DPAC - 26 March 2011

"Today we want to make our voices heard and speak out along with others who wish to protest against the unjust measures being taken by the CONDEM Government. Today we want to ensure the 26^th of March 2011 goes down in history as the first time since the 1920s that disabled people en bloc have joined a mainstream demonstration called by the Trade Union Congress.

To make sure disabled people on this March and those supporting us through virtual protests and other activities aren’t forgotten or left as footnotes in history, DPAC is launching a new project: Disabled People Make History in collaboration with Disability History Month and Spaghetti Gazetti. 

[To read full article on the DPAC website go to click here]

Invisible Children:

It’s 15 years since Alliance for Inclusive education held the Invisible Children Conference with Save the Children

The verdict of that Conference was that disabled children were either absent or used in stereotypical ways. We asked 70 children’s authors and illustrators was to be part of the conference and be part of what was going on. 

[For the Full publication of "Invisbile Children" as a PDF Click here]
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PCS DISABILITY HISTORY MONTH TOOLKIT

Celebrating our struggle for equality

UK Disability History Month (DHM) runs from 22 November – 22 December each year.

UK DHM provides an opportunity to raise awareness of current threats to disabled people, including disability hate crime and the impact of the welfare reform and public sector cuts. The purpose of the month is to raise the profile of disabled people’s rights and to advocate disability equality through celebrating the historical and contemporary struggles and achievements of disabled people globally.

The theme for this year’s PCS DHM activities is 'Celebrating our struggle for equality'. We have a range of resources that branches and individual members can use to celebrate UK DHM.

Resources include:

• Poster

• Poem

• Quiz questions

• Book recommendations with discussion questions:

• 'A Very English Agent' by Julian Rathbone (ISBN-10 0349115087)
• 'Fallen' by Karin Slaughter (ISBN-10: 1846058937)
• 'Accidents of Nature' by Harriet McBryde Johnson (ISBN-10:1842707418)
• 'Bamboo Grove' by Romy Wood (ISBN-10 0956012515)

Click on the link to download the free toolkit

http://www.pcs.org.uk/en/equality/guidance-and-resources/disability-history-month-toolkit.cfm



Pride Against Prejudice

Transforming Attitudes to Disability

by Jenny Morris, The Women's Press, London, 1991.

Contents: A good account of disability politics from a feminist viewpoint.

Available on Amazon.com

PROTEST ON THE PLINTH 8/8/2009

8th August 2009.
 Liz Crow (Artist, Film-Maker and Activist) sits atop the Plinth in Trafalgar Square, to highlight her concern about recent press coverage and discussion around assisted suicide. It takes the form of a warning from the past. Further information from; www.roaring-girl.com (Resistance). Claire Lewis has kindly provided a text of the video & dialogue at;
http://clairlewis.livejournal.com/#asset-clairlewis-8816

see youtube.com video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfswOExefgw

Resistance

DVD written and directed by Liz Crow
at Roaring Girl Productions

It shows a film about the killing centres in Germany during the Holocuast, and "conversation between three of the actors about; the process of making 'resistance; making the film; and what it means for them as disabled people today."

It is in English / Audio descriptions / Captioning / BSL interpretation

For more information visit www.roaring-girl.com

Scapegoat - Katherine Quarmby

....Why are We Failing Disabled People?

Every few months there's a shocking news story about the sustained, and often fatal, abuse of a disabled person. It's easy to write off such cases as bullying that got out of hand, terrible criminal anomalies or regrettable failures of the care system, but in fact they point to a more uncomfortable and fundamental truth about how our society treats its most unequal citizens. In Scapegoat, Katharine Quarmby looks behind the headlines to trace the history of disability and our discomfort with disabled people, from Greek and Roman culture through the Industrial Revolution and the origins of Britain's asylum system to the eugenics movement and the Holocaust, right through to the modern day.

Author's website: http://www.katharinequarmby.co.uk/pages/scapegoat.htm

"This may be the most important book you will read all year"
- Tom Shakespeare

BUY IT WITH 10% off from our website buy clicking here

Schools Project - Disability Hate Crime

This set of resources can be used by teachers to explore the issue of Disability Hate Crime. It features four scenarios based on the life experiences of several disabled people, discussions with disabled people themselves about being the victims of disability hate crime and the impact that it had and continues to have on their lives.

The presentation is available in a standard format, and also in signed and subtitled versions. CLICK HERE - http://www.cps.gov.uk/northwest/tackling_crime/hate_crime/schools_project_-_disability_hate_crime/

A teachers' lesson plan and guide is also available in PDF format.

The 1601 Poor Law:

Society in Elizabethan England was changing and the number of poor people living in abject poverty was increasing. A series of laws was introduced by the English Parliament in 1563, 1572, 1576, 1597 culminating in the 1601 Poor Law.

To find out more follow this link > Click here

The Mental Health Project Film

Throughout history, those experiencing mental health issues, ranging from problems often seen as extreme and frightening (schizophrenia, mania, self-harm and suicidal behaviours, for example) to those perceived as more 'normal' and commonplace (depression, anxiety, eating disorders, addictions, etc) have been stigmatised and misunderstood .  This still happens today.  Peer Productions attempted to unravel the misconceptions and confront the prejudices faced by those with mental health issues ... see the website : http://www.peerproductions.co.uk/community/productions/future/1/mental-health-project-film/68/