NI 467 - November, 2013

Time to rethink disability

A note from the editor

What about success?

One of the challenges of editing a ‘Disability Issue’ is that my mobility is not something I think about much. You might start to worry about my state-of-mind if I were to look in the mirror every morning, and say ‘Ah, yes, I still have two hands, feet and dark brown eyes.’ And just as I was born with them, I was ‘born like this’, which is not a very politically correct (or even accurate) way to describe my quadriplegic cerebral palsy. But while I don’t define myself by my ‘level of mobility’, the struggle disabled people face in their day-to-day lives both inspires and motivates me. Not least because it is one I face myself.

But I was also tired of hearing about ‘obstacles’ for disabled people. So in this magazine you’ll hear from Anoop Kumar, a disabled citizen journalist, who interviews a visually-impaired science whiz who is breaking the mould in India. Then, from Britain, Francesca Martinez recounts how she shook the idea she was ‘faulty’ and found fame as a comedian. On a more serious note, Maysoon Zayid returns to Palestine to assist a new generation of disabled children born under occupation, and Luke Dale-Harris uncovers human rights abuses against disabled people that continue to tarnish Romania’s reputation.

Since writing my personal account for this issue, I’ve started catching the bus again, and playing football; albeit one-a-side, and in the lounge of my flat. Both activities make me realize how much has changed since my childhood. And yet, just over a year since the Paralympics came to London with much fanfare, I think we have some way to go before the achievements of disabled people from all walks of life are encouraged and celebrated.

Elsewhere in this edition we interview John Pilger about his latest film Utopia on the resistance of indigenous Australians, and expose the domestic slavery that can await South Asian brides under the smokescreen of arranged marriage in Britain.

Jody McIntyre for the New Internationalist co-operative.
www.newint.org

The big story

Is it time for a new wheelchair access icon? A group calling itself the Accessible Icon Project proposes a more dynamic version of the International Symbol of Access, in circulation since 1969. The BBC reports that the new icon started as a piece of ‘guerrilla art’ on the campus of Gordon College near Boston, US. Artist Sara Hendron, one of those behind the project, says the new symbol is ‘a metaphor for self-direction and self determination’. accessibleicon.org

Steve A Johnson under a CC Licence

NI 467 - November, 2013

Time to rethink disability

A note from the editor

What about success?

The big story

Jody Mcintyre takes the notion of disability to task with a personal exploration of difference and defiance.

Features

Photographer Suvra Kanti Das meets survivors of the garment factory collapse in Dhaka.

Luke Dale-Harris reports on the ongoing battle to improve the rights of disabled people locked away in secretive Romanian institutions.

The types, causes, prevention and other facts on disability.

Maysoon Zayid explores the challenges facing those disabled by war, occupation and prejudice.

Jody Mcintyre speaks to comedian Francesca Martinez about growing up 'wobbly' and resisting austerity in Britain.

Citizen journalists Sheku Feika and Anoop Kumar tell the remarkable tales of three disabled young people from Sierra Leone and India.

For hundreds of South Asian women each year, an arranged marriage in Britain leads not to love but to slavery. Samira Shackle reports.

Stephen Hopgood thinks so. He explains why.

Combating child prostitution in Brazil is more urgent than ever – especially with the expected influx of foreign tourists for the 2014 World Cup, writes Olivia Crellin.

Why Bangladeshis are selling the only asset they have- their organs. By Sophie Cousins.

Opinion

The current 'beatification' of Mandela is an attempt to neutralize his political legacy, says Steve Parry.

Indifference to the US's spying tactics is dangerous, says Mark Engler.

Agenda

Regulars

A miner, pick in one hand, rifle in the other, adorns many main squares of Bolivia’s highland mining communities, symbolizing the country’s tradition of radical social movements.

Polyp’s Big Bad World cartoon.

It's time for the nation to shake off its lethargy, says Wame Molefhe.

The investigative journalist and filmmaker tells Hazel Healy about his new film, and explains why Australia is still on an international ‘shame list’.

Film, Book & Music Reviews

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