word with the American people to bring social and health issues to the forefront of US recovery efforts. The challenge for Americans is to get the money out to the States and agencies as quickly as possible.

The ARRA moved extremely quickly through Congress. The Arc and UCP have worked hard to ensure that the economic recovery package signed into law maintained the highest funding levels for disability-related programs and provides for the best possible protections for people with disabilities. The final Bill contains $787 billion in tax cuts and program funding. Most of the funding is intended to grow and protect jobs.

What is the Status of the Legislation?

Jan 28 – passed by House by a vote of 244-188
Feb 10 – passed by Senate by a vote of 61-37
Feb 11 – the Senate – House Conference Committee resolved the differences between the two bills.
Feb 13 – the House passed the conference bill by a vote of 246-183 and the Senate passed it by a vote of 60-38.
Feb 17 – President Obama signed the bill into law.

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Everything we need to know about living on PEI according the the Liberal Millionaires Club

By Stephen Pate, NJN Network, Charlottetown, PEI, Canada, February 20, 2009
from PEI Government Press Release

Well, it’s here. The final report on how we are going to age with grace, style and panache. Province Releases New Healthy Aging Strategy. I’m excited. Then I look down and see -WHAAT? – It’s called “Ascent Report”!

Oh God save us please. Another report for our mindless Premier Robert Ghiz prepared by the Queen of the Liberal Millionaires Club – Myrtle Jenkins Smith.

I mean is there a limit to the subjects Myrtle will pretend to be an expert on? She gave us the going-no-where Disability Services Reform Report. It’s also known as – “dust collector.”

Myrtle is the author of that best seller – “How to close rural schools and centralize PEI in Charlottetown and Summerside” or your kids don’t live here anymore, Alice.
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The disabled are not freaks for your freak show

By Stephen Pate, NJN Network, Charlottetown, PEI, Canada, February 20, 2009
with a story from FREDA, Jerry Lewis humanitarian award demonstrations set for this weekend

Just like Americans with disabilities don’t want the Jerry Lewis TV freak show, we don’t want your stinking Easter Seals Show on CBC March 1, 2009. We don’t want to be your trussed up little moneys wobbling across the stage at the Confederation Centre so you can feel sorry for us. We don’t want your stinking money. It’s all guilt money.

“Oh look Martha, he’s so pitiful and cute. And he doesn’t drool much.”

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Lewis is seen as a parasite by the disability community

From Feminist Response in Disability Advocacy, FRIDA
Los Angeles, Ca. - Disability community leaders from across disability advocacy will protest the decision of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to grant Jerry Lewis the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at this Sunday’s Oscar Awards ceremony. Lewis has described disabled individual is “half a person” and referred to a wheelchair as “a steel imprisonment.

“For more than two decades, disability rights advocates have objected to Lewis’ portrayal of life with a disability as tragic and pathetic. In response, Lewis snarled, “You don’t want to be pitied because you’re a cripple in a wheelchair? Stay in your house!”
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By Stephen Pate, NJN Network, Charlottetown, PEI, Canada, February 19, 2009 11:45 EST

US President Barack Obama has just arrived in Ottawa. He pulled up in his limousine pulled up under the Peace Tower at the Parliament Buildings. President Obama got out of his car, came inside and then went back out with Prime Minister Stephen Harper to wave to the crowd. The crowd roared back.

Why is that so exciting? I’m a hard boiled news person. My dad was a harder boiled newsman and I was an even tougher business man before that. People like Nils Ling who pretend they are liberal minded take shots at me everyday. Bigots and creeps take shots at me. I’ve been physically threatened because I stand up for the disabled and the underdog. I just shrug off those bigoted fools.

So why is Obama so exciting? Because he represents hope. Hope is hard come by any time but in Canada we live in an age of cynicism. Old governments don’t care about minorities. New governments like Robert Ghiz get elected promising to help. As soon as they are in office, they start gorging themselves on money and expensive luxury living. The poor, the disadvantaged, the disabled, minorities of language and race, rural people – all tossed aside by the cynical new government.
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The law says as close as possible but not more than 50 metres

By Stephen Pate, NJN Network, Charlottetown, PEI, Canada February 19, 2009

If 50 meters from the parking to the building door is the standard, how does UPEI measure up?

Main Building which had 3 accessible spots right by the door before last summer is now 128 meters from the visitors lot or 158 meters from the back lot, or 78 meters beyond the law.
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No one else is

By Ann Corcoran, special to NJN Network, Charlottetown, PEI Canada, February 19, 2009

Editor – Ann’s experiences are typical. The PEI COD and local police have fallen asleep at the wheel on enforcing disabled parking.

