{"id":4155,"date":"2019-03-22T23:16:34","date_gmt":"2019-03-22T23:16:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tvndy.ca\/?p=4155"},"modified":"2019-03-22T23:55:06","modified_gmt":"2019-03-22T23:55:06","slug":"webcast-archive-disability-discrimination-more-than-ignorance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tvndy.ca\/en\/2019\/03\/webcast-archive-disability-discrimination-more-than-ignorance\/","title":{"rendered":"Webcast archive: Disability discrimination = more than ignorance"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1180\" height=\"664\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/g-c5Fa0jkFA?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>In this episode of\u00a0<em>Euthanasia &amp; Disability<\/em>, Amy Hasbrouck, Christian Debray, and Taylor Hyatt discuss:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Disability discrimination is more than ignorance<\/li>\n<li>Royal Society of Canada speaker promotes euthanasia expansion<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Please note that this text is only a script and that our webcast contains additional commentary.<\/p>\n<p><strong>DISABILITY DISCRIMINATION IS MORE THAN IGNORANCE<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>This week we saw a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/emma.vanderklift\/posts\/1961523050625288\">commentary<\/a>\u00a0posted on Facebook by Emma van der Klift and Norm Kunc from\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.broadreachtraining.com\/\">Broadreach Training and Resources<\/a>\u00a0looking at how people see disability discrimination compared with other kinds of prejudice.\u00a0 The commentary described an interaction between Norm and service employees triggered by an error in his flight reservation (which had him booked to Portland, Maine rather than Portland, Oregon). The employees, who were \u201conly trying to help,\u201d questioned whether Norm had the capacity to travel and if he knew where he was going.<\/li>\n<li>Norm and Emma noted that If a person acts on the belief that women or people of colour are less intelligent or capable than men or whites, this is (correctly) seen as sexism or racism.\u00a0 But if a person behaves as though disabled people are less intelligent or capable, this is called a \u201clack of education.\u201d\u00a0 They pointed out this double standard, and talked about why it\u2019s important to call such behaviour what it really is &#8211; discrimination.<\/li>\n<li>Norm and Emma talked about the link between sympathy and prejudice:\n<ul>\n<li>Though these ideas may seem to be opposites, sympathy and prejudice often exist together.\u00a0 The authors gave the example of a person who received a sympathy card on the birth of a child with Down syndrome, as if that were a tragedy.<\/li>\n<li>People who show this form of prejudice believe deeply that they are right, which justifies their arrogant behaviour.<\/li>\n<li>Any objection to such \u201ckindness\u201d is seen as proof that the disabled person doesn\u2019t know what they need\u00a0<em>and<\/em>\u00a0has a bad attitude.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>If the airline employee really didn\u2019t have any pre-formed ideas about the disabled person, the interaction would show them the truth &#8211; in this case that Norm was capable and knew where he was going.\u00a0 The fact that the non-disabled person didn\u2019t respect his answers to her questions means there\u2019s more going on than simple ignorance.<\/li>\n<li>Disabled people are encouraged to be \u201cunderstanding and patient\u201d in the face of such prejudice.\u00a0 We\u2019re supposed to excuse bad behaviour because it\u2019s done with \u201cgood intentions.\u201d\n<ul>\n<li>This is not true for people of colour; women are still sometimes accused of being \u201cbitchy\u201d or having no sense of humour if they challenge sexist behaviour.<\/li>\n<li>Also, third parties are expected to call out racism, sexism and homophobia when they witness it.<\/li>\n<li>If we fail to be \u201cpatient and understanding\u201d we\u2019re seen as \u201cmaladjusted\u201d and expressing our bitterness about being disabled.<\/li>\n<li>What should be understood as a political interchange is transformed into evidence of the disabled person\u2019s inability to cope.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>The anger that women and people of colour feel in response to discrimination is:\n<ul>\n<li>seen as an appropriate reaction to the harm of bigotry, and<\/li>\n<li>an important first step in changing the dialogue and bringing about social justice.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Norm and Emma quoted international mediator Adam Kahane, who worked with the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission. \u201cWhen we talk politely, we are following the party line, trying to fit in and so keep the social system whole and unchanged, even though [the system] may be diseased or counterfeit \u2026 When somebody speaks personally, passionately, and from the heart, the conversation deepens.