Transition

BCCPD Mission Statement
The BC Coalition of People with Disabilities was founded upon the belief that:
•

people with disabilities want and are entitled to equal opportunities In all the activities
and privileges that other Canadians take for granted,

•

full inclusion of people with disabilities within our communities is a fundamental

necessity for a diverse, productive and economically vibrant social environment, and
•

people with disabilities have the right to expect equality, fair treatment and respect.

Because of these beliefs, the purposes of the BC Coalition of People with Disabilities are:

•

to use education, advocacy and special projects to work toward the dissolution of the
physical, attitudinal and systemic barriers in our society that deny us equal

opportunities.
•

to provide a strong coherent voice for the cross-disability communities In B.C.,

•

to share information with and support other self-help disability organizations with

common goals, and
•

to carry out our mission and projects within a self-help model.

in this issue

transition
Is published eight times per year by:
the TRANSITION Publication Society.

Founding Editor

Richard A. Watson

Letters to the Editor...............................................................
Editorial
by Geoff McMurchy.................................................................

F
AnnVrlak
"

'

Contributing Editor " •
Geoff McMurchy
Layout
Ann Vrlak

Cover Design
Geoff McMurchy
Research
Eleanor Pasholko
Data Input
Teresa Kubaseck-Berry
Proofreader

Eleanor Pasholko

MailouT
Pushpa Patel
Carol
Mark Rogen
Steve Wong

e

a

t

u

r

e

s

1976 to 1980..................................................................... 1 4
Vander Zalm Ignores Reps............................................ 4
4
Disabled Establish Housing Co-op..............................
Awkard Pathernalism...................................................... 5
Telethons More Harm Than Good
by Richard A. Watson...................................................... 5
6
Demonstration Sparks Action............. ..........................
7
Victoria Branch Admits to Stick-Ups by M. Allen.........

1981 to 1985............ .....................................................
The Disabled Community Unites
by Richard A. Watson.......................................................
Charter Victory! by Tim Louis........................................
The Dawson Case by Jill Weiss.....................................
Deinstitutionalization by Richard A. Watson................
Disabled People's International Peace Statement.....
Call for Submissions............................................................
New SPARC Placards...........................................................

1986 to 1990..................................................................

Voice Recording
ElanorPashoLKO

3

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our sponsors, advertisers, members;
and subscribers.
-

A Victory for Pro-Choice by Rawnie Dunn...................
The Measure of Worth by Bill Richardson.....................
The Catcher in the Wry by Geoff McMurchy................
Creative AIDS Education by Richard A. Watson..........
No Sex Please by Geoff McMurchy...............................
Watson/Colley Fund Seeks Donations.............................

we welcome articles, graphics,

1991 to 1996..................................................................

creative writing et al (maximum
length for articles should be 1000

Tyranny of Abuse by Don Beddows..............................
A Self-Advocate's Story.................................................
Independence 92............................................................
When a Win is not a Victory by Ann Vrlak....................
The Coalition Against Disincentives to Work
28
by Geoff McMurchy and Paul Tubbe....................................
Classified Ads...................................................................... | 29

Partial funding for Transition is

provided by Human Resources
Development Canada. Thanks also to

words). The editors reserve the
Please send material to
Transition Publication Society;

do BC Coalition of People with
Disabilities ’’
204-456 W. Br6a<lwaylï^;;'|2

Vancouver, BC V5Y1R3 ' 7#
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Fax 875-9227
Advocacy Access 872-1278

g

Editorial Note: The views and opinions expressed within the pages of Transition are
not necessarily those held by the total membership or Board of Directors of the B.C.
Coalition of People with Disabilities. The material presented herein is meant to be
thought-provoking and to promote dialogue. Transtion is your opportunity to share
information and to introduce issues which you feel Should be brought to the attention of

the disabled community and the general public. It is also an opportunity for disabled

Canadian Publications Mail
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I individuals to display creative talent

