Recommended Reading for Décadi, 20 Ventôse CCXVIII

Warning: Offsite links are not safe spaces. Articles and comments in the links may contain ableist, sexist, and other -ist language and ideas of varying intensity. Opinions expressed in the articles may not reflect the opinions held by the compiler of the post. I attempt to provide extra warnings for material like extreme violence/rape; however, your triggers/issues may vary, so please read with care.

melinda at I Don’t Believe in Ellen Greene’s God: Only non-defective aliens, please

The re-entry permit for residents to re-enter the United States explains that it does not guarantee re-entry. It outlines possible reasons for a resident to be denied re-entry. […] And if you’re not “criminal,” “immoral,” or “insane,” you still may be “mentally or physically defective” in the eyes of the US government, which evidently views people akin to products you can send back to the factory when they don’t work right.

Southern Courier: Historic day for blind voters

Australians take pride in being the first country in the world to introduce the secret ballot. Unfortunately, this democratic right has not been secret for all. Today’s announcement made by the Federal Government is an initial step towards ensuring that people who are blind or have low vision will eventually have the opportunity to exercise their constitutional right to vote privately. […]

“This is a historic day for members of the blindness community like me who have been campaigning for a method of voting that is both accessible and private for many years,” said Vision Australia’s Maryanne Diamond, current President of the World Blind Union. “Since 1902, Australians who are blind have had to rely on friends, family or even strangers to exercise this basic democratic right.”

express buzz: ‘Disabled women face double discrimination’

The marchers pointed out that the rights of disabled women had received special mention in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons of Disability, which India had ratified on October 1, 2007, said Meenakshi, a member of Vidya Sagar. But, India had failed to implement the provisions of the charter, she added.

“There is barely any attention being paid to the rights of disabled women”, she argued. “Disabled women are subjected to double discrimination, both on the grounds that they are women and that they are disabled,” she added.

Disability Scoop: Education Department To Step Up Enforcement Of Disability Rights

The federal government is redoubling its efforts to crack down on civil rights violations against students with disabilities and other minority groups, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said Monday. The Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights will be issuing a series of letters offering guidance to school districts across the country and ramping up efforts to reach out to parents and advocacy groups, Duncan said in a speech in Selma, Ala.

Tara Parker-Pope at NY Times: The Voices of Fibromyalgia

People who suffer from fibromyalgia experience problems beyond the pain caused by their illness. Their condition is little understood and hard to explain, and often they are disbelieved by doctors. […] For a glimpse into the frustrating world of fibromalgia sufferers, listen to the latest installment in the Patient Voices series by producer Karen Barrow in which six men and women speak about living with the condition.

WA Today: Disabled girl can be sterilised: court

Disability groups are split over a Family Court decision to approve the sterilisation of an 11-year-old girl.

Family Court judge Paul Cronin found that the performance of a hysterectomy on the child, identified only as Angela, was “in the child’s best interests”.