ADAPT took hundreds of disability rights advocates in Washington, D.C. this week to a surprising advocacy destination today: the offices of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights. ADAPT asked their help to address the “disconnect” between the disability rights community and the broader civil rights movement. We’re still awaiting the results and next steps, but among the examples of the disconnect given in ADAPT’s press release is legalization of assisted suicide:
“Progressives promote assisted suicide without recognizing a discriminatory, double standard where non-disabled people get suicide prevention and people with disabilities are provided suicide assistance.”
The full release is not yet posted online, but came to ADAPT advocates via email. It’s public, so I’m sharing it with you below. ADAPT has long opposed legalization of assisted suicide. Pew researchers also found that people of color tend to oppose it, so there’s every reason to think that we can find common ground on this. But it probably came as a surprise to the Leadership Conference to see it brought up today. Thanks to ADAPT for putting it on their radar!
05/06/2014 PRESS ALERT:
WHO: ADAPT
WHAT: ADAPT DEMANDS THAT THE LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE ON CIVIL AND HUMAN RIGHTS FACILITATE A PROCESS FOR THE
INTEGRATION OF DISABILITY ISSUES INTO THE BROADER CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT
WHERE: 1629 K Street NW 10th Floor Washington, DC 20006
WHEN: Tuesday, May 6, 2014
200 DISABILITY RIGHTS ACTIVISTS ARE DEMANDING THAT THE LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE INITIATE A PROCESS TO BRING ADAPT’S LEADERS TOGETHER WITH OTHER CIVIL RIGHTS ORGANIZATIONS TO ADDRESS ISSUES WHERE THESE ORGANIZATIONS HAVE ACTED AT CROSS PURPOSES WITH THE RIGHTS AND NEEDS OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES.
ADAPT has become increasingly concerned about a growing disconnect between the disability rights movement and the broader civil rights communities.
“People and groups that should be our natural allies have in fact taken positions that undercut the basic civil and human rights of persons with disabilities,” said Bruce Darling.
Examples of such disregard for our rights include:
- Progressive and civil rights organizations strongly promoted changes in federal labor rules that undercut the right of and opportunities for people with disabilities to live in the community;
- Unions have fought against community integration efforts by the disability community in order to preserve union jobs in the institutions, even using fear tactics promoting the idea that integrating people with disabilities into the community is dangerous.
- Progressives promote assisted suicide without recognizing a discriminatory, double standard where non-disabled people get suicide prevention and people with disabilities are provided suicide assistance.
- In New York at the behest of the nurse’s union, Deborah Glick – a prominent LGBT member of the NYS Assembly – opposed and derailed changes to the state’s Nurse Practice Act that would have given people with disabilities needed assistance with health related tasks from attendants in the community.
- In Texas, the disconnect between the disability rights movement and other civil rights movements was emphasized by the recent failure to include disability rights advocates or issues in the civil rights conference organized by the LBJ Library.
Accordingly, ADAPT demands that the Leadership Conference work with us to initiate a process to bring ADAPT’s leaders together with other civil rights organizations to find a way to address this critical problem.
This was the third of four days of directed action by ADAPT in Washington DC.
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as an african-american female I have experience more discrimination because of my disability than I ever faced because of my race and gender, including two attempts on my life by medical staff at a major hospital and by social service staff all because i complained about discrimination. the attempts on my life were reported but have been ignored by authorities. although I have no mental illness, documented by evaluation, I was labeled as such just because I am disabled. I was told by legal aid staff to “not cause problems”. These people attempt to euthanize me. Obviously they believe I have no right to live because I am disabled because when I complained as vociferously about incidents of race discrimination no one tried to kill me. the federal government has ignored my complaints regarding the blatant discrimination I have reported. I was told that I had cheated my way onto the section 8 list when I transferred from a nursing home to a section 8 apartment.