Our Rights - issue 7, February 2009
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Contents
Lead Story
· Parents Think Disabled Presenter Scares Their Children
Comment:
· Parental Choice
In the News:
· Ivan Cameron dies
· Charity Calls Disabled Resident ‘a git’
· Young Disabled People Tackle Disability Hate Crime
· Impact of the EU Working Time Directive on Independent Living in the UK
UN Convention for Disabled People:
· UK Agrees to Sign Optional Protocol
· UN Convention updates
International News:
· Father Seeks Permission to Kill Disabled Son
· Editor’s Note: Pleading Poverty
· The World's Largest Accessible Online Library
International News in Brief
· Bucharest, Romania: The Pentru Voi Foundation Wins Award
· EU: Independent Living Research Report
· Belgium: The Expertise Centre on Independent Living
· OAKLAND: Internet Hotel Booking Service with Improved Access Information.
And Finally …
Call to Action: Welfare Reforms
Lead Story
Parents Think Disabled Presenter Scares Their Children
Cerri Burnell is a presenter for the children’s channel CBBC. She was born with one arm and does not hide her impairment. A flurry of media responses expressed concern and outrage. Parents were worry about the impact Cerri’s appearance might have on children.
Photo shows Cerri Burnell reading from a children’s book.
On Monday 23rd February, the Jeremy Vine phone-in programme had an interview with Cerri Burnell. Many people emailed in support of having a disabled children's TV presenter. Positive comments far outweigh the negative ones on the BBC website.
On the other hand, the decision to hire Cerri Burnell also prompted a number of complaints to the BBC. Parents posted messages on the CBeebies website, some of which were becoming so vicious that they had to be removed.
One father said he wanted to ban his daughter from watching the channel because he feared it would give her nightmares. The question of another parent reflects a similar fear: "Is it just me, or does anyone else think the new woman presenter on CBeebies may scare the kids because of her disability?".
Images of disability have often been used to express the bad and evil in children's stories or literature, for example the nasty Captain Hook or evil hunched witch walking with crutches. It is time that there are positive images, and a disabled presenter gives this opportunity.
Ms Burnell said that a disabled person on TV can be used to raise awareness. "It can only be a good thing that parents are using me as a chance to talk disability with their children," she said.
Parents felt, however, that they were forced to discuss difficult issues with their young children before they were ready. "I consider myself a positive role model to ALL children, including disabled children." says Cerri Burnell.
Helen Smith, a disabled journalist, agrees: "It is a difficult job to get into TV and probably even more difficult if you got a disability. It is great that we are seeing more (disabled) people and hopefully children can say 'That can be me!' …”
Helen contracted meningitis at 22, when she lost both legs and both hands. She started her successful career inTV news seven years agoand campaigns on disability issues, because in her experience often artificial limbs resemble orange, over-sized throwbacks from an eastern Europe of the 1940s.
"Disabled people are not wholly represented in the media in the way perhaps other minorities are. And I just think this is a sign that there needs to be more positive representation of disabled people." concludes Cerri Burnell.
There would be outrage if viewers called for all-white presenters or were seeking to sack all women. Those same views expressed about disabled people are just as discriminatory and as unacceptable
What do you think? Leave your commments on the DAA News Network website at http://www.daa.org.uk/
Hear Cerri Burnell, disabled presenter, and Helen Smith, TV news reporter and disability campaigner, on Jeremy Vine Radio 2 programme at http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/b00hqj7v
Comment:
Cartoon of Marion writing for DAA.
Parental Choice
The media has reported how some parents appear to object to seing an impaired body on TV and prefer to avoid dealing with disability questions from their children.
These parents would choose to sack the disabled presenter, choose to prevent their children watching the programme. Some even chose to write discriminatory, hurtful and to many disabled people, objectionable messages, that had to be removed.
Parents do not allways choose what is best, nor do they necessarily choose what is in the best interest of their child.
