DREDF is proud to establish the John R. Lewis Intersectionality Award. Mr. Lewis, an icon of the civil rights movement has continually recognized that the interconnected nature of social categorizations such as disability, race, class, and gender create overlapping and interdependent systems of discrimination or disadvantage. In speaking up against an amendment to the ADA which proposed to bar people with HIV from working in the food industry and which threatened to gut the ADA, Mr. Lewis stated “Listen to the health experts, not the hate experts, not the fear experts. Discrimination was wrong in 1964, discrimination was wrong in 1965, discrimination was wrong in 1968 and discrimination is wrong now.” We honor Mr. Lewis’ long standing recognition of the similarities between race and disability discrimination, his knowledge that socially disadvantaged categories often exist in the same person and his life long commitment to put himself on the line to fight injustice.
I am Nigerian with doctorate degree in Computer Science. I have a physical challenge on my left leg as a result of polio attack at the age of 7 years. I am now 47 years old an ICT consultant. Whenever I see people with phyical challenge all over my country, Nigeria, I feel more pained because there is little or no social provision for them. If you have any program that will assit in rehabilitation, education and advocacy I would be ready avail my services free. Ijoined a group here under the sponsorhip of DFID to do advocacy on disability right. If well taught I would be a great asset to ameliorate the challenges persons living with disbility are having in Africa.
I am a Kenyan who is interested in helping people with physically challenged. Therefore sir I would like you to be of great assistance and lend your support in areas of assistive devices, Rehabilitation, Education and advocacy. Please come and share with us.
Our community based organizations by name South East Nyakach Disability and Rehabilitation which hails from South Nyakach, Nyakach Sub Coounty within Kisumu County.
Thanks in advance.
Project Coordinator.