Stephen,

I know how dedicated you are regarding parking spaces and disabilities. When L and I went to find a parking space one day on Kent St., the space was in front of a telephone pole which put him in the line of traffic to get out of his van. It was my first act in the role of traffic control.

My very first letter to the editor went earlier regarding the parking space in front of the liquor store on Queen St. I always try to take note with blue spots. There was a police car in a disability parking spot. I really don’t care if they had an issue or not within the liquor store. The cop car did not need to be in that space.
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Dear President Obama,

When you come to Canada would you ask the Prime Minister of Canada to treat Canadians with disabilities better.

We don’t have a Canadians with Disabilities Act so employers, schools, universities, governments, public and private institutions abuse our human rights.

We don’t have an Equal Opportunity Commission to help enforce the law either. If we try to fix that, we have to hire expensive lawyers to take them to court.

When the Canadian Government came up with its stimulus package, it didn’t budget anything near the $18 billion you are spending on the disabled.

Please just put a bug in their ear. We need help.

Yours truly,

Stephen Pate
PEI Disability Alert

Letters to the Editor, Ann Corcoran, February 18, 2009, Charlottetown, PE, Canada

What is the ultimate disgrace by law enforcers? It was seen on Queen Street today – a Charlottetown Police car parked in a designated parking spot. Another a few weeks ago was a car parked in a designated spot and ignored by a meter person.

Payoffs in not-for-profit sector

By Stephen Pate, NJN Network, Charlottetown, PEI, Canada, February 18th, 2009
When Marcia Carroll got the position of Executive Director PEI Council of Persons with Disabilities I hoped it was a fresh start for PEICOD. It’s actually been more regressive than the former administration of Barry Schmidl. Carroll is a personal friend of Premier Ghiz who has turned out to be a disability bigot. Ghiz is using her personal loyalties and grants to keep the PEICOD from advocating on behalf of the disabled. That makes Marcia Carroll a disability bigot as well. They’re in fine company these Liberals. People like Carroll are really parasites, living off the disability of others while pretending to help them.
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By Stephen Pate, NJN Network, Charlottetown, PEI, Canada, February 16, 2009
with story from The Guardian

The Guardian reports “PEI’s Treasurer Provincial Treasurer Wes Sheridan is warning it will be a tougher budget than in the past.
Sheridan has completed about 25 public consultation sessions” We gave Sheridan one of the big sources of found money in our consultation – save more than $100 million by strict tendering of all PEI goods and services. The Province of PEI law, Maritime Procurement Agreement and NAFTA require tendering. The Province has fallen off the wagon and is spending more than $100 million wasted on patronage and mismanagement. The assumption on patronage purchasing is that you’ll get your share. The reality is that crumbs are thrown on the floor for small business and the big patronage bonanza is for a small number of rich business men like the late Harry MacLauchlan and the Matheson brothers.
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By Stephen Pate, NJN Network, Charlottetown, PEI, Canada, February 12th, 2009

Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee were one of the more popular and long lasting blues acts. They had the groove that we still strive to perfect. Without the groove in the beat, blues is a pale shadow of the real thing.

Both were artists with serious disabilities. Sonny Terry (1911 -1986), the harmonica player, was blind. Brownie McGhee (1915 – 1996) was disabled with polio, like I was. An operation funded by the March of Dimes gave him his walking back. I am re-discovering them after yesterday’s accidental story, Summer of Love has ended

Through years of playing and that internal magic all great musicians have, Terry and McGhee had the groove, in their case the blues groove. Most people can spot a groove in two bars of music. It makes your feet tap, gets women on their feet and dancing.
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DISABILITIES
By Daniel J. Vance

Business owner Dave Neiman of St. Peter, Minnesota, has become a great deal more aware over the last six months about accessibility issues arising in his ten Arrow Ace Hardware stores.

It all started last June: “While launching a boat then with my father-in-law, I was jumping from boat to dock and just landed wrong,” he said in a telephone interview. A doctor later confirmed Neiman had severely injured his Lisfranc joint, which an American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons website defines as “the point at which the metatarsal bones (long bones that lead up to the toes) and the tarsal bones (bones in the arch) connect.”

