Disabled People's Rights

Reading about the history of how Western countries have dealt with the disabled populations makes me think about a job I had during my undergrad studies at CU Boulder. I took a job with the Center for People with Disabilities because it was relatively high-paying. I worked with people who had disabilities running the gamut from very high-functioning adults who worked at jobs like bagging groceries or cleaning offices to those who were unable to speak or care for themselves. I would take them on outings using public transportation, changed more than a few diapers and learned to teach clients life skills such as street safety or kitchen proficiency.

What the concise history of Western perception of disable people reminds me in particular about the Center for People with Disabilities is their focus on moving disabled people from being sequestered in institutions and generally out of sight from the general population to joining it by living in supported group homes, working and traveling on public transportation. Literally just seeing disabled people on the street, in stores or on public transportation is a form of activism to combat the lingering effects and practices from the decades of eugenics dominating the debate about and decision making for disabled people.

At first, I felt uncomfortable working with these disabled adults, but then I grew accustomed to our differences and it became more normal for me; this is an important, beneficial side effect when disabled people are allowed and supported to live with the general population and not in institutions from childhood.

A Female Image, Piety & Power

* Note: I just now noticed the post before me after writing this... sorry for the double up on the topic!

In response to this week's readings:

http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/europe/04/11/france.burqa.ban/#

"2 arrested as France's ban on burqas, niqabs take effect."

After a law was passed back in October, placed into effect Monday, it is now illegal to wear a burqa or a niqab in public in France. Violators, including visitors, will face fines and "French citizenship courses." Also, "Forcing a woman to wear a niqab or a burqa is punishable by a year in prison and a 30,000-euro fine (about $43,300). Forcing a minor to do the same thing is punishable by two years in prison and a fine of 60,000 euros."

The ban has caused a range of issues to surface, from religious freedom to female oppression to modesty rules to tenets of the Islamic faith.

Supporters of the ban, most notably the French government, have cited its implementation for security purposes, stating it's of utmost importance to be able to "see people's faces" to maintain a secure nation. Additionally, it has been noted as a way to maintain French identity, a nation of "bare-headed fashion."

Moreover, supporters of the ban claim that seeing the burqa is a tangible sign of an oppressive faith that ultimately strips women of their agency and dignity. The supporters claim that the ban will enable women to relieve themselves of this painful restraint on their identities.

On the flip side, many Muslim women are offended by the ban which treats them like criminals for a practice they have voluntarily chosen to follow. Some Muslim women feel like the burqa or niqab grant them more agency, as they do not have to feel judged by others on their bodies or appearance. However, some Muslim women agree with the ban because they believe the burqa is imprisoning women who think they are practicing piety, but are truly maintaining an oppressive practice. (A "false consciousness," if you will.)

So, is France stepping on the religious freedom of Muslim women? Are they trying to liberate women from an oppressive practice? Are they falling to stereotypes of the media in order to preserve their "French identity"? Are French Muslim women not a part of this "national identity"... and why? This law makes me think of the article by Lila Abu-Lughod, "Do Muslim Women Really Need Saving?" Is France attempting to "save" Muslim women who in fact share their devoutness through modest wear? Is it even the place of a national government to insist that they know "what is best" for all Muslim women in the whole country? Are the "security" reasons for this law truly legitimate or are they just a cover-up for a greater agenda to be served?

I think this is a challenging issue, but it points out something very important: here is an example of how one nation is attempting to deal with the cultural "Other," a concept that has been discussed by many prominent feminist scholars. How can an individual, a government, or even factions of a religion find a unifying agreement of what this type of symbolic dress may mean? Can we wade through the "cultural relativist" argument that tries to help us understand and tolerate instead of judge and disrespect? Or, is this the type of issue that needs to be seen through a human rights perspective that trumps relativism in order to move toward women's rights? Are we even in the position to say what the answers to these questions are....are our Western minds able to grasp the meanings behind symbols that are unfamiliar to us?

A challenge, indeed.

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Just a second little thing to add:

This article: http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/europe/01/21/femen.topless.protest/index.html?iref=obinsite

"Topless feminist protesters show what they're made of"

The article explains the women of Femen, Ukraine's topless female protest movement. Femen's leader, 26-year-old Anna Gutsol, explains: "Our goal is active Ukrainian women who want to be involved in society and politics.

