Affirmative Action
Queries on Disability
Issues
Introduction
The Disabilities
Issues Subcommittee of the Nationwide Affirmative Action
Committee (NAAC) has developed some queries for use
throughout AFSC. NAAC has heard expressions of concern
in many
quarters of the AFSC family regarding the lack of inclusion of people with disabilities
and the absence of discussion about disability issues
in AFSC. We know that many people in the
organization want to increase the pace at which we move toward fully implementing
the Affirmative Action Plan with regard to people with
disabilities. We consider these queries as one tool
designed to
help move us forward.
In Quaker tradition, queries
are open-ended questions used by meetings to raise
issues that can be reflected upon
silently and/or discussed in a worship-sharing
mode. We encourage AFSC staff and
committees to use these disability queries in a similar fashion.
Some suggested ways of using the queries:
If
your group usually meets for one and a half hours, you might consider allocating
15 minutes to these queries at several consecutive meetings. At the beginning
of the meeting, read the first paragraph
(two queries) aloud and settle into silence, inviting individuals to share
their reflections out of the silence. Usually it
is most helpful if there are a few
moments of silence between reflections and
comments. Individuals should take care not to respond, discuss, evaluate,
or criticize the reflections of another person.
After all who wish have had the
opportunity to speak briefly, the next group of
queries can be read and responded to in a similar manner.
We recommend that
the queries be split up and used during several
meetings. We have divided the queries
into what seemed to be logical sub-groupings, but we encourage you to
rearrange them to fit
your particular needs.
Disability Queries
How do disability issues intersect with your work? What are you doing to increase your
understanding of the issues?
- How does your program serve and empower people with disabilities?
- In what ways do you ensure meaningful participation of people with disabilities in priority
setting?
Are the voices and perspectives of people with disabilities present in your program and the
groups with which you work? What steps are you taking to bring these perspectives into
your program?
- What are your assumptions or fears about inclusion of people with disabilities?
- Do you assume that inclusion will take more time, money, and energy than you have?
- What do you lose when people with disabilities are not included?
Does your program in any way use or reinforce structures, images, and attitudes that
oppress people with disabilities? How have you considered the accessibility needs of people
with hidden disabilities such as mental illness, epilepsy, developmental disabilities, or multiple
sclerosis?
What strategies have you used to make the AFSC (your unit) proactively address concerns
related to disability?
- Do you rely on or expect people with disabilities to be the only ones to bring up concerns of
accessibility?
- Do non-disabled people take responsibility and hold one another accountable for making
connections between disability and the issues being addressed by your program?
- Do you invite people with disabilities to serve on your committees, to volunteer, or to
become otherwise involved with programs, remembering that this perspective is important
and should be addressed?
- Do you practice affirmative recruitment of persons with disabilities for all staff roles?
Are you aware of your legal responsibility to make programs, services, and facilities
accessible to people with disabilities, and not to discriminate in hiring?
- Is your office and/or meeting place usable and welcoming to people with disabilities? Is it
physically accessible?
- Are you aware of the AFSC Board funds for accessibility and committee participation, and the
circumstances under which they can be requested?
When you are planning a meeting, conference, march, etc., do you:
- Make sure the space is physically accessible and is usable and welcoming to people with
disabilities?
- Advertise events as being accessible?
- Have accessible routes for marches?
- Make sign language interpretation available?
- Have written materials available in alternative media (Braille, large print, tape, computer disk)?
- Advertise events as scent-free and smoke-free and enforce these policies?
- Include speakers and topics that represent the perspectives and concerns of people with
disabilities?
- Consider the budget implications of accessibility?
What steps have you taken to ensure program accessibility?
- Do you know how to locate resources in your own community and within the AFSC to help
make your program more accessible to and inclusive of people with disabilities?
Resources
These queries may raise further questions or concerns and you may need to seek resources. The
Affirmative Action Office, Disabilities Issues Subcommittee members, and members of the
Nationwide Affirmative Action Committee (NAAC) welcome your inquiries. We have a number of
resources and are linked to local, national, and international networks of disability rights activists.
We also strongly encourage you to develop contacts with disability rights activists and organizations
in your local area. There is likely to be an overlap in what AFSC programs and these local groups are
working on. In addition, they are the best sources of information about state and local accessibility
requirements (which may differ from those set forth by the Americans with Disabilities Act) and other
hands-on, technical assistance.Such assistance may even
include a workshop or training experiences that
can help increase your understanding.
A
good starting point in locating disability rights
activists and groups is to contact the nearest
independent living center. Some independent living
centers are themselves activist in nature, while
others are more conservative in their approach. Cross-disability
coalitions and other community groups may also serve as a
starting point.
If you are not able to identify any of these, contact your city or state human relations or civil rights
council. Each state and territory has an area-wide protection and advocacy agency; some states also
have governor's committees on people with disabilities. Many organizations for people with
disabilities are primarily or totally support groups or social organizations so be clear about what
information you are seeking when you attempt to locate local resources.
NAAC would very much appreciate reports on how you have used the queries and what your
experience was in using them. We hope that you will take the time to contact your regional
representative to NAAC or the Affirmative Action Office to let us know what was and was not useful,
and what actions you have taken-or are planning to take-as a result of considering these disability
queries.
AFSC
Affirmative Action Office
1501 Cherry Street
Philadelphia, PA 19102
Phone: (215) 241-7184
TDD: (215) 241-7276
^ Top of page |
Email this page