Pulse Wire for a human revolution!
by Jamie Bolling | September 30, 2010 at 1:57 PM
Barriers are many and hard to tear down when it comes to issues of disability. There are physical barriers but even barriers in attitude. Challenges are many with arguments from the financial crisis taking the lead these past few years allowing societies to decrease social services. Human value seems to be relative when referring to people with disabilities. There is a hierarchy of value, with healthy people on the top and people with intellectual impairments at the bottom. There is a need to change to see people meeting one another with the same respect no matter shape, form or color. There is a need to change if we are to have true democracies with the participation of all citizens.
ENIL – European Network on Independent Living promotes change through awareness raising on Independent Living. We lobby politicians. Every other year we have the Strasbourg Freedom Drive that is a march to the EU Parliament to present our demands for Independent Living to the President. We work to strengthen our networks, networks working on a variety of issues as Independent Living has many aspects: self-determination, control over services, equal opportunities, with the right to personal assistance having a main focus. We want to be able to live our lives with full citizenship deciding where to live, with whom we want to live and how we want to live.
Online communities help us to reach out with our experience and needs. Pulse Wire has opened a space within which we can meet other women. Women issues and disability issues go hand in hand. We both experience exclusion and discrimination due to structural barriers. As allies we can together act against the systems which categorize discrimination confirming systems of hierarchy and power. As a MEP stated last week when ENIL visited the Parliament in Strasbourg, “you want a human revolution”! Pulse Wire can help us add logs to the burning fire, help us with our human revolution! Our revolution is one for change, change in attitudes, change in treatment, and change in our democracies so that all will truly be equal.
Comments
Great spirit!
Hey Jamie:
You have a great spirit!
And I see that you work on systematic way.
Keep on going, Jamie!
I do agree with you: change in attitudes (that's the most principle I think), change in treatment, and change in democracies!
Cheers:
Mia
Great spirit!
Hey Jamie:
You have a great spirit!
And I see that you work on systematic way.
Keep on going, Jamie!
I do agree with you: change in attitudes (that's the most principle I think), change in treatment, and change in democracies!
Cheers:
Mia
Hi Mia - great spirit
Hello and thanks for considering my spirit great. It is on fire! I do believe in that which I do, and hope for a better world through spreading of experience. I hope that my stories can empower other women, women with and without disability! To reach someone is rewarding! Take care, Jamie
Jamie Bolling
Executive Director - European Network on Independent Living
skype: jamiebolling
Hello
Hi Jamie,
Loved reading your piece. I was so glad when I saw your story because discrimination against people with disabilities is so widely overlooked.
You piece flows nicely and very relevant to all the questions for this assignment.
I love this quote from you: "There is a need to change if we are to have true democracies with the participation of all citizens." I agree!
I see many positive outcomes from your dedication and hard work. While States have the final saying in changing laws and policies, the civil society is very powerful. I love your grassroots approach (i.e. march) to create a change from the bottom up.
Best of luck with everything.
Cheers,
Jenn