In Neiman’s case, “all those foot joints popped out of their sockets and all the ligaments and tendons tore,” he said. He had foot surgery in which a surgeon pinned and screwed his right foot together and wrapped the foot in a cast. Then he learned he wouldn’t be allowed to put any weight on the foot for over two months. Even after that, he still would have another nine months of recovery in which he would have to use a walking aid, such as crutches or a knee walker.
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By Stephen Pate, PEI Disability Alert, Charlottetown, PEI, Canada, February 5, 2009

Ed – this report was sent to the PEI and other media and our contacts at UPEI 10 minutes ago.

Accessible entrance and exit doors are required to have an approved power opener with buttons placed inside and outside the door. Only one of the 4 exit doors has an electronic opener with buttons. That door is inaccessible with a 50mm drop after the aluminum threshold.

These are just two incidents that we investigated at random on the University campus. UPEI management refuses to discuss any disability issues with us so we took them to the City of Charlottetown, Planning Department who ignored our warnings.
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by Mandy Crest
Monday, February 02, 2009
Multiple Sclerosis Central

What a story! For the very first time, disability has been reversed in patients in the early stages of multiple sclerosis. Let’s just take a moment to let that soak in. Disability has not only been halted, it has actually been reversed! Multiple sclerosis is a disease of the central nervous system. In patients with MS, the immune system mistakenly attacks myelin, the protective sheath that surrounds nerves and speeds the transmission of impulses along the nerve cells. This causes a breakdown in communication between the central nervous system and the rest of the body, causing a wide variety of symptoms, including visual disturbances, vertigo, coordination problems, and paralysis.
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By Stephen Pate, NJN Network, Charlottetown, PEI, February 4th, 2009

The Guardian is fighting back with a top secret spy mission. My son sent this Facebook message from an undisclosed location,

“Some chick from the Guardian that I’ve never heard of tried adding me as a friend on Facebook. I removed her and asked why she was adding me, never answered. I can only guess she was hoping to dig up info on you for a story. Can’t remember her name, but she was young…around my age or younger. Anyway, just seemed fishy to me.”

I guess I’ve been getting under Gary MacDougall’s skin along with the Robert Ghiz Liberals and UPEI. They’re going to do an expose on me.

God, I wonder what someone can’t find out just by asking. Of course research at the Guardian is always a little dodgy. Press releases from the government are printed without question. They refuse to print stories about disabilities unless Myrtle Jenkins-Smith approves them. Gary is friends with friends of friends. I’ve published over 1,400 articles. There are 56 pages of Google references to Stephen Pate including my famous cousins the PGA golfer and the other one who’s a cyclist. Surely enough material even for a slow reporter.
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Easter Seals is PEI’s best televised freak show, get your cheque books ready folks

Stephen Pate, PEI Disability Alert, Charlottetown, PEI, Canada, Feb. 3 2009

This is the third in a series of articles on child abuse in the annual Easter Seals Telethon sponsored by CBC and the Charlottetown Rotary.

CBC should decide if it has humanitarian values. If so educate your staff. Otherwise, get out of disability pubic relations stunts and admit you’re just a cynical news organization. Don’t hide behind our skirts anymore to raise your public goodwill. The Easter Seals campaign to raise money for the disabled is an abuse of the public and the children involved. A photogenic, disabled child is suited up like a monkey in the circus and run around the country to deliver a positive message of “can-do”‘isms despite the real problems in his or her little life. Once the campaign is over, the money banked, the child is abandoned by Rotary and CBC never to be seen again. As a national public institution, CBC is cynically using the children like that dope-on-a-rope Jerry Lewis and his offensive MD Telethon. Does the fact this has been going on for 30 years make it right?
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PEI Disability Alert announces the Disability Bigot of 2008 Award

Stephen Pate, NJN Network, Charlottetown, PEI, Canada, Feb. 2 2009

One of my favourite articles Oh UPEI we stand on guard for thee, the adventures of Chucky the Beaver received an inscrutable comment “What a f***ing moronic blog.” In algebra you solve from the known to the unknown. I check the word moronic “A person of mild mental retardation having a mental age of from 7 to 12 years.” Hmmm. Not much luck there. What does “f***ing” mean. If one takes the asterisks to indicate missing letters it could mean: failing, farming, fussing or funking. There are 506 words that that match the writer’s anagram and I lost interest after 10.
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File under: it could happen on here

By Michelle Diament
January 31, 2009
Washington Post AP story

ATLANTA — It started as a family joke: Facing snowballing medical expenses for their two young disabled children, Gregg and Brittiny Peters quipped they might need to sell everything they owned to stay solvent. As the bills tipped $10,000, however, the idea was no longer funny. So on Thursday, the Gainesville, Ga., couple accepted a winning $20,000 eBay bid for all their belongings minus their house.
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Here is a comment from YouTube

“It’s troubling that the coach waited until senior night to let Jason show off the skills he possesses. People with developmental disabilities should be treated as equals EVERY night, not just senior night. Maybe if Jason had been given more opportunities to show off his skills, he could have had nights like this throughout his 4 years of high school, instead of enthusiastically cheering on his teammates from the bench.”

