“They burned my heart”
Dear Debriefers,
This edition curates the latest disability news from 37 countries.
The first section is on disabled people in the apocalyptic conditions in Gaza, how conditions for life are being taken away, and first-hand testimonies of those still surviving.
Following on from there, we see precarious employment of disabled people around the world. And then the birthday party of soccer superstar Lamine Yamal brings out the question of how advocacy organisations respond to dwarves performing as entertainers.
In other news, there's unchecked use of technology in social benefit administration, testimonies from the first disability pride parade, adapted tennis, and much more.
The Debrief is going on break, and will be back in September. I'll get some holiday and catch-up on work behind-the-scenes.
Explore the full guide with 130 hand-picked links: curated across 37 countries or 42 subjects. this edition picks up from the update earlier this month.
About this edition
The Debrief can give this panorama on world news thanks to a pay-what-you-can publishing model. In the words of Andrew Pulrang, author of Disability Thinking Weekday:
“Disability Debrief really is worth whatever you can afford. It certainly is for me!”
See how to support our work. Thanks to Ashton, Becky and Meghan for new contributions.
Peter Torres Fremlin is editor of Disability Debrief and is from the UK.
“They burned my heart”
Worst-case scenario. In the past week, Israeli human rights organisations B'Tselem and Physicians for Human Right – Israel (PHRI) have both documented the Israeli onslaught on Gaza as “genocide”. A stark alert was also issued by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), that the “worst-case scenario of Famine is currently playing out in the Gaza Strip”.
No safe space. The Global Protection Cluster of humanitarian organisations, led by the United Nations, has an update on the situation of persons with disabilities and older persons in Gaza:
“There is no safe space in Gaza. 20 months of intense hostilities have destroyed the protection environment for persons with disabilities and older persons. 134,105 people including over 40,500 children have new war-related injuries. 25 per cent are estimated to have new disabilities requiring acute and ongoing rehabilitation. Over 35,000 people are believed to have significant hearing damage due to explosions. Ten children per day lose one or both of their legs.”
Deliberate dismantling of the ability to survive. An indication of the dizzying scale of acquired disabilities comes from the director of the Eye Hospital in Gaza, who said that they registered 1,200 new cases of total or partial blindness over the past two weeks alone. At the same time as these needs increase, the Israeli military assault includes, in the words of the PHRI report, “a deliberate, cumulative, and ongoing dismantling of Gaza’s healthcare system - and of the population’s ability to survive”.
Howls of hunger. First-person testimonies show the human experience of these catastrophic conditions. Alaa Alqaisi, writing at Arablit, describes the howl of hunger:
“The letters on my screen blur. Words I once wielded with ease now evade me, slipping out of reach as if they, too, are trying to escape this place. I rise to pray, but the moment I stand, dizziness seizes me, sharp and sudden, wrapping its fingers around my throat. My legs tremble beneath me, and I wonder if I have become too hollow to stand before God.”
And Magdy Jadallah, who has a disability, told told TRT World about losing his family in an Israeli air strike earlier this month: “they burned my heart”.
“Precarious roles with poor conditions“
Jobs in Japan, but they aren't good. Researcher Anne-Lise Mithout has summarised the situation of disabled people in employment in Japan.
“While legal reforms and public support services have improved access to jobs, many disabled workers remain in precarious roles with poor conditions and limited support. Sheltered workshops offer stability but low pay. Without stronger enforcement of anti-discrimination laws and efforts to ensure job retention, the rise in employment risks being a short-term fix rather than a path to genuine workplace inclusion.”
Prime conditions at Amazon. Meanwhile, in the US, disabled people working at Amazon have complained to the company of “systemic discrimination”. A group of disabled workers wrote to top executives:
“The letter cited policies related to return-to-office mandates, which the letter said were being pushed on disabled workers who previously were allowed to work from home based on medical recommendations, accommodation procedures and accessibility. Among other issues, it raised concerns that employee decisions around accommodation were being driven by AI processes that – one source claimed – do not necessarily follow [Americans with Disabilities Act] rules.”
Elsewhere... In Europe, examples of initiatives to promote employment of people with intellectual disabilities. And, in New Zealand, the persistent wage-gap between disabled and non-disabled people.
Lamine Yamal caught offside
In Spain, football player and Barcelona superstar Lamine Yamal got into trouble with disability organisations because of his 18th birthday party celebrations.
