Friday 25 January 2008

Hoopla!


(from today's Daily Mail)
(How many stereotypes can u spot in this picture?)

Saturday 19 January 2008

Semnal

Noua publicatie online Roma World arata bine, este actualizata permanent, contine stiri si articole scrise de profesionisti referitoare la situatia romilor in Romania dar si din alte parti. Am si eu o rubrica acolo - Drepturile omului - pe care ma voi stradui sa o alimentez periodic cu articole. Primul articol prezinta hotararea CEDO Cobzaru v. Romania - situatia de fapt, explicarea motivarii instantei, si semnificatia hotararii.

Thursday 17 January 2008

Argument against institutionalisation

I thought this was a nice summation of arguments against keeping disabled people locked up in institutions

The Community Imperative

1979

A Refutation of All Arguments
in Support of Institutionalizing Anybody
Because of Mental Retardation

In the domain of Human Rights:

- All people have fundamental moral and constitutional rights;
- These rights must not be abrogated merely because a person has a mental or physical disability.
- Among these fundamental rights is the right to community living.

In the domain of Educational Programming and Human Services:

- All people, as human beings, are inherently valuable;
- All people can grow and develop;
- All people are entitled to conditions which foster their development;

Such conditions are optimally provided in community settings.

Therefore:

In fulfillment of fundamental human rights and in securing optimum developmental opportunities, all people, regardless of the severity of their disabilities, are entitled to community living.

(The Community Imperative declaration, the Center on Human Policy, Syracuse University, 1979)