The Doha debates mark the International Day of People with Disabilities
December 11, 2020 – 11:01 am
Participant in the webinar.
On the eve of International Day of People with Disabilities, supporters of disability rights shared with viewers of the Qatar Foundation’s Doha Debates # DearWorldLive program recommendations on how to achieve justice from disabilities for one in seven people with a disability – the largest in the world Minority. The program, which was watched live by nearly half a million people worldwide, featured some of the world’s most well-known disability rights activists. Judith Heumann, a lawyer who contracted polio as a child and later served in the administrations of US Presidents Clinton and Obama, gave practical advice on how to ensure that people with disabilities receive the respect and opportunities they deserve .
Speaking to Nelufar Hedayat, host of #DearWorldLive, Heumann said, “You and others are ready to listen, learn, take our lead and work together.” She said that “disability needs to be normalized” and went on to the subject of inspiration a. “We say that people should not be inspired by disabled people who do things that are typical of other people.
Inspiration is something we should get from things people do that go beyond what people normally do. “A human rights attorney and the first deaf-blind person to graduate from Harvard Law School, Have Girma, said,” All of my success is an example of what can be possible when society breaks down barriers. “Girma said that much remains to be done be to achieve justice for the disabled. “
One thing to keep in mind is that it will be an on-going, never-ending process. The work will never end. We are all growing continuously. Accept that you will always work to remove obstacles. “She urged people and the media to change their views on people with disabilities. Hari Srinivasan, an autistic student and educator at the University of California at Berkeley, encouraged people with disabilities to do their part to make disability a reality. “We have to get out there, show that we exist, show the community our humanity,” added, “the more contact and contact non-disabled people have with us and our talent, the more they can see our capabilities and the less the stigma . This repeated exposure is a path to acceptance and inclusion, and then to belonging. “
Maysoon Zayid, a disability rights attorney, actress and comedian, set the stage for the discussion by describing what disability justice means to her. “There are no groups that are free from disabilities. There is no age without disabled people or a race or gender or orientation without disabled people. Therefore disability rights are human rights. “Viewers around the world took part in the program, with questions and comments from Palestine, Rwanda, India, and beyond. The show included a preview of one of three short films made in partnership with World Enabled, a nonprofit education organization led by social development scientist and disability rights advocate Dr. Victor Pineda, were produced.
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