Displaying items by tag: disabilities

Eurasia Foundation (EF) has announced the launch of a two-year Justice for Underserved Youth with Disabilities (JUDY) initiative, which promotes the full social, economic, and political integration of youth with disabilities in Armenia and Moldova. EF works with local organisations, international disability rights experts, and youth advocacy experts to amplify the voices of youth with disabilities between ages 18 and 30. Lisa Coll, EF president, says, ‘JUDY addresses the unique challenges faced by youth with disabilities, both because of their age and entrenched cultural stigma around disability.’ While both the governments of both countries demonstrate interest in protecting the rights of people with disabilities, the legacy of Soviet-era policies and cultural stigma often complicate the work of disability rights advocates. Many institutions in both countries view disability as a medical topic, rather than a social and political issue that can change through concerted effort. JUDY will approach these challenges by involving organisations and experts with deep roots in the local disability rights communities. This collaboration will foster more open dialogue, build relationships, and provide support for youth-led initiatives.

News that Saudi Arabia is on course to host the 2034 football World Cup is grim. The country might not win the cup, but its capacity for state murder is world class: 112 killed this year so far and counting. However, the news should come as no surprise: its geopolitical power is rising and combining with vast wealth to ensure that objections to its human rights record are brushed aside by those in power. Before he was elected president, Joe Biden declared that Saudi would be treated as a ‘pariah state’ following the state-sanctioned murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018. But once he was in the Oval Office, realpolitik intervened. His administration is now most concerned about China’s growing influence, which is why it has agreed to Saudi Arabia’s request for help in building a civilian nuclear programme - which critics fear could lead to developing nuclear weapons. US dollars could end up paying for the defence of a brutal Gulf regime that has undermined Western economies, helped Russia’s invasion of Ukraine by cutting oil supplies and keeping prices high, and continued with the catastrophic war in Yemen. In these terms, gifting Bin Salman the World Cup seems like a minor folly.

Half of schools for children with special educational needs and disabilities are oversubscribed. Since 2019 children needing specialist education have increased by 1/3rd. Schools have converted portable cabins and even cupboards into teaching spaces due to lack of room, putting pressure on staff and making pupils anxious. Maltby Hilltop School is a specialist school for pupils aged two to 19 with severe learning difficulties and complex needs. Lack of space and overcrowding in the main building meant Cohen's classroom was a portable cabin, with loud floors and thin walls. The 14-year-old is autistic and has PDA, a condition which leads to a rigid need for control when he's anxious. Cohen struggles to manage his condition if he's not in a calm environment and the school simply did not have enough physical space to provide it. He started having panic attacks and hyperventilating, so he had to leave school and miss out on life-learning skills.

Wheels for the World restore and distribute refurbished wheelchairs to disabled people in developing countries, giving them independence and demonstrating the love of God. They send old wheelchairs to a workshop in one of their partner prisons for refurbishment. Prisoners find satisfaction in this work which helps restore their self-worth and dignity. Wheelchairs come back from the prison fully restored and are loaded into containers for shipping abroad. While in prison Chris was trained to repair wheelchairs and gained useful skills to help him find a career when released. One of the wheelchairs Chris refurbished to ‘good as new’ was shipped to Miriam in Uganda. She had paralysis in her legs and no physiotherapy or rehabilitation services available to her. She spent most of her time in bed and isolated. Now she can help her mother sell produce on their market stall, and can independently go out and make friends.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said that Ireland will hold a general election on Saturday 8 February. It is unusual for Ireland to hold elections on a Saturday; they are usually on a Thursday or Friday. As a result of the decision, the Irish parliament - or Dáil - will be dissolved. Varadkar has been leading a minority government for two years since taking over from former Prime Minister Enda Kenny in 2017. Finian McGrath, the Dublin Bay North TD and minister for disability issues, has said he will not seek re-election. But he is far from retiring and will remain involved in political activism. He said, ‘I hope to spend time encouraging some of the 13 percent of Ireland’s population who have some form of disability to get involved in politics at a local or national level.’

‘We’re not so different, you and me’ is the theme of My Feral Heart, a British film about a young man with Down’s Syndrome (DS). At the heart of the film are two intertwining themes: we can only find happiness in caring for each other, and all of us are vulnerable and needy, not just people with DS. Disability is nothing to be feared, hidden away or ashamed of. Each of us is disabled and needy in different ways: some intellectually, others emotionally and socially. But the universal cure is self-giving and generosity. The release of My Feral Heart comes as the British health system increasingly pressurises mothers to abort any child diagnosed with DS.