Disability Equality is Still Elusive by Amy Sequenzia

The Disability Visibility Project is a HUGE fan of autistic activist Amy Sequenzia. She kindly gave us permission to re-blog a piece first published by the Autism Women’s Network on December 17, 2014.

Below is a short excerpt.

Disability Equality is Still Elusive

The Americans with Disabilities Act will be 25 years old in 2015. How much progress have we made in accessibility? Do Disabled people today have equal rights and equal opportunity?

If you are non-disabled, your answer to the first question is probably an enthusiastic “yes”. The second question would probably confuse you. Only people who are Disabled, or who are involved with the disabilities rights movement, would not hesitate to answer the question with a firm “no”.

About accessibility: at first glance, it is apparent that a lot of progress has been made. The ramps, automatic doors and curb cuts are everywhere; blind people have many audio books and screen readers available to them; institutions are closing; Disabled children have the right to an education.

But isn’t this progress simply the basic rights we should expect as human beings? The right to dignity, the right to move freely, using wheelchairs or not, the access to reading material available to non-disabled, those things should not require legislation.

Read the entire post here: http://autismwomensnetwork.org/disability-equality-is-still-elusive/

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Amy Sequenzia

I am an Autistic activist. I also have epilepsy and cerebral palsy.

I write poetry – I published three small books – and articles on autism, disabilities, being autistic and advocacy.

I type to communicate. I began typing when I was eight years old, but for many years I did not type much because of seizures that made me very tired all the time, and because of lack of support. Today I cannot imagine being silenced again.

In 2012 I was a presenter at the Conference “Reclaiming our Bodies and Minds” at Ryerson University in Toronto.

Also in 2012 I began serving on the board of directors at Florida Alliance for Assistive Services and Technology (FAAST).

I hope to be a good advocate for my community and a friend to parents and allies.

I blog for Ollibean (Ollibean.com)

Source: http://autismwomensnetwork.org/directory/amy-sequenzia/