UNCRPD, Ireland’s ten-year moral outrage
Having a neurodegenerative illness that cannot be cured has given me the best gift I could ever ask for, strength and meeting the most inspirational and brightest people with disabilities in Ireland and abroad. Yes, they might "be different" in the eyes of many, but they showed me that not everything in life has a price or a tag. They taught me that disability is about misinterpreted ability because they help other people with or without disabilities within their communities in a time when their government shows signs of deliberate discrimination.
Disability is never cured with one pill alone
So it seems I’m on the warpath. It also appears that if you want to change things, you have to work very hard to get it done. And hope your adversaries are willing to at least listen for one second to what you have to say. Is it worth it? Not if your voice is cut off before the first vowel leaves your lips. It is worth it, however, if or when your input is evaluated and rationalized as such that your opponent understands quite clearly what you mean. It’s true that we live in a society where politicians say all and citizens very little. The why and the wherefore of their actions often need to be repeatedly discussed on TV, in newspapers and in the salons of hairdressers, tea…
UNCRPD – Getting Ready to Ratify (2)
Like mentioned last Friday, I went to a conference on the hopefully soon-to-be ratified UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) and this Friday, I will attend a second conference about this. Before I received both invitations, I was unaware of the CRPD. My first thought was “Oh I thought there were already rights in place for people with disabilities?” Not so, and I have tried to learn about conventions and optional protocols since then. It’s testing though, remembering article 1 by the time I’ve arrived at article 2 is a bit of a challenge, but challenges don’t scare me. On the contrary.
UNCRPD – Getting Ready to Ratify (1)
"What I’d like to try if I were guaranteed not to fail is to implement the UN Convention on the Rights for People with Disabilities. Too many disabled people all over the world are hurting because of existing inequality, dogma and exclusion. In Ireland for example, people are being denied inclusion and that needs to end now. Getting the Convention ratified so is of major importance, even if/when governments are not interested in doing so."