Stephen Pate, NJN Network, Charlottetown, PEI, Canada, Feb. 1 2009
with Guardian story

Sadly for the abused residents of Mount Herbert, their legal fight for compensation from the Province and Mount Herbert Trust hit a legal road block. Even sadder still is the verbal gymnastics Minister Richard Brown is going through to withdraw his support. Apparently that support was much less than the 14 remaining residents of Mount Herbert expected. “‘My commitment was, if we form the government, I will fight to get you at least a reference to the courts which will speed up the process and which will get you your answers to your questions without a costly and timely court battle,’ Brown told The Guardian.” Richard can be a silver tongued devil when he wants your support and change his tune with fancy words afterwards. Brown has a reputation in the papers as being a champion of the little guy; however, its mostly bluff and hot air. During his time in opposition he made great promises to see seniors and others with disabilities got help. Sometimes the support would evaporate as he walked from the Coles building to the Legislature. All of it was gone after the election. Smooth talk and smiles are are PEI’s 22,000 disabled see from Minister Brown.

DISABILITIES

By Daniel J. Vance

Many Americans feel Alzheimer’s disease shouldn’t be talked about. But 80-year-old, Pennsylvania native Mimi Steffen isn’t ashamed to say she has it. She was diagnosed five years ago and is now an Alzheimer’s Association spokesperson.

The Alzheimer’s Association website defines Alzheimer’s disease as a progressive, fatal brain disease affecting about five million Americans. It destroys brain cells, causing memory, thinking and behavior problems. It’s the sixth-leading cause of death in the U.S.
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By Stephen Pate, NJN Network, Charlottetown, PEI, Canada, January 31, 2009

Yesterday I wrote about a cool new group and their video Epilepsy is Dancing. When I checked my stories at 4:30 PM, my computer locked up. Apparently, YouTube had taken the video down “because it is supposedly indecent!” Although stunning and provocative, the video is hardly indecent, more of cross between Midsummer Night’s Dream meets Debussy’s painter. There is quite a bit of indecent material on YouTube and this video is art not indecent. What is startling is the combination of disability and sexuality, one of the taboos yet in our society.

The video is so well done, with the lyrics, music, dancing and cinematography I recommend it for viewing by adults and children, pre-teens and older, to teach them about epilepsy. It will allay fears about disability and help us to understand another state of human existence. Most children have already seen more sexuality on daytime soaps and rock videos. Of course, nothing is more immoral and disrespectful to life than the brutal violence shown in movies and TV.

Here is the video on PitchFork TV.
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From BattleCreekEnquirer.com

The death of Marvin Schur should make all of us think about our roles as neighbors and community members in a world where we increasingly are isolated from one another.Schur is the 93-year-old Bay City man who was found frozen to death in his house Jan. 17. The local utility company had installed a power-limiting device on Schur’s house because he owed more than $1,000 in unpaid electric bills.
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By Melissa Barton,

My son Alex Barton was voted out of kindergarten because he has Aspergers Syndrome. His teacher Wendy Portillo was suspended for one year. YET< Monday she fights her suspension in FT Pierce FL. I need your help to prevent this monster from ever teaching again. Please read the article.

Alex Barton teacher’s suspension appeal to be heard Monday in Fort Pierce

From TC Palm, Palm Beach County, FL

FORT PIERCE — Morningside Elementary teacher Wendy Portillo, who got worldwide attention after she led her kindergarten students to vote out classmate Alex Barton, will be heard Monday morning as she appeals her one-year unpaid suspension. Portillo got the suspension after a lengthy St. Lucie County Schools investigation into the incident. Alex was 5 years old last May when he was voted out by classmates. He was in the process of being diagnosed with a type of autism.
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By Kay Olson, The Gimp Parade, Minnesota, USA, January 30, 2009

Kay Olson publishes one of the most popular disability blogs in North America. Always controversial, she describes herself as “I’m a thirtysomething disabled feminist. Overeducated, underemployed.”