November/December 1996

______ letters
Dear Editor:

I ran into a trap which your
readers may not be aware
of. I am on Handicapped
Benefits. I receive $771 per
month and I am allowed to
take in $200 per month
without it affecting my
GAIN. So far, so good.
A close friend receives a
day care grant for her
younger son who is Autistic.
I am his caregiver, so I am
paid by that grant. A good
deal all around. She re­
ceived the grant on March
22, 1994. At that time, I put
in a claim of $100 for work
done in March (from the
22nd to the 31st).
Non-licensed day care
workers (yours truly) are
supposed to file on the 15th
of the month to be sure of
payment in that month.
Obviously, I could not, so
my March cheque for $100
came in April. Meanwhile,
my April claim for $200 had
gone in on time and I re­
ceived that cheque also in
April. MSS then decided I
had received $300 in April
page 2 • November/December 1996

and docked $75 from my
June GAIN cheque. Further­
more, the computer thought
I was now making $300 per
month, so docked my July
cheque as well.
When I asked what was
going on, my worker con­
ceded that I shouldn’t have
been docked for July and I
got that back. The computer
was reprogrammed, but
June’s $75 was gone be­
cause I’d clearly earned
$300 in April.
I promptly wrote to both
the Minister and the Pre­
mier, sending them copies of
the authorization form and
my claims. It took a yearand-a-half for anyone to get
back to me, and then I was
informed that department
policy is to count money
when it’s received, not when
it’s earned.
I wrote back saying that
that was Insane, that I had
no way of controlling when I
was paid by the government.
Due to a grand mix-up
in November, 1995, I didn't
receive November’s cheque
until December. I received
December’s cheque on time,
yet I wasn’t docked.
I moved at the end of

July, 1996. I had hoped
July’s cheque would help.
When it still hadn’t arrived
by July 29th, however, I
called to find out what had
happened to it. I was told
the claim had been received
and approved and I should
be getting my cheque any
day. However, department
policy is that unlicensed day
care workers' cheques can
take up to the 5th of the
following month to arrive
before they are considered
to be late.
My cheque arrived the
following day, thank
Heaven, but if it hadn’t
arrived until August 5th and
my August cheque had
arrived on time, would I
have been docked? No one
has answered that, and no
one has explained why the
computer not only docked
me for June, 1994, but was
under the impression that I
was making $300 a month
from then on.
Anyway, I thought I’d
share this just in case
someone else gets caught in
this unpleasant Catch 22.
Sincerely,
(Miss) Janet Susan Chappell
Nanaimo, BC ~

■N

TRANSITION

e d ito r ia l

by Geoff McMurchy

ot only is this our
calendar year-end
Transition, but a
celebration of our
twentieth anniversary! Well,
sort of. In 1976, this publi­
cation was simply called the
"BCCD Newsletter". It wasn't
until 1977 that it was
dubbed ‘Transition”. So you
could say we’re on the cusp
of our unofficial and our
official 20-years-in-print.
Either way, we’ve been
around a long time and
that’s something we're
proud of.
In this edition, we’re
looking back over the years.
We’ve combed through the
archives, picked out bits
and pieces of our history
and organized them into
four “eras”. Since our space
is limited, we’ve opted to
give you a taste of a wide
range of material, rather
than just a few complete
articles.
We tried to create a
"slice of life" look at each era
with a cross-section of is­
sues, writers, styles, and
perspectives-and some
landmarks, like the Solidar­
ity movement.
However, one contribu­
tor emerges most promi­
nently, namely, Rick
Watson, who sadly passed
away in 1994. For many
years. Transition was Rick’s
baby and, apart from solicit­
ing others’ work and over­
seeing production, he con­
tributed everything from

poetry to hard-hitting edito­
rials.
Actually, going over our
files, it was pretty impres­
sive to see all the ground
we've covered. In terms of
progress on issues, a kind of
“two steps forward, one step
back” pattern emerges (or
vice versa). You can see how
persistent some issues are
and how we've always en­
deavoured to represent the
facts as we see them.
Content aside, just
glancing at this cover, you
can see the progress we’ve
made in style. We’ve come
from a photocopied and
stapled newsletter to a
much more design-con­
scious magazine format.
We’ve got our sights set on
further improvements as
well, some of which are
dependent on funding.
There’s that word again.
Well, I’d be remiss if I didn’t
at least mention it on this
auspicious occasion. Once
again, I need to remind all
our readers how important
your support is, even if it’s
just to renew your subscrip­
tion regularly.
Another way you can
support us is to come out to
a fundraising evening of fun
that we’re planning for next
March. Watch for details in
future Transitions.
And finally, all of us at
Transition would like to
wish you a very happy Holi­
day Season and the best in
the New Year. ~
November/December 1996 page 3

