- The Disability Committee has been formed & will be meeting on June 10, 2009 - time & place to be announced.
- We are asking for more people to join so we can have a good, diverse group of people to share their thoughts, ideas, & opinions.
- Please contact Quintin to join or if you know of others that want to be a part this great event, the USSF.
- Phone 313.964.0618
The disability rights/pride/inclusion activist and advocacy committee of the USSF has had three-four meetings in the past 2 months. We have had five people attend (Quintin, Marva, Dessa, Susan, Teddy, Janice and Rich) our meetings and we continue to reach out to others locally and nationally. We have talked and emailed others during this period; at our most recent meeting on Tuesday September 29 we discussed the following.
1. Write and Agree Upon our Purpose and Mission which includes:
A. Bringing together all people with all different disabilities and our allies
(We need to break down our own barriers and walls)
B Let the USSF, Detroit and the movements know that we will host a June
celebration of the 20th Anniversary of the signing of the ADA at the USSF in
Detroit.
2. We will plan a November event to bring together 50-75 folks to announce and initiate our outreach and work. What kind of event, where should it take place, who should we invite. We want to reach out in both our city and throughout the suburbs. Select a date and create a working committee.
3. We want to plan a national conference call in later October to many national leaders and organizers and activists to involve them in our work for the USSF. Do we want a disability rights/pride activist tent and track? Will the Justin Dart Puppet lead the USSF opening parade?
Purpose and Call to our First Public Gathering:
Our Purpose and Our Call to all Disability Rights/Pride and Inclusive Activists, Advocates and Allied in Michigan:
The US Social Forum is coming to Detroit June 22 to June 26, 2010. This is an inclusive grass roots gathering of all concerned citizens, activists from every movement organization and grouping in our country. It moves beyond all borders and will create a space and place for networking, sharing and provides opportunities for engagement, relationship building, and transformation, education sharing of theory, analysis and practice. We will work to create a better society for all people. We come together because we say: • Another World is Possible! • Another US is Necessary! • Another Detroit is Happening!
The country and the world will be watching Detroit in June 2010. We want to show them all of humanity.
Our goal is to bring together people with every disability and from every disability organization and our allies because we say it is time to create a fully inclusive social movement and as Naomi Ortiz from Kids as Self Advocates says: “We are getting on your agenda!” While being grounded in a Disability Pride framework, we will be intentional about exploring, sharing and dialoging on the intersections between disability justice issues and be inclusive of all other social justice issues.
A main purpose of the USSF Disability Committee will focus on enhancing the lives of people with a disability (PWD). We can begin this by educating and advocating mainly on the barriers that PWD face daily. It is our goal to removes these barriers that keep us from any right that we have and from expressing our dignity and reaching our potential as human beings.
It is time to break down the barriers and the walls between folks with different disabilities and issues and it is time show the country that US SF in Detroit is the place to:
1. Detroit Kick off the 2010, 20th Anniversary Celebration for the ADA
2. Involve hundreds of local disability rights/pride/inclusion
activists and our allies in workshops on disability history,
culture, rights, activism, inclusive education, inclusive
community
As we become an integral part of the USSF, we shall rally ourselves to join hands that will elevate PWD in society today, to work with others in our community as we walk along to Create, Motivate, Educate for community, diversity, inclusion and equality. This is our journey to the USSF, Detroit 2010. We discussed the idea to work with Matrix and build a Justin Dart Puppet for the opening Ceremony and to commemorate the 20th Anniversary of the ADA.
We are working to reach out to Warriors and Wheels, CIL, Pioneers for Peace, Adapt, Michigan Paralyzed Veterans, and MRDC and others.
We have tentatively decided to: Conference Call: October 28 at 4:00 pm
Local Gathering, Potluck on November 14th with the goals that this will be our time and place to expand our core group and working group for the USSF.
It was also suggested that we establish a face book group for the puppet, the USSF and the many disability rights/pride/inclusion activists and advocates locally and nationally.
Submitted Committee/ Quintin & Rich