At the end of 2013, I had the good fortune to visit Nepal as part of an exchange on disability and leadership. While I was in Kathmandu, I visited the Center for Independent Living - Kathmandu and discovered what an amazing crew they are. Before the earthquake, the CIL-Kathmandu was already doing very cool work in a very inaccessible environment. After the news of the earthquake,I could only imagine what it must be like for them and our sisters and brothers with disabilities now, so I checked in with CIL-K, and indeed they are working in an even more challenging environment.
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Author: Susan Henderson
Taking Away Recess is Bad Policy and Bad for Kids
The Berkeley Unified School District (BUSD) is considering a policy that would allow teacher and principals to discipline students by taking away recess. Berkeley is not alone in using this age–old punishment — schools across the country are using it despite any research showing that it has any benefit. Research has shown that taking recess away is not an effective way to change behavior, and in fact, is harmful. DREDF sent this letter to the BUSD School Board—please feel free to use it as a template in your school district. Continue reading
Meet Eileen Cronin
Meet Eileen Cronin author of Mermaid, A Memoir of Resilience
Monday, February 10, 2014, 7:00 pm at The Ed Roberts Campus - 3075 Adeline Street (at the Ashby BART Station)
Berkeley.
Eileen will discuss and sign copies of Mermaid.
Mermaid will be on sale at the event.
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The Center for Independent Living – Kathmandu Gang
Independent living in Kathmandu is challenging — like I mentioned, there is no accessible transit, there are very few sidewalks and no curb cuts, and the streets are not safe (traffic is chaotic). There is very little accessible housing, and before CIL, no personal assistance services. Additionally, all assistive devices, until very recently, came from outside the country and were difficult to get. (Whirlwind Wheelchairs — they're interested in talking to you.) ...
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The Kushadevi VDC Disabled Women Self Help Group
Rakshya and Nirmala told me to expect to meet 20 women who were interested in joining one of the new Self Help Groups for women with disabilities (including Dalit women with disabilities) that are the focus of our joint project. We were greeted by 48 women! Some women had disabilities, some were parents and others were friends, family members or local activists. Many had walked or ridden a minibus for up to two hours to attend. Attendance was evidence of FEDO and NDWA's strong outreach and networking throughout Nepal.
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