consumers or citizens, families, and communities in control
TRANSCRIPT
Consumersor
Citizens [and families!]
&Communities
in Control
Acknowledging our elders past and present
A mixture of hope and fear
• Ongoing change and uncertainty located in federal systems
• Hope for extra resources, fairer distributions and self-direction
• Fear of bureaucracy, inflexibility and new forms of dependence
• Reactivity to the system, rather than pro-active strategy
1. True Citizenship
There is a revolution going on. We are beginning to realise that everyone, every human
being is important. We are beginning to see that
every human being is beautiful.
At the heart of this revolution are not the powerful, the
wealthy or intelligent. It is people with disabilities who are showing us what is important: love, community
and the freedom to be ourselves.
Jean Vanier
What’s our dream for those we love?
ora life of citizenship freedom, meaning,
contribution
Money? Power? Fame?
an ordinary life is not enough
Wendy Perez
How we discover our citizenship1. Finding our sense of purpose
2. Having the freedom to pursue it
3. Having enough money to be free
4. Having a home where we belong
5. Getting help from other people
6. Making life in community
7. Finding, sharing and giving love
What are the newinstitutions?
• Day centres, not jobs
• Care homes, not homes
• Special buses, not a car
• Respite, not a holiday
• Therapy, not fun
• Befriending, not love
2. Choice & Control
Countries where self-directed support is happening
3. Beyond Services
TY Tim Keilty
Service providers: coming to a galaxy near you
soon
TY Tere Dawson
Service providers: Is it helpful
to make them the
bad guys?
How did institutions close?
• Moral outrage + sense of hope
• Advocacy and campaigning
• Professional leadership
• Offering politicians a new narrative
• Unlocking resources
• Testing out solutions for real
How could we help services change?
• Supporting self-management
• Offering shared management
• Partners for change
• Community organisations
• Self-organising cooperatives
• Knowledge hubs
4. Citizens in Action
CommunityBrokerage
It’s My Life
Help & Connect
What can we do for each other?
• Help each other
• Teach each other
• Recognise our power
• Organise to create
• Partners in transformation
5. Social Strategies
…there is reliable evidence that the threshold of grave or systematic violations of the rights of persons with disabilities has been met in the State party… The core elements of the rights to independent living and being included in the community, an adequate standard of living and social protection and their right to employment have been affected… freedom of choice and control over their daily activities restricted, the extra cost of disability has been set aside and income protection has been curtailed as a result of benefit cuts, while the expected policy goal of achieving decent and stable employment is far from being attained
UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities:Inquiry concerning the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland carried out by the Committee under article 6 of the Optional Protocol to the Convention 6th October 2016
UN declares UK Government fails to respect disability rights
Resistance has been weak• Academics, charities and
advocates depend on state funding
• Laws have been changed to make it harder for organisations to speak out
• Legal aid has been cut
• Media and think tanks are funded by private corporations
• BBC are fearful of losing income
• Trade unions are weak
• Disability community is divided
• Mortgages, debt and job insecurity makes people fearful
How to do social change
• New ideas
• ‘Unionise’
• Breakdown silos
• Create a new narrative
Pride+
Organisation =
Power
We don’t need to give our
power away
Let’s do what citizens do… work together for a better world
Don’t be divided by diversity
for later
