Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Blogging Against Disablism Day, May 1st, 2007

To read blogs against disablism, please go to the May 1st Post.

Skip to: How to participate in Blogging Against Disablism Day : HTML code for links and banners : Accessibility : Language Amnesty : Leave a Comment

Blogging Against Disablism Day, May 1st 2007Last year on 1st May, with the invaluable help of Lady Bracknell and with the support of many other bloggers, I hosted the first Blogging Against Disablism Day where almost a hundred and fifty people joined together to write about disability and rail against the discrimination that disabled people continue to face. Both disabled and non-disabled people wrote about all manner of subjects, from discrimination in education and employment, through health care, parenting, family life and relationships, as well as the interaction of disablism with other forms of prejudice.

It was a great success, and as early as March this year, folks began to ask about this year's Blogging Against Disablism Day. So here it comes.

I am not very good at rousing calls, so if anyone is in need of one, I shall refer you back to Lady Bracknell's magnificent One in Seven.


How to Participate in Blogging Against Disablism Day

1. Leave a comment below to say you intend to join in. I will then add you to the list of participants on the sidebar of this blog.

2. Spread the word by linking to this site, displaying our banner and/ or telling everyone about it.

3. On Tuesday, May 1st - or as near to as you are able - post something on the subject of Disabilism, Ableism or Disability Discrimination (see Language Amnesty). You can write on any subject, specific or general, personal, social or political, anything which states an objection to the differential treatment of disabled people.

4. Come back to Diary of a Goldfish to let everyone know you've posted and to check out what other people have written.

This year I am also going to ask folks to place their posts in a category (on the day, not in advance) where possible. Last year, Lady Bracknell and myself read every single post on the day and determined which category the link should go under so that the day was archived in a manageable way (as you can see here). That is simply not be doable this year, at least not within any useful timescale after the event.


HTML codes for links and banners

You can copy and paste the following in order to create a link to this post



or you can copy and paste one of the following onto a blog post or sidebar in order to display a banner which links to this post. I'm afraid the banners are my doing, a somewhat rush job and may be subject to some interpretation. If anybody wants to come up with their own design, you are more than welcome.

Blogging Against Disablism DayThis is the black and white banner which reads Blogging Against Disablism.





Blogging Against Disablism DayThis is the colourful banner which reads Blogging Against Disablism



Edit: You can also have narrower banners, didn't want to clutter this post up too much (ha!) so I put them here.



Accessibility


Everyone is welcome to join in with Blogging Against Disablism day, disabled and non-disabled, as long as you wish to blog against the discrimination that disabled people experience. Last year, I was rather surprised to have questions from people with mental health impairments who wondered whether their experience counted as disability. Of course it does! My one regret was that I initially turned down a person with Body Integrity Identity Disorder (a condition where a person feels the need or desire to acquire a physical impairment, most commonly an amputation or paralysis). As it was, despite my apprehensions, their contribution was entirely in the spirit of Blogging Against Disablism and so they were included in the final list.

If anybody has any access issues, please speak up. I am not an expert in this area. Alternative blogging formats, such a podcasts or video are more than welcome. If you cannot leave a comment on this blog for any reason, please e-mail me (this is temporary e-mail address and will only exist until Blogging Against Disablism is over this year).

Last year the issue was raised that holding this on one day meant that people who were not able to blog that day for various reasons might be left out. This year, I should take the opportunity to emphasise; if you want to do it before hand so that it's done, or if you are late with your post, I am not going to exclude you from the final list. Obviously, it would be good to have as many posts as possible on 1st May, that's the point, but so long as you do it thereabouts, that's fine.


Language Amnesty

The language we use around disability and discrimination varies widely, and talking about language is a very important part of understanding the way that disabled people are perceived by society. Language is a completely legitimate subject for discussion on Blogging Against Disablism day, but I do ask that we allow other people to use the language which they feel most comfortable with. Differences may include the way that disabled people are described; as disabled people, people with disabilities, the disabled, etc.; as well as the very word for the discrimination we experience.

Ableism or Ablism is the term more commonly used in the United States and thus more prevalent on the Internet as a whole. Then there's the simple and perhaps most easily understood term of Disability Discrimination. I am using Disablism because that makes sense to me in the context of my own disability politics; that is to say that I happen to think it is a better term. However, given the breadth and depth of the issues we are facing, I don't wish to argue this too strongly.

If you would prefer to use Ableism or Disability Discrimination, please do so. If there is an interest, I can even create extra banners for this purpose.


Right, is there anything I missed?

231 comments:

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Anonymous said...

YOU ARE AMAZING! PLEASE PUT ME DOWN. I WILL PASS THE WORD AS BEST AS I CAN. WE CAN BE A PRETTY STRONG GROUP. SORRY I AM LATE, JUST HEARD, BUT I WILL SUPPORT THIS IN ANY WAY.

Frank said...

I participated on Friday, May 4, but didn't know how to link up until today.

DJ Kirkby said...

Hi I am a bit late but my blog contains posts about my son who has an autistic spectrum disorder and I ahve put a link to you an my sidebar. Can I sign up for next year?

Kahless said...