Some of the themes that
Transition has covered
over the years
Sexuality
Animal Experimentation
The Arts
Misunderstood Disabilities
Psychiatric Disabilities
Alternative Health Care
Recreation
Aboriginal People and
Disability
HIV/AIDS
Deaf/Hard of Hearing
Right to Die
Health Care
Transportation
Invisible Disabilities
Poverty
Environmental Disabilities
Violence and Women with
Disabilities
New Reproductive
Technologies
Technical Aids
Employment
page 4 • November/December 1996

the point, made over and
over that people dependent
on GAIN are “literally going
hungry.”
“It’s not a simple black
and white,” said the million­
aire Vander Zalm (who was
wearing expensive soft grey
suede boots and looked like
he had eaten recently), “You
also have to consider the
minimum wage.”
.... Vander Zalm went
People in need should get the through a long list of pro­
Human Resources Depart­
grams he claims were begun
ment’s $100 million “surplus.” in his ministry. But, replied
That’s what nearly 100
Irene Cavaliero, a mother on
representatives of over half a
welfare, “We don’t need
million people told Bill Vander programs. We need money.”
Zalm at a City Hall meeting
1977
June 21.
The meeting was organ­
disabled Establish
ized by DERA, chaired by
Aiderman Harry Rankin and
Housing Co-op
attended by representatives of At their June board meet­
labour, church, poverty,
ing, the BC Coalition of the
handicapped mental patients
Disabled decided to sponsor
and social worker groups.
a housing co-operative.
For 2 1/2 hours, DERA
Access Housing Co­
Vice-President Bruce Eriksen, operative will be the first in
members of City Council’s
BC to be organized and
Community Services Commit­ managed primarily by and
tee and representatives of all
for disabled persons. It will
the other groups told Vander
provide low rent groundZalm that B.C.’s welfare rates oriented housing for families
under the Guaranteed Avail­
with one or more disabled
able Income for Need Act are
members, for single disabled
“wretchedly insufficient.”
people, and for non-disabled
“How can you ignore the
people alike. Initial funding
fact that you’re not giving
from CMHC has already
single people enough to live
been approved.
on?” Aiderman George Puil
1980
asked Vander Zalm. But
Vander Zalm seemed to miss

1930

Vander Zalm
Ignores Reps

Transition

Awkward
Paternalism
The original impetus of
handicapped consumer
movements was of course
the fact that, for many
years, voluntary agencies,
charity based organiza­
tions, etc. were the official
spokesmen for the handi­
capped. These traditional
organizations not only
shared the legitimized
sympathies of the general
public, but also the keys to
the doors of government.
The role that these
agencies played in the past
were both beneficial to the
handicapped community,
as well as destructive.
Many services were
provided by these groups

which the state was initially
unable to provide. Today,
however, the state in one
way or another has assumed
most of these responsibili­
ties to the extent that the
importance of these groups
has diminished.
It can be argued that the
continuing monopolies
which these agencies still
share in serve to slow the
mechanism whereby the
state takes responsibility for
those areas, as it rightly
should.
Within this situation, we
find such organizations as
the BC CD which feels that
the handicapped are suffi­
ciently capable of speaking

for themselves and capable
of impressing upon govern­
ments the true concerns of
the handicapped commu­
nity. The irony is that, for
organizations such as ours,
funding is practically non­
existent, whereas for the
traditional service organiza­
tions staffed by the ablebodied, funding is readily
available. A sort of awkward
paternalism exists in this
situation....we must fight
for our own self-determina­
tion with all our energy.
Surely this is not asking too
much.
1978

Telethons More Harm Than Good
by Richard A. Watson
Will the 1981 Variety Club Telethon, coming up next
February, be like those telethons we have been subjected
to in the past? We, the members of the adult handi-,
capped community who are active in the movement to
advance me status of handicapped citizens, say yes
Take, for instance, the last Timmy’s Christmas
Telethon held last December. Congratulations are in
order to the tax-supported CBC and the BC Lions
Society for Crippled Children for their combined
efforts in the last Timmy’s Telethon. And you, the
public, must feel great. We feel ill. We feel ill when
we see children, handicapped or not, used in any prostitution
operation. Society calls it charity, but it is charity at the expense of
dignity, public knowledge and accountability.
It is the dignity of the children, who do coincidentally become adults, which is sac­
rificed to the power of the dollar. The children are flashed onto a TV screen and portrayed
as pathetically as possible without really knowing why or having any real choice. Telethons
(continued on next page)
November/December 1996 page 5

