Asking for forgiveness
Dear Debriefers,
This edition has apologies, reparations, artificial intelligence and more in a rollercoaster ride of disability advocacy around the world.
We start in Hamburg, to see the apology the state is making for its long-term treatment of deaf students.
From there we see how international funding cuts has undermined work on disability, the impacts of the Trump administration, and, in antidote, lessons on justice from activists who went before us.
This edition also signposts recent discussions on the situation of disabled people in Palestine, and the wild turns in disability policy in Argentina.
Browse highlights below, or explore the full guide of 130 hand-picked links: curated across 41 countries or 36 subjects. this edition picks up from the update in July.
About this edition
The Debrief is published through a pay-what you-can model. Thanks to new contributions from Anoushka, Nayeem, Zara, and Women Enabled International.
Peter Torres Fremlin is editor of Disability Debrief and is from the UK.
Asking for forgiveness
In Germany, the Parliament of Hamburg state has asked for forgiveness from deaf people who were banned from using sign language in school.
The parliamentary apology traces this ban back to the Milan Congress of 1880, where deaf educators decided to prioritise spoken language. It goes on to describe the long-lasting impact of “structural violence” against deaf people:
“Deaf students were forced against their will – sometimes through physical violence – to refrain from using sign language in school until the 1990s. Access to higher education and professional qualifications was thus denied or at least significantly hampered for many people.” (Translation from German)
The statement comes after a public hearing where deaf citizens from across Germany shared the trauma of this violence and exclusion. It advocates that a compensation fund be set up at a federal level, and offers in its conclusion:
“The Hamburg Parliament apologizes to those affected for the suffering endured in Hamburg.” (Translation)
One Hamburg association said symbolism wasn't enough, and that the state could provide compensation itself.
Disabled people relegated to the periphery
Cuts to funding for international work are forcing organisations supporting disabled people to stop advocacy and life-saving humanitarian activities.
The International Disability and Development Consortium shares how these cuts undermine the fabric of international cooperation. And in humanitarian response the Disability Reference Group shows resources being slashed, disability specialists let go, and grassroots organisations losing support. These changes result in “relegating persons with disabilities to the periphery”.
The impact on gender and disability efforts is shown by a survey from Women Enabled International. One respondent, working in North America and internationally, is quoted:
“The work is now exhausting, draining, and terrifying. Every day, more rights are threatened.”
Meanwhile, over at Mad Thinking, Akriti Mehta writes about how authoritarianism and neoliberalism “work together to depoliticise disability movements”.
The many impacts of the Trump Administration
The Trump Administration's “all-out war against disabled people” is summarised by Mia Ives-Rublee and Casey Doherty. They list the administration's actions that have “disproportionately affected the disability community”, including, among others:
- “Dismantling diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) efforts that protect disabled people
- Removing the federal government’s ability to enforce disability civil rights laws
- Undermining health care affordability and access for disabled people
- Stripping the ability of disabled children to receive free, appropriate public education
- Slashing services, benefits, and regulations that help keep disabled people in their communities”
All of this without mentioning, for example, disabled people caught in the attacks on migrants or how how tariffs will raise the cost of assistive technology.
Following this avalanche of changes is challenging; bless those that do. Among others:
- Disability Rights Watch is providing weekly updates.
- At Mother Jones, Julia Métraux is doing incredible reporting.
If you know enough already and want to express your anger about it, then start postering Disability Visibility Project's Disabled Rage graphics.
“Justice is about how we live and love”
Even as current disability rights are threatened, the rich history of disability activism in the US shines through to the present day.
The advocacy of the late Stacey Park Milbern has been commemorated with a quarter issued in her honour.
Likewise, there are range of obituaries to the recently passed Patty Berne, a founder of the disability justice movement. See Truthout, Disability Visibility Project and also 19th News, which quotes an interview Berne gave in 2015, all the more significant now:
“Rights can be ‘granted’ and taken away. […] Justice is about how we live and love and practice everyday interactions. It’s not something that can be taken away,”
And, for a visualisation of a concrete history of inclusion, see this photo-essay on the strange beauty of New York's Bodega Ramps.
The devastation in Palestine
The Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor has documented “more than 21,000 cases of permanent or temporary disabilities” resulting from Israeli attacks on Gaza in the past two years.
The UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with disabilities discussed the situation of disabled people in Palestine. See a statement of solidarity from a coalition within the international disability community, and the Committee's findings.
Johanne Mauger was in charge of Humanity & Inclusion operations in Palestine until last May. She shares her experience their.
For more news, see the full list of updates this month, which include a situation analysis from Global Disability Fund.
“AI won't tell you that you're a burden”
Does artificial intelligence solve the problems we face as disabled people? Over on the D*List, Kitty Wasasala reflects on this question, acknowledging that the isolation disabled people face can drive our use of the technology:
“When the services you rely on are stripped of their funding (think full-time care, a specialised medical team, subsidised travel expenses etc), it makes sense that you’d use non-human automated systems instead. The AI has to do what you tell it to. AI won’t tell you that you’re a burden or refuse to help you. It won’t put you on hold or doubt your experiences.”
But Wasasala comes down on the other side, arguing that “AI cannot fill the human-shaped tear in the fabric of our community”. In their words, “anything AI can do, we can do for each other”.
In a similar vein, deaf researcher Maartje De Meulder has called on the deaf community to be “assertive” in pushing back on sign language technologies:
“We need to stand up and tell people that it doesn’t work for us, and within the same policy frameworks, we should ensure that these frameworks prioritise equity, equality, choice, who decides accountability.”
De Meulder's research explores how AI language technologies erode linguistic rights.
Gangs, cuts, corruption, and reparations
Good, bad, and wild news from Latin America.
The bad news very much from El Salvador. The government's mass arrests and detention of “gang members” has, of course, included disabled people. An important report from Cristosal captures the devastating impact on disabled people and families.
Good news from Guatemala. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights has ordered reparations for thousands of children and adults who faced involuntary detention and violence at Federico Mora Hospital.
And it's unclear what type of news from Argentina. If I've understood correctly the back and forth:
- President Milei's chainsaw austerity includes sweeping cuts to disability benefits.
- The opposition-controlled Senate countered by proposing a Disability Emergency Law, which would raise benefits.
- Milei vetoed the law; disabled people protested the veto.
- The Senate has just now overturned Milei's veto.
In the meantime Milei's sister is accused of corrupting funds dedicated to disabled people, by getting a kickback from the National Disability Agency's payments to a pharmaceutical company.
“Sunday is socialising”
Closing on a couple of items from Uganda...
A initiative to support caregivers of children with complex disabilities was first developed in Uganda, and has been adapted and piloted in the United Kingdom. Great to see knowledge transfer from South to North.
And a striking insight from Ambrose Murangira. Deaf Muslims are going to church as it offers opportunities for socialising. According to Fatuma:
“Church Sunday is socializing. Friday they go to mosque.”
Here's hoping you have your places for faith and places for fun,
Peter
Outro
Further reading. All the links from these curated editions go into the Debrief library, which now has over 6,600 links from over 170 countries. See below for contents from this month's update.
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Recent News
This update has 130 curated links from 41 countries and regions, organized across 36 subjects.
You can explore it organized by subject or by country.
Subjects
- Accessibility and Design
- Ageing
- Assistive Technology
- Civil Society and Community
- Climate Crisis and Environment
- Conflict and Peace
- Culture, Entertainment and Media
- Data and Research
- Digital Accessibility and Technology
- Disaster Risk Reduction and Crisis Response
- Economics and Social Protection
- Education and Childhood
- Employment, Business and Work
- Gender Equality and Women with Disabilities
- Health
- History and Memorial
- Humanitarian, Migrants and Refugees
- Independent Living and Deinstitutionalization
- International Cooperation
- Justice Systems and Legal Capacity
- Lived Experience and Opinion
- Mental Health
- Mobility, Travel, Transport and Tourism
- Policy and Rights
- Politics and Elections
- Relationships, Sex and Reproductive Rights
- Sport and Paralympics
- War in Ukraine
Countries
Acknowledgements
Photo by Keystone Features/Hulton Archive/Getty Images. Thanks to Celestine Fraser for help with its selection, and to Anne for German translation.
And many thanks to everyone who shares links, news and reports – as well as the readers and organisations whose support makes this work possible.