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>Politeness both supports the status quo and shows that the status quo is working well enough to keep the disadvantaged group in their place.\u00a0 When disabled people refuse to be polite we\u2019re not \u201cbitter\u201d or ungrateful; we\u2019re saying the status quo doesn\u2019t work for us.\u00a0 The question is: how to be impolite in a way that enables the dominant culture to understand that the status quo no longer works for them, either?<\/li>\n<li>Norm and Emma note that \u201cYou can only foster insight through dialogue. But first you have to get their attention!\u201d<\/li>\n<li>Assertiveness is an individual solution. It takes finding a balance between going ballistic and going limp.\n<ul>\n<li>It\u2019s possible to use, manage and direct anger to speak the truth about what\u2019s happening.\n<ul>\n<li>It can be hard to harness the anger that comes from a lifetime\u2019s worth of discrimination.\u00a0 Letting out a little at a time and using it, with the pressure of unresolved hurts pushing from underneath, can be like trying to take a teaspoon of lava from a live volcano.<\/li>\n<li>On the other hand, people who are disabled from childhood are taught to be compliant, to not recognize when their rights are being trampled on, so it can be hard to figure out when and how much to react.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>State clearly what is needed.<\/li>\n<li>It may be impossible to resolve the situation with the person you\u2019re dealing with; their mind may be too closed.\u00a0 Be prepared to start over again with a supervisor.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>If assertiveness is the individual option, what is the collective solution?\n<ul>\n<li>One idea is to work within the system for as long as that brings results, then go outside the system with direct action and protest; or<\/li>\n<li>The \u201cgood cop\u2013bad cop\u201d technique, where two disability activist groups work on the same issue at the same time; one group represents mainstream values and asks nicely, while the other makes demands and takes direct action to get results.<\/li>\n<li>Are there other options?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>And finally, how do we balance honesty with the need to get our message across when working on the issue of assisted suicide and euthanasia (AS\/E)?\n<ul>\n<li>Even the words we use sometimes make people uncomfortable?\u00a0 When talking about hastened death, what does it mean to say \u201cassisted suicide and euthanasia\u201d or \u201cmedical aid in dying\u201d or \u201cdeath with dignity?\u201d<\/li>\n<li>Are disability activists who oppose AS\/E too aggressive?\u00a0 In her article\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.researchgate.net\/publication\/249835540_Views_of_Disabled_People_Regarding_Legalized_Assisted_Suicide_Before_and_After_a_Balanced_Informational_Presentation\">\u201cViews of disabled people regarding legalized assisted suicide before and after a balanced informational presentation,\u201d<\/a>\u00a0Dr. Carol Gill cites a\u00a0<em>New Mobility<\/em>\u00a0survey from 1999 that found 37% of disabled supporters of assisted suicide said they feared criticism from other disabled people for expressing their views.\u00a0 In another study, 53% of respondents believed a disabled person would experience criticism from other disabled people if they expressed support for assisted suicide.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>As Emma and Norm pointed out, disabled people get tired of having to always educate the public, take on barriers and confront social bigotry.\u00a0 We need to be aware that taking a break sometimes, though necessary, is a luxury that not everyone with a disability can afford.\u00a0 There\u2019s no rule that says we have to beat-down every barrier and patiently persuade every person who pummels us with pity.\u00a0 But when we do, we\u2019re not just doing it for ourselves, we\u2019re doing it for the disabled people who follow along after us.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA SPEAKER PROMOTES EUTHANASIA EXPANSION<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Jocelyn Downie praised the progress on providing access to medical killing during a lecture earlier this month on behalf of the Royal Society of Canada (RSC).\u00a0 Dr. Downie is a Faculty Associate of the Health Law Institute at Dalhousie University, a member of the RSC, and a prominent advocate for AS\/E in Canada. Dr. Downie spoke to about 40 people on \u201cMedically-Assisted Dying: Next Steps for Canada\u201d in Ottawa on March 15th, focusing on making AS\/E available to more people, with fewer restrictions.<\/li>\n<li>Dr. Downie said the definitions of some terms in the statute imposed unconstitutional barriers on people who want AS\/E, including what is a qualifying medical condition and the requirement that the person\u2019s death be \u201creasonably foreseeable.