Yet, the Government Department responsible for education appears to want to compromise on disabled children’s human rights in favour of parental choice.
Article 24 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Disabled People wants disabled pupils to access an inclusive, best quality and free education on an equal basis with others in the communities in which they live.
The minister for education, Ed Balls, says that parents have to be offered the choice of special schooling. Such segregated, special schools are often a long way from home and have been described by campaigners as a ‘system of educational apartheid’, a ‘cruel, discriminatory’ system and unfair to disabled children.
“The Department does not allow parents the choice of physically attacking their children or of subjecting them to conditions of child labour. Why allow them to breach their child's right to education without discrimination?” says the Centre for Studies in Inclusive Education CSIE.
Furthermore, the UN Convention on the Rights of Disabled People recognises the importance of awareness raising in Article 8. Parents are no exception.
In particular, governments are required to promote positive perceptions and greater social awareness towards disabled people, and to promote recognition of the skills, merits and abilities of disabled people, and of their contributions to the workplace and the labour market.
In our society, we need to fight stereotypes, prejudices and harmful practices, and urgently need to promote awareness of what we can do and what we can offer in public life.
More positive examples of disabled presenters on children's TV and learning together in schools can remove barriers we often encounter in the hearts and minds of people.
‘Inclusion works!’ is the motto of campaigners, but parents need to experience these possibilities in order to make informed choices.
We are in better positions to choose after barriers have been removed. Then we might have real choices.
Marion Reichart, Disability Awareness in Action
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In the News:
Ivan Cameron Dies
DAA send their deepest sympathy to the Cameron's on the death of Ivan, their disabled eldest son, who died early on Wednesday 25 February.
David Cameron, Leader of the Opposition in the UK, has always talked about how much Ivan has given to their family and friends - that his short life has been full of love - the best contribution anyone can give to the world.
The Cameron's have also realised how lucky they have been to afford appropriate support - whereas most families with disabled children are living in real poverty.
The loss of a child is a terrible thing for parent's to bear. However, Ivan's family and friends have understood that his life should be celebrated with as much joy as a non-disabled child.
Charity Calls Disabled Resident ‘a git’
A recent case has raised important questions about the accountability of residential managers to those who have entrusted their care to them.
A judgement by the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) against Leonard Cheshire Disability has allowed a resident access to over 90 emails by Leonard Cheshire residential managers about him.
The emails included comments describing the resident as "a git". One manager suggested they stop a holiday the resident had booked by making false bureaucratic blocks because of the problems they felt he had caused them.
The ruling by the ICO followed a complaint by the resident after Leonard Cheshire Disability failed to allow him proper access to information about him.
A friend of the resident said, " I... have witnessed some of the frustration, distress and cost to his health that he has endured whilst continuing to politely request that his legitimate concerns regarding himself and others be addressed professionally. His refusal to be fobbed off with bureaucratic excuses lead to his being abused and marginalized in this shocking way.”
The attitudes expressed by the residential managers in the emails is in stark contrast to the public image that Leonard Cheshire aims to portray, both on the website and through the recent Creature Comforts advertising campaigns.
The pictures shows a crab creature who is a wheelchair-user
http://www.creaturediscomforts.org/play/?v=9
In an article for The Guardian newspaper, Professor Peter Beresford writes:
“People living in residential services can be in some of the most powerless and vulnerable situations imaginable to the rest of us, barring being in a conflict zone. They can be reliant on the respectful behaviour of others for help with intimate daily tasks, as well as to support them to do all the other purposeful and pleasurable activities of life.”
He challenges Leonard Cheshire to justify their claims to campaign for the human rights of disabled people and work for their empowerment. It is not known whether Leonard Cheshire Disability have taken any action against the Managers involved.
If you have would like to comment on any aspect of this story or have a similar story please add your comments on the DAA website.