Here is an an alternative method that women have taken in order to act as agents of change in an entirely different setting. How does this article compare to the banning of the burqa in France? In one case, we have Muslim women arguing that they command respect through the wearing of the burqa, and the other, wearing nothing at all is a symbol of power. Is the response the same? Is the "topless" feminist movement in the Ukraine a sign of oppression and patriarchy? Some might say that using sex and lust to sell a feminist image is contradictory, but those people might also say that using a veil to cover one's self is also contradictory to the notion of empowerment. Can "outsiders" truly understand what the intention or purpose is of either of these actions? The article claims that after a "nude protest" of a woman being stoned to death in Iran for committing adultery, the group received praise and thanks from Iran for their action. So, why does this group receive praise for their "nontraditional" forms of empowerment while the Muslim women receive criticism for remaining fully covered? Is nude activism more or less respectable than a Muslim woman wearing a burqa to show her dedication to her faith?

What roles of the media and the media's portrayal of the two groups are playing into people's perception of the two issues? Is the stereotyped "Other," the Muslim woman, the target of the burqa ban because of the international perception of oppression tied to her? If so, how is she to shed this label if she truly believes she is doing something good, on her own will? What is the media's perception of the topless feminists, and how does this portrayal affect their message? Who are we to believe/respect/understand/tolerate?

France's new legislation on the Burqa

http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2011/04/10/french-police-arrest-burqa-ban-protesters/?hpt=C2

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1375781/Burka-ban-New-French-law-forbids-Islamic-women-wearing-face-veils-public-real-protest-London.html

These two articles discuss the new legislation in France that bans Muslim women from wearing Burqas. Proponents of this legislation claim that veils that cover the face are in opposition to French ideals of women's equality or the secular tradition of French society. Muslim women who were protesting France's new legislation were arrested on Monday. Women who break the new legislation by wearing burqas could face a $215 fine. As discussed by Abu-Lughod, the burqa is "central to contemporary concerns about Muslim women" (p.785). The burqa has been described as portable seclusion, in which the burqa is viewed as a "liberating invention because it enabled women to move out of segregated living spaces while still observing the basic moral requirements of separating and protecting women from unrelated men" (p.785). Therefore, the burqa is viewed very positively as well as empowering by Muslim women, but in Western society it is viewed as a means of oppression.

Does this new legislation seem fair? Should Muslim women living in France be subjected to these laws? Does secularity allow for legislation to dictate what Muslim women are allowed to wear? Where do we draw the line on secularism?

Multi-media production resources

Hello all -

Here are some resources I've been finding for different aspects of producing a multi-media production for the final project. Hope they are helpful - I would be grateful to know what you all are finding, too, as well as advice/wisdom from any of you who have created similar works before.

General Digital Media Storytelling
The Center for Digital Storytelling has excellent resources (and is the service used by our speaker last week to tell different immigrants' stories. In particular, the resources section has a treasure trove of other related sites and I noticed that there will be a storytelling workshop in Denver 21 - 23 April:
http://www.storycenter.org

The Knight Digital Media Center has a cornucopia of tutorials and general digital media goodness:
http://multimedia.journalism.berkeley.edu/

Interviewing Resources
Have you ever heard the Story Corps oral histories on NPR? The stories often leave me in tears. The organization that does this, Story Corps, has an excellent website with a question generator that may help you brainstorm, especially if your subject is a family member:
http://storycorps.org/record-your-story/question-generator/

Phone Recordings
Here are some ideas for how to record a phone interview, if you need to do so:
http://transom.org/?p=1165 – general how to for a variety of phones
http://transom.org/?p=8681 – recording using iPhone apps

Production Software
I currently plan to use iMovie on Mac and I understand that for PC's, the free Windows Moviemaker is useful. Curious what others plan to use...

Finally, a random resource I find intriguing – online tools to create maps to weave into your story, particularly if you plan to create a project intended for the internet:
http://www.storymapping.org/resources.html

Mountain2Mountain: Streets of Afghanistan Exhibition

http://www.streetsofafghanistan.org/
http://www.mountain2mountain.org/

"Dare to believe in our common humanity" - Mountain2Mountain

Founder of Mountain2Mountain, Shannon Galpin, has dedicated her life to helping the people of Afghanistan, specifically the women, whose voices go unheard and often ignored. She founded the organization in November of 2006 and has made countless visits to the country, instituting needed projects, working with the communities and has helped impact countless lives. Shannon tells her story with such passion, as she sold her house, and started Mountain2Mountain with limited funding, but has put her life and her whole heart into this organization and its' mission.