Hi, I'm late too but please sign me up for next year. (I found your from dj kirkby's site.)
My partner is disabled and uses a wheelchair so we both know all too well about this discrimation.

I'll add your link to my blog.

Hessian Pepper said...

Excellent idea! I just started writing a blog, as I'm going to live on a Camphill community. I'm really interested in any blogs by/about people with learning difficulties.

Anonymous said...

check out the new site to protect the handicapped parking spaces:

http://www.handicappedfraud.org

Send away for your free post-its and start reporting abusers right away!

Marla said...

I want to be a part of this. Thank you.

michele_k said...

This is a great idea. I'd like to be involved next year.

laura said...

count me in too. this should be ongoing. it sure happens to me every day

Anonymous said...

Great idea, count me in!

pagerank

Anonymous said...

I would love to be included also...

rollup4pop

Pangga said...

Whilst regrettably not sufficiently fit to assist with the actual administration of this year's event, Lady Bracknell will most definitely be contributing a post to it.

Anonymous said...

I intend to join blogging against disablism.
Fiancee Visa

Anonymous said...

Count on me.

Powix

Meuf said...

I would love to join - the more the merrier, united we stand and that.

Anonymous said...

Is this still going on??

Thaniel said...

count me in

Unknown said...

You said: "On Tuesday, May 1st (2007) - or as near to as you are able"

Today is as near to as I are able.. :giggle:

Found this while over at Technorati.. Will be sharing soon as Humanly possible..

Warmest cyber hugs..

Cindy Sue

Danielle said...

I'd love to participate in this. Thanks--the logo does look great!

Anonymous said...

Count me in, too!

cripkitty said...

COnsider me in...but like the guy said above, I might center on what's working versus what is.

cripkitty.wordpress.com

Anonymous said...

I would love to participate, and am glad that you are doing this!!!!

Anonymous said...

Count me in in for this year, too...

RegencyKnitter said...

I will be joining in Blogging Against Disablism Day 2008.

www.xanga.com/abigator85

Anonymous said...

I'll post something tomorrow. No big manifesto or anything, just a simple experience.

Anonymous said...

Your banner has been up on my blog for a few days, and I managed to get a short post about written this morning.

Nilesh said...

Count me in

Nilesh Singit
http://myblogs.nileshsingit.org

Anonymous said...

I LOST MY HEARING TO A COMPUTER IN 1979.....

MY SPELLING IS NOT UP TO FORM BUT I THINK YO WILL BE ABLE TO DECODE IT...

THE COMPANY I WORKED FOR MADE ME GO TO COURT TO RECEIVE WORKMAN'S COMP ...AND AFTER A LONG RIDE ON A ROLLER COATER FROM HELL, I WON A WEEKLY SETTLEMENT FOR LIFE...

20 YEARS LATER AFTER STRUGGLING WITH MY AFFLECTION, AND FINALLY MAKING PEACE WITH MY BODY, THE COMPANY I RETIRED FROM AND WORKMANS COMP STARTED A HARRASSMENT PROGRAM TO MAKE ME HAVE WHAT THEY CALLED AN "INTERVIEW" EVERY YEAR...

WHEN I REFUSED TO CO-OPERATE AFTER THE FIRST INTERVIEW THEY CUT OFF MY WORKMAN'S COMP PAYMENTS...

THE LETTER FROM THE COURT STATES "FOR LIFE, FULL DISABILITY" AND I CAN'T HEAR IN EITHER EAR NOW, AS WE WERE INSTRUCTED TO USE OUR EAR PHONES ALTERNATELY AND FROM THE TERRIBLE NOISE WE RECEIVED IN OUR EARS, NOW BOTH EARS FAIL TO FUNCTION....

THE DRAGGING UP OF ALL THE HORROR I WAS SUBJECTED TO DURING THE YEARS OF TRYING TO COPE, ARE NOW DESTROYED BY THEIR DRAGGING UP ALL THE SORID DETAILS AND TRYING TO MEKE ME LIVE THAT EXPERIENCE ANNUALLY....

I LANDED IN THE HOSPITAL FROM THE STRESS....SO FAR THEY OWE ME ABOUT $5,000 AND WHAT I AM SUFFERING FROM DUE TO THEIR HARRASSMENT IS BEYOND PUTTING A PRICE ON...

I DO NOT FEEL THAT I AM ALONE IN MY SITUATION AND I FEEL ANYONE WHO HAS SUFFERED THIS SHOULD BE COMPENSATED.....

I AM TOO OLD AND TO FEEBLE TO FIGHT THEM IN COURT OR THE NEWS MEDIA, BUT I KNOW THIS IS SOMETHING TO BE JUSTIFIED BY SOME ONE...

THANK YOU FOR LISTENING....

earthlingorgeous said...

Hi, please count me in I have your banner up on my blog. http://www.earthlingorgeous.com. Thanks for this.

Anonymous said...

i know this is old, but body integrity identity disorder is NOT merely a desire to amputate a limb. it can be any disability (paralysis, deafness, blindness, etc)
believe me. i have a paraplegic manifestation of this disorder.

jami said...

All right, you've inspired me to try this.

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