My newest music obsession is Antony and the Johnsons. Antony Hegarty is, as described by SignOnSan Diego, a “brawny-looking, transsexual Irish-American maverick with a wonderfully androgynous voice and a tremulous chamber-pop style all his own.”

Warning: the video contain partial nudity which some might consider offensive although we don’t. Apparently YouTube has removed the video, which would explain why it’s locking up my computer. Try PitchforkTV which works better anyway.
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By Stephen Pate, NJN Network, Charlottetown, PEI Canada, January 27th, 2009

No one plans to become disabled at age 20 but you have a “3-in-10 chance of becoming disabled before reaching retirement age.” according to the US Social Security Service. Every prudent driver carries car insurance but your chances of an auto accident in your lifetime are 1 in 84. Odds of becoming disabled are the highest risk we all face. Good idea to carry long term disability insurance. While helpful, US Social Security or CPP Disability are not going to pay the bills. Check out the Social Security site. They have an online resource centre to help at Disability Planner – Social Security Protection. In Canada, it’s at Canada Pension Disability.

Spokesperson of 2009 Special Olympics featured on the Apprentice

By Daniel J. Vance, published January 27, 2009
Disabilities by Daniel J. Vance

Daniel J. Vance’s weekly newspaper column Disabilities has been published in more than 250 newspapers. Disabilities is the nation’s best-read weekly column about people with disabilities.

In a recent column, you learned about Troy McClain, who was featured on the TV show “The Apprentice” and is a spokesperson for the week-long 2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games that begin February 7 in Boise, Idaho. In addition, he’s a real estate developer, sought-after speaker, and Participant Centered Results facilitator. His life changed drastically 24 years ago, when his recently divorced mother adopted DoraLynn, a 4-year-old deaf Eskimo girl with an intellectual disability. Read the rest of this entry »

By Stephen Pate, PEI Disability Alert, Charlottetown, PEI, Canada, January 25, 2009
with story from IndyStar.com

Including customers with disabilities in your business taps new markets and can increase revenues. A new order system for fast food drive-through restaurants makes it easier for hearing or communication impaired customers to place orders. More than 30 customers use the system at one location of Culver’s a chain of 370 restaurants in 17 states. “OrderAssist lets the deaf and hard of hearing order at the drive-through window by using a buzzer system,” reports IndyStar.com. “Customers use the buzzer to alert employees that they need assistance, then they pull up to the service window, where they can receive an order form to complete. The cost for the order is written down for the customer.”
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By Stephen Pate, NJN Network, Charlottetown, PEI, Canada January 24, 2009

Another side to the story

The letter “So What” is the January 21st, 2009 West Prince Graphic does not reflect the accessible parking situation says the general manager of Tignish Initiatives. Anne Arseault, the general manager said “The disabled blue parking spot is always kept clear of snow, except in a storm. We keep the ramp clear and use salt if ice forms.” She explained that the parking lot is cleaned with a snow blower and had an inch of snow that day. The path for a wheelchair from the parking to the door was clean and clear. “We have dedicated staff who check on that several times a day,” Arsenault added. “We do our best everyday to keep on top of it. It is winter on PEI you know.”

Letters to the Editor West Prince Graphic
January 21, 2009

So what!

These are two words than can make a bold statement. I certainly found this out in a recent situation I encountered.I recently started working for a young adult who is confined to a wheelchair. I have sure learned the challenges that face people who use wheelchairs or who have any sort of disability. We take so many things for granted that are easy for us, but not so easy for others. Since it is winter our outings are limited as the weather plays a large role in what we do. We like to visit the library and CAP site that are located in the Tignish Initiatives building quite often. Last week we made notice that the handicapped parking space needed some attention. We brought this concern to management. We again visited the next day, with still no change in the parking area and ramp. We again asked if it could be looked at.
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By Stephen Pate, NJN Network, Charlottetown, PEI Canada, January 23, 2009 It’s easy to get some free publicity with Wikipedia. You just post something they don’t like, they take it down and you report that in the media. Instant attention. Although I hadn’t planned it that way, it’s what happened when juvenile Wiki editors hit my stubborn streak. Wiki War hits Disability Alert It gave Disability Alert national media attention across Canada. Apparently the Wiki editor sits in his room pouring over Wiki entries 18 hours a day, that is when he’s not working as a stooge for the Conservative Party. TechDirt reports that a rock band got lots of free publicity the same way. “…eventually one of the band’s fans wrote one about them — and it was deleted later that day because the band wasn’t, according to Wikipedia editors, “notable.” Cue the newspaper article… and then the follow-up, saying the band was back in Wikipedia, with an entry linking to the original story.” After my Wiki war got national Canadian media attention, some newspapers sent a memo banning Wiki quotes which is a smart move.