Read the full text of Professor Peter Beresford's article on http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/joepublic/2009/jan/19/residential-care-user
Young Disabled People Tackle Disability Hate Crime
Disability Hate Crime is increasingly recognised as a social evil that needs to be tackled. This can work best when disabled people and young disabled experts are themselves leaders and actively involved in the solutions. This is an idea reflected in the disability movement's motto 'Nothing about us without us'. Many disabled young people are being called names or picked on when travelling. One in five disabled young people surveyed had been bullied on public transport. Of these, 56% said teenagers were the perpetrators and 38% blamed younger children. Ali Bishop, a United Response business development manager in Greater Manchester, applied for funding to create an expert-led training programme. Eight people with learning difficulties were trained to deliver sessions to 300 pupils in four secondary schools in Trafford, Greater Manchester between June 2007 and June 2008.
"They told their stories to the students through presentations, discussions and short films, what happened to them when they were bullied and how they felt," says Bishop.
The photo has the caption ‘No hiding place’ and shows six disabled people speaking up for the Disability Now’s Hate Crime Dossier http://www.disabilitynow.org.uk/the-hate-crime-dossier
Understanding disability hate crime means that we need to look for solutions in the way we organise society. Changes in how we report crime can contribute towards a safer life for disabled people. Victims of disability hate crime are now able to report what has happened to them at places other than police stations, such as housing associations or benefit offices. Wyre Council in Lancashire has trained people in different sectors, who come in contact with disabled people, to spot signs of hate crime. "If disabled people are already going to an agency then they could report it there, and we've now trained the people in those agencies to be pro-active." Lewis Turner, hate crimes officer Lancashire, has said. There was a 57% rise in the reported level of disability hate crime in the Wyre in the first year of the project. What has been your experience? What should be done? Please write and send us your comments.
A full article on Raising Awareness Amongst Teenagers is published in Community Care, go to http://www.communitycare.co.uk/Articles/2009/02/23/110795/tackling-disability-hate-crime.html
For a Report in Easy Read on Tackling Hate Crime from the Crown Prosecution Service CPS go to http://www.cps.gov.uk/publications/docs/disability_hate_crime_policy_easy_read.pdf
Impact of the EU Working Time Directive on Independent Living in the UK
In December 2008, MEPs adopted an amendment to the Working Time Directive, which will shortly come into effect. The amendment stated, among other things, that any period of on-call time should count as working time. On-call time spent sleeping is not classed as rest.
This could cause difficulties for personal assistants and workers, who are living with disabled people in their private homes.
The worker is at the 'workplace' 24 hours a day, and even though they get adequate rest periods, the EU Working Time Directive as amended interprets inactive ‘on-call' time as working time. This has the potential impact of making this way of working unlawful.
"I feel that my human rights in being able to effectively live in the community have been infringed. If something is not done about this ridiculous European bureaucracy, many people will be faced with the possibility of returning to care institutions.
Living in the community is tough enough without these ludicrous hurdles." says Mr Webb, who uses personal assistants support.
A decision is expected presently following "conciliation" talks with the European council of ministers.
UN Convention for Disabled People:
***** STOP PRESS ****
UK Has Signed the Optional Protocol
The UK Ambassador to the United Nations signed the OP in New York, at 11.30 on Thursday 26th February.
In a statement on February, 3rd Jonathan Shaw announced that the UK will sign the Optional Protocol.
Mr. Jonathan Shaw said: "The Optional Protocol contains additional agreements between countries that have signed the convention. This includes processes by which disabled people and organisations can bring human rights abuses to the attention of monitoring bodies."
On 4th January the Joint Committee on Human Rights published its report on the progress made. "Currently, we understand that the Government is considering at least four reservations to the UNCRPD, in respect of immigration, education, service in the military and benefits appointees" the Committee observed.
It is now unlikely that the UK will withdraw any reservation.
Disabled people's organisations (DPOs) expect that they will play an important part in the monitoring and implementation processes. Work must now begin in earnest to ensure that involvement.
Convention Updates
Convention sign-ups February 2009
· 137 signatories to the Convention