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>She said the definition of a \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/laws-lois.justice.gc.ca\/eng\/AnnualStatutes\/2016_3\/FullText.html\">grievous and irremediable medical condition<\/a>\u201d in Bill C-14 improperly goes beyond the terms used in the 2015\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/scc-csc.lexum.com\/scc-csc\/scc-csc\/en\/item\/14637\/index.do\"><em>Carter<\/em><\/a>\u00a0decision, by requiring that the illness or disability be \u201cincurable\u201d and \u201cin an advanced state of irreversible decline.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>She also called the \u201creasonably foreseeable\u201d death requirement \u201cunconstitutional\u201d and said she hopes the courts hearing the\u00a0<em>Lamb<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0<em>Truchon\/Gladu<\/em>\u00a0cases would reach the same conclusion.\u00a0 She said the attorney general of Canada should not be defending these provisions of the Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) law.<\/li>\n<li>Dr. Downie seemed disappointed that the attorney general is not planning to propose any amendments to expand eligibility following the release of the Council of Canadian Academies reports last December. She expressed her hope that the Royal Society of Canada would recommend extending eligibility to mature minors, to incompetent people via advance directives, and to people who ask for AS\/E based on mental illness.<\/li>\n<li>Dr. Downie described a multi-faceted strategy including federal and provincial legislation, court challenges, and providing direct services to doctors and individuals to increase the number of providers &amp; make the assessment process easier.\u00a0 This includes training volunteers to act as witnesses to a euthanasia request, and proposals to ease the capacity requirement.<\/li>\n<li>She said there is no indication that ineligible people are being euthanized, that safeguards are being ignored, or that there was a slippery slope, despite the fact that nearly 8,000 euthanasia have been recorded through December of 2018.\u00a0 No one in the friendly audience challenged these claims, though they were false (see our\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/tvndy.ca\/en\/2018\/12\/report-3-from-the-commission-des-soins-de-fin-de-vie\/\">statistical report<\/a>\u00a0and webcast from\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/tvndy.ca\/en\/2018\/12\/webcast-archive-palliative-care-study\/\">December 14, 2018<\/a>).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n   ","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"entry-summary\">\n<div class=\"entry-summary\">\nThis week, we discuss appropriate reactions from a disabled person encountering prejudice, and review a talk given by assisted suicide advocate Jocelyn Downie.\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/tvndy.ca\/en\/2019\/03\/webcast-archive-disability-discrimination-more-than-ignorance\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &ldquo;Webcast archive: Disability discrimination = more than ignorance&rdquo;<\/span>&hellip;<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/tvndy.ca\/en\/2019\/03\/webcast-archive-disability-discrimination-more-than-ignorance\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &ldquo;Webcast archive: Disability discrimination = more than ignorance&rdquo;<\/span>&hellip;<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[92],"tags":[409,256,44,497,121,496,252,446,500,499,498,261,118],"class_list":["post-4155","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-webcast-archive","tag-carol-gill","tag-council-of-canadian-academies","tag-discrimination-en","tag-emma-van-der-klift","tag-euthanasia-disability","tag-jocelyn-downie","tag-lamb","tag-norm-kunc","tag-prejudice","tag-reasonably-foreseeable","tag-royal-society-of-canada","tag-truchon","tag-webcast","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvndy.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4155","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvndy.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvndy.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvndy.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvndy.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4155"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/tvndy.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4155\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4166,"href":"https:\/\/tvndy.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4155\/revisions\/4166"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvndy.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4155"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvndy.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4155"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvndy.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4155"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}