Lives Worth Living traces the development of consciousness of disability pioneers who realized that in order to change the world they needed to work together. Through demonstrations and inside legislative battles, the disability rights community secured equal civil rights for all people with disabilities. Thanks to their efforts, tens of millions of people's lives have been changed.
“We know hate and we know violence, because it is written on our bodies and our souls.”
Lydia X.Z. Brown, Asian-American activist with autism.
People with disabilities are at least 2.5 times more likely to experience violence than those without
People with intellectual disabilities are sexually assaulted at a rate 7 times higher than those without
“If somebody takes you as ‘less than’ or ‘subhuman,’ they are not going to take your quality of life and what happened to you as seriously as somebody they deem ‘worthy.’ ”
Vilissa Thompson, founder of RampYourVoice.com
ADDITIONAL INSIGHTS at:
Site run by Lydia X.Z. Brown, an autistic disability rights activist
Dedicated to recording, amplifying and sharing disability media and culture.
Database of writers, public speakers, advocates & experts on a range of disability issues
Vilissa Thompson’s site: self-advocacy and empowerment for people with disabilities
David M. Perry’s site, focused on disability, parenting, history and education. David is a columnist for the Pacific Standard and a free-lance journalist.
The fight against disability hate crimes is ongoing
Nicole Jorwic is director of rights policy at The Arc, the largest organization in the country advocating for people with intellectual or developmental disabilities and their families. Below are excerpts from Jorwic’s conversation with the Southern Poverty Law Center about her testimony at a public briefing on hate crimes and bias-related incidents, sponsored by the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.
Is there any new legislation in the works?
We are working on a bill to create a national criminal background check system for direct care professionals who work with people with disabilities. Right now these are state systems, so a bad actor would just have to cross state lines to commit another crime. There are also continued legislative efforts, led by The Arc and the National Disability Rights Network, to fund additional training for law enforcement on how to interact with people with disabilities.
In certain situations, people with disabilities have been taught to be compliant with caregivers, teachers and others. How can that backfire?
Very often people with disabilities are taught to “be good” and not cause a problem. The unfortunate reality we know from data is that in a lot of crimes against people with disabilities, the offenders are people the individual knows. It can be difficult for the person to report in the first place. But for the person to be supported through the system, it requires them to step outside of that tradition of “being good” or doing what they are told.
Can you talk about assertiveness and self-defense training designed for people with disabilities?
There are several programs on self-defense, and sexual assault support groups and other support groups that are specifically geared toward people with disabilities. Some chapters of The Arc offer those support groups. Also, [these programs] can give individuals with disabilities a safe space to work through their issues.
What advice can you offer regarding reporting crime involving a person with a disability?
It’s very important that if there is any suspicion of any sort of abuse or crime against a person with a disability, that it’s reported quickly. But the reality is that the criminal justice system so often isn’t equipped to properly prosecute the crime. So if a local law enforcement agency were facing a situation like that, I would encourage them to interact with either their local Arc chapter or their state’s protection and advocacy organization that has expertise on how to work with people with disabilities. Because so often we see a lot of misunderstanding and misassumptions about an individual with disabilities being a competent witness — whether as a victim or as a witness to a crime. Arc or other protection advocacy organizations can support an individual to communicate what the person can’t. Not all people with disabilities can communicate everything they want. But they will communicate what they can in a way they know how, and often times that’s going to require a little bit of translation.
How can people get involved?
I would recommend anyone who’s horrified hearing these stories to get involved with their local chapter of The Arc or local chapter of another disability organization of their choosing, and to find a way to support the services needed for individuals to live in the community. Because the more people with disabilities are part of the fabric of society, the less we are going to have to worry about these issues because they will be out of the shadows.
ALL MEANS ALL
This Social Justice Film Series and Panel Discussion is produced by CVCA in partnership with the CV Library.
-----------------------------------------------------Excerpts from The Invisible Hate Crimes
Intelligence Report, a Southern Poverty Law Center publication; page 28, Fall 2018