A group of dwarves was filmed heading into his party, supposedly hired as entertainers. A government official on the rights of persons with disabilities has called for an investigation, and the Association of People with Achondroplasia and other Skeletal Dysplasias in Spain (ADEE) denounced the hiring of people with dwarfism at the party:
“The Association announces that it will take legal and social action to safeguard the dignity of people with disabilities, considering that these actions violate not only current legislation but also the fundamental ethical values of a society that seeks to be egalitarian and respectful.” (Translated)
However, two of the people hired for the party reject these claims. Juan Alberto Duaso and Miggie DJ posted on social media to reject the statement of the ADEE. They say they have their own voice and capacity to decide, and that no-one at the ADEE spoke with them before its public statement:
“No one can automatically claim to represent an entire group without first listening to the people they claim to defend. The fight for the dignity and rights of people with disabilities cannot be waged at the expense of silencing our voices or making decisions for us from a paternalistic perspective.” (Translated)
Wherever one stands on this longstanding question of dwarves performing as entertainers, it is inappropriate if the association made a statement without contacting those involved. It is a cautionary tale for how the principle of “nothing about us without us” can be overlooked.
“Too much technology, not enough empathy”
“Unchecked use of tech and AI systems”. In the United Kingdom, “Too Much Technology, Not Enough Empathy” is a new report from Amnesty. It exposes:
“How the [Department of Work and Pensions'] constant testing, rolling out, and rolling back of costly artificial intelligence (AI) and digital technologies for Universal Credit (UC), Personal Independence Payment (PIP), and other social security schemes has created an inaccessible social security system for people who are already marginalized and at risk of poverty in the UK.”
The chatbot ate my homework. Meanwhile, in the United States, schools and students with disabilities are trying to thread the needle on using artificial intelligence as assistive technology, but not too much so that it's cheating.
“We felt like we had power”
Not in the history books. EveryBody is an online exhibition telling the history of disability in America through artefacts. By the National Museum of American History.
The first disability pride parade. Alex Green hears from those involved in the 1990 pride parade in Boston. Interesting to see the discussion about whether pride is despite our disabilities or because of our disabilities. For one activist there, Charlie Carr, pride was because of his disability:
“And I think there was this moment, and it’s tough to say when, but we felt like it was okay to have a disability. In fact, that was really cool to have a disability. And we wanted to be identified as people with disabilities. And we wanted to feel good about it. In fact, we were prideful and we didn’t feel like we were these stigmatized group of people that should be shut away out of sight and out of mind. In fact we felt like we had power. We had dignity. We had value. We had words. And we were charged with that feeling.”
Home of hope? In Uganda, this Aljazeera feature showcases how Edith Lukabwe is raising 98 children with disabilities at an orphanage. Definitely not an ideal solution, and there are lots of things that can go wrong in this type of arrangement. But as the article describes, the kids need care.
Opening up about disability needs. Hidden Disabilities, the makers of the Sunflower Lanyard that communicates its wearer has a non-visible disability, are launching a digital card that hold information about the support its user needs. I'm sceptical about this kind of tech solution, but given the worldwide success of the original lanyard, I'm interested to see where it goes.
Game, sound, match
Game, sound, match. I loved learning about how tennis can be adapted for people with visual impairments, and indeed can be played without sight at all. Adaptations include a ball that rattles, a smaller court, lowered net, and multiple bounces.
While we're gone, catch-up with recent Debriefs:
- Without us, you won't move forward, interview with Luciana Viegas on opening the disability movement to black people with disabilities.
- Breathing in, a personal piece from me on my disability progressing, internalised ableism and assistive technology.
- We're the ones that save ourselves, reporting from Alessandra Sousa on solidarity after the floods in Brazil last year.
See in you September! Take care till then,
Peter
Outro
Further reading. All the links from these curated editions go into the Debrief library, which now has over 6,500 links across over 160 countries. See below for contents from this month's update.
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Recent News
This update has 130 curated links from 37 countries and regions, organized across 42 subjects.
You can explore it organized by subject or by country.
Subjects
- Accessibility and Design
- Assistive Technology
- Black Lives Matter and Racial justice
- COVID-19
- 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
Photograph by Eyad Baba/AFP via Getty Images. Thanks to Celestine Fraser for help with its selection.
And many thanks to everyone who shares links, news and reports – and the readers and organisations whose support makes this work possible.