Disability and Human Rights PDF

***January 15^th^, 2025*** ========================== **Week 2 -- Disability & Human Rights** ======================================= [Defining Disability Rights] ---------------------------------------- Barrier-free policies and legislation for people with disabilities, mainly in the areas of:...

***January 15^th^, 2025*** ========================== **Week 2 -- Disability & Human Rights** ======================================= [Defining Disability Rights] ---------------------------------------- Barrier-free policies and legislation for people with disabilities, mainly in the areas of: - Employment - Transportation - Education - Housing   Activists work to build a sense of identity within the disability community by highlighting common experiences of inaccessibility and discrimination. **[Disability Rights Movement in Canda]** - Influenced by the return of soldiers from WWI/WWII (non-profit organizations, such as War Amps, were established to advocate on behalf of veterans and deliver services that were lacking in the community) - Deinstitutionalization movement -- people with disabilities had a right to participate in mainstream society and should enjoy equal access to services that helped them live and work in the community. - Advances in assistive technology (e.g., wheelchairs) - The Bureau on Rehabilitation was established in 1979 to coordinate national efforts to promote the interests of individuals with disabilities - Federal Legislation (e.g., Disability was included within the revision of the 1981 Charter of Rights and Freedoms) - Provincial Legislation -- Ontario with Disabilities Act (ODA) - Disability Movement in the United States **[Federal Legislation]** *Canadian Human Rights Act (CHRA) -- 1977* - Prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in areas under federal jurisdiction *Employment Equity Act -- 1986* - Promotes workplace inclusion for people with disabilities and other equity deserving groups within federally regulated organizations *Charter of Rights and Freedoms -- 1981* - Section 15 guarantees equality rights and prohibits discrimination, including on the basis of disability *Accessibility Canada Act -- 2019* - Create barrier free Canada by 2040 by addressing accessibility in areas under federal jurisdiction **[Ontarians with Disability Act (ODA)]** - Passed in 2001 to improve accessibility and eliminate barriers for people with disabilities in Ontario - AODA (Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005) required public sector organizations to identify, prevent, and remove barriers to accessibility - AODA expansion: to make Ontario fully accessible by 2025 through mandatory and enforceable accessibility standards across all sectors including public, private, and non-profit organizations - Implementation: Ontario has made progress towards this accessibility targets, but challenges and barriers remain **[US Disability Rights Movement]** *Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) - **1990*** - A US federal civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in everyday activities. - Prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability just as other civil rights laws prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, age, and religion. - Guarantees that people with disabilities have the same opportunities as everyone else to enjoy employment opportunities, purchase goods and services, and participate in state and local government programs. **[Section 504]** - Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 is a US national law that protects qualified individuals from discrimination based on their disability. - First federal law to protect the rights of people with disabilities and laid the groundwork for the ADA - The nondiscrimination requirements of the law apply to employers and organizations that receive financial assistance from any Federal department or agency, including the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and Departments of Education. - Thus, it applies to schools today in the US -- Children are able to get accommodations plans under the mandate of Section 504. **[Limitations of the ACA]** - Applies to federally regulated sectors only (ADA spans all sectors) - Law is broad and enforcement is a gradual process (weaker) - Still very new and under development - Does not offer the same level of comprehensive, enforceable protections as the ADA, particularly for private sector entities not under federal jurisdiction **[Crip Camp (Documentary)]** - Documentary film about a group of campers at a camp called "Camp Jened". - The camp offered a space free from the discrimination the summer campers encountered elsewhere. Campers could engage in uninhibited physical activities, uncensored storytelling, self-governance, mutual caretaking, real friendships, irreverent insider humor, romance, and fun. - The second half of the film follows several former campers into their adult lives. They become parents, spouses, professionals, and disability rights activists at a crucial historic moment for disability legislation. **[Crip Camp Pre-Viewing Thought Questions]** - What is the relationship between pride, identity, and culture? - What comes to your mind when you think of disability? How would you define it? - What is your current experience with disability? Have you, or someone you know, ever had a lived experience with disability? - How is disability currently portrayed by the media? What stories are, and are not, being told? - What do you know about the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)? What has the ADA been successful in doing for people with disabilities and the movement in general? What has it missed? - How do disability rights connect with other social issues and causes? Where is there overlap and where are there gaps? - As you watch the film pay attention to whose stories are being told and whose are not. Who are the people in the film you wish to know more about?