By Stephen Pate, NJN Network,
Charlottetown, PEI, Canada, January 22, 2009

Second round stimulus introduced by Democrats in the US Congress includes almost $20 billion in aid for Americans with disabilities. President Barack Obama set out a pre-election agenda on disability issues that should provide some pretty quick relief to Americans with disabilities. The official Obama and Biden site lists three priorities, along with enforcement of the 1,100 page ADA Amendments passed last fall by President Bush, including:

1. Educational opportunities to Americans with disabilities
2. End workplace discrimination and promote equal opportunity
3. Support independent, community-based living for Americans with disabilities

Obama is getting busy right away with his agenda priorities. He’s not sitting back like Premier Robert Ghiz of Prince Edward Island, Canada. Read the rest of this entry »

From TopNews.in with research from American Journal of Public Health
Washington, January 22: People who either suffer from some disability or belong to ethnic minorities, such as African Americans and Latinos, are more susceptible to terrorism-related fears than others, according to a new study. University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA) researchers have found that such people make more behavioural changes based on terrorism-related fears, such as avoiding certain activities, than others. Revealing their findings in the American Journal of Public Health, the researchers say that these groups also tend to overestimate the threat of terrorism, perceiving the risk as high even when the U. S. Homeland Security Advisory System’’s (HSAS) colour-coded alert system rates it lower. Read the rest of this entry »

Disability and racial discrimination go hand in hand

From New-Leader.com, Springfield Missouri – By Gary Priestly, author
I watched through a 21-inch window illuminating a world in black-and-white as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. led the civil rights movement. I watched sitting down, not “sitting in.” I watched from a wheelchair, newly crippled by polio, mesmerized as our nation took a few tentative steps along Freedom Road after being paralyzed by racial discrimination for centuries.It was a time when the n-word was not uncommon, when I was termed a “shut-in” and “an invalid confined to a wheelchair.” And I too yearned not to be separate and unequal. Read the rest of this entry »

Liyana an afro-fusion, rock band from Zimbabwe has made big connections with the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus. All of the band members are students from a school for young people with disabilities. Liyana’s song was featured at MacWorld and NAMM as part of the African group’s 2009 US Tour. Their music is hosted on the John Lennon website (www.lennonbus.org). “Lennon Bus, a non-profit mobile education programme, was co-founded by the Beatle’s widow, Yoko Ono, to tour the country and bring music-making skills to youths everywhere.” With a little help, musicians with disabilities can accomplish great things.

The story about Gary MacDougall reminds us that Easter Seals perpetuates the cult of the cute crippled child on PEI. Abandoned as inappropriate elsewhere, Rotary and the media cling to this outdated image of the child with a disability to evoke pity and donations from the public. “Since 1922, Easter Seals™ has been leading the way to opportunities for Canadians with disabilities.” says their website. Once these children grow up they are discarded. Adults with disabilities are at high risk of being abused, especially if they have unusual facial expressions, speech disabilities and walking abnormalities which is normal for adults with Cerebral Palsy or CP. We have witnessed CP adults being turned away as obnoxious or bums because they have trouble passing as not-disabled. Rotary and CBC know this but resist because they too are stuck on the cult of the crippled child. Easter Seals and Rotary abusing children with disabilities Part 2

Guardian editor Gary MacDougall says on Facebook he is “fan of P.E.I. Easter Seals Ambassador Jordon Cotton!” From the running battle he has waged against PEI Disability Alert for the last two months, I guess cute kids with crutches are in, adults with disabilities are out. As we reported in Guardian bans disability advocate, sells newspapers with disabled child, MacDougall has been on a rampage about PEI Disability Alert for the past two months with one capricious act after another. We wish we could be cute and cuddly for MacDougall but the disabled child does grow up. We’re still nice people perhaps not as photogenic. Despite appearances, which is itself a form of discrimination, we are entitled to human rights and inclusion in society. It would be lovely if the Guardian settled down and started covering the real problems of the disabled on PEI, like 4,300 of them are excluded from the PEI Disability Support Program by Premier Robert Ghiz.