She came to DU last quarter and showed the documentary, Waking Lions, made about her travels and experiences for the very first time. The documentary highlights how Shannon works in Afghanistan, the challenges she faces, and how she pushes the envelope to bring about change. Students for Africa, the organization out of Korbel that I co-lead, was one of the student groups to bring her and we were extremely honored. She will be invited back to campus some time soon - so keep a look out.

The exhibit, Streets of Afghanistan, will tour the country and will be coming to our town, Denver on April 28, and to surrounding towns as well: Telluride for the MountainFilm Festival May 27-31, and Breckenridge July 1. Definitely don't miss this !!!

A little about Mountain2Mountain:

Mountain2Mountain is working to create education and opportunity for the women and girls of Afghanistan. We believe that investing in women and girls is the most effective way to achieve stability and economic prosperity. We don’t take a one-size-fits-all approach to complex problems. Instead, we believe in long-term solutions that are user-generated, village to village. We don’t just build schools. We work alongside the Afghan people, other NGOs and local governments to develop programs that will create transformational, societal change.

Our current projects are focused on girls education, rural midwifery, imprisoned women and children, the Afghan youth movement and the deaf community.

I for one am so inspired by Shannon, and all the projects Mountain2Mountain is currently involved with. The website says that she decided to "be the change" she wished to see in the world, and it is people like her, and organizations like this, that should remind us all that we may be only one individual, but each one of us can do so much, and working together, we can move mountains. I really believe that.

In Country: Soldiers' Stories from Iraq and Afghanistan

Today’s Guatemalan Guest Speakers, Domingo Alvarez Ajanel and Pedro Bernal Raymundo, brought the reality of war and its aftermath to our classroom. Domingo’s earliest memory, at age six, was of soldiers attacking his village, seeing people being shot and killed, and running away as shots were fired around him. At 15, Pedro was shot in the leg by soldiers. These men have spent the majority of their lives in a war zone and even now are haunted by their memories.

Jennifer Karady, artist, photographer, and journalist, captures memories of war in photographs. Her current exhibition, In Country: Soldiers’ Stories from Iraq and Afghanistan, is at the University of Denver’s Victoria H. Myhren Gallery in the Shwayder Art Building. Through photographs and interviews, she recreates aspects of the soldiers' war memories and places them within the context of the lives they lead at home. Creatively ingenious, stunningly photographed and filled with metaphor, she captures the essence of a memory and brings it to life in present day context. Juxtaposing past/present, soldier/civilian, and danger/safety, her works often include the soldier’s family and tell of the difficulties soldiers face when readjusting to civilian life.

Karady, like Domingo and Pedro, shows how the violence of war stays with the survivor long after the last bullet has been fired.

The exhibit will run now through May 1, 2011. I would highly recommend making the time to see the photographs for a surreal tour of duty.

Immigration, Detention and Women

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/18/us/18detain-1.html?_r=1&ref=us

This article is a good update on what we discussed in class about the detention centers and immigration law, 287g. Similar to what Jennifer pointed out in class, the article states that the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights believes the government has not done enough to make sure that individuals are not singled out and detained because of their race. As a result of the Commission's report and investigations of immigration detention centers, they want the government to cancel 287g.

According to the article, the Obama administration is working to make changes to the system and they claim to have already made some important changes. Yet, the Commission is justifiably concerned about the continuing problem of detaining immigrants in the current conditions and circumstances. This problem is especially problematic for women, as this letter to the editor demonstrates:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/27/opinion/lweb27immig.html?src=twrhp

This letter, written by Anika Rahman, President of Ms. Foundation for Women points out the specific atrocities that women immigrants are sometimes forced to face. One frequent problem that immigrant women have is not being able to report crimes, particularly domestic violence. Some citizens of the U.S have a difficult time getting help in cases of domestic violence let alone immigrant women who know they cannot contact the authorities for help, further perpetuating the cycle of violence. This became a significant problem for women in Arizona when the SB1070 law was passed last year; thus further enforcing one of the many human rights issues immigrant women sometime face.