(Telethons, cont'd from previous paqe)
professionals who are con­
in British Columbia have all
cerned and occupied prima­
along been presenting an
rily with their own credibil­
image of the physically
ity and professional image?
handicapped as deprived
We ask you,the
and helpless, in desperate
public,
to
consider these
need of your charity dollars
points as you watch next
to make us whole....
year’s Variety Club
In reality, it is the public
who is deprived, deprived of
reaching into your
the essential knowledge that
pockets, try to evaluate
handicapped individuals
the means by which a
have abilities and talents
telethon brings in the
and an equal, yet unique,
money....
ability to be social beings,
1980
participating in their own
growth and that of the com­
munity.
Demonstration Sparks Action
And do you, the public,
Close to 50 people participated in a demonstration held
know where your pledged
outside the Greater Vancouver Regional District (GVRD).
money goes, how it is spent
The demonstrators, drawn largely from the ranks of the BC
and who controls it? Does
Coalition of the Disabled, came to protest the unacceptable
not the power and authority
state of affairs that characterizes custom transit services in
to spend this money and to
the city of Vancouver.
decide the priorities for its
During the interviews that followed, a confrontation
spending lie not with the
developed between Tim Louis, chairman of the BC Coalition
handicapped ourselves, but
of the Disabled, and Jack Loucks, who is chairman of the
with the white-collar busi­
GVRD sub-committee on special transit. Feeling responsible
nessmen, executive admin­
for the lack of progress in the GVRD - UTA istrators and other such
Lions talks, Mr. Loucks defended the position of
the negotiators by stating that the situation was
much more complex than the demonstrators
realized. Tim Louis pointed out the inadequacy
of this line of argument by noting that the public
transit operating agreement was signed, sealed
and delivered as of April 1980 while custom
transit negotiations remained in dispute as late
as July, with no firm resolution in sight. Chair­
man Loucks was unable to explain this discrep­
ancy.
The demonstration was prompted by a
number of specific concerns.... The situation
Regarding custom transit in Vancouver as it
presently exists requires two weeks advanced
page 6 • November/December 1996

TRANSITION

booking to secure service as
opposed to the one week
advanced booking period
two years ago. Booking this
far in advance is therefore
not only an inconvenience,
but also a regression in the
level of service. In other
cities, such as Edmonton,
people book only 1 1/2 days
in advance.... The demon­
stration was an attempt to
bring closer the signing of
the Annual Operating Agree­
ment, as well as making the
public more aware of the

importance of this issue to
the disabled citizens of
Vancouver. It now appears
that the demonstration was
a success on both counts...
.Even though news coverage
of the demonstration was
inaccurate and in some
cases opposed to the de­
mands of the demonstra­
tion, it did serve the func­
tion of highlighting the fact
that custom transit in the
city of Vancouver is an issue
yet to be resolved....
1980

Reaching out
'
thru empty hours
to find a hand
to hold
the first hand
the first hand I touch
that
answers
ft was your hand
I touched
somewhere outside my
vision

Victoria Branch
Admits to
Stick-Ups

formed. We want them to
know that we live in their
community too, and that
we’re here to stay.”
Stickers reading “This
by Matthew Allen
structure
presents barriers
The Victoria office of
to
the
disabled
” were posted
BCCD recently ran a highly
successful sticker campaign
on business, government
aimed at the identification of public buildings, and
on obstacles in the streets.
barriers to the mobility of
Approximately 1,000 stickhandicapped people in that
cityerswentup over a two-week
Coalition staff
Doug Ottenbreit,
by twelve
community development
worker in the Victoria office ^mi^i^^M^^p^ted the stickwho spearheaded-paign had this
is not a vendetta on
part intentionally non-destructive, since the stickers could
of handicapped people
be peeled off without dam­
against the community. We
age or inconvenience.
have no malice, but we do
1980
want the public to be in­

'

undetected

thru deep dark
fingers

curled around
fingers
pulses

beating

shores

to sand

Richard A, Watson
1977

November/December 1996 page 7

Transition

1981
The Disabled
Community Unites
by Richard A. Watson
Perhaps it could be said
that Bennett’s Budget of
July 7th is the best thing
that ever happened to the
disabled community in BC.
It has awakened us from
our lethargy; it has triggered
a sense of urgency that all
disabled people can share..
.. It has served as a catalyst
for the political mobilization
of the disabled community.
Bennett’s brutal attack on
social programs and ben­
efits holds fierce conse­
quences for all disabled
people
Never before have strat­
egy planning meetings and
protest rallies
been so well
attended, and
by those who
never understood the politics
of being disabled
and were never seen at
meetings! Bennett’s Budget
has forced all disability
groups to stop and look at
page 8 • November/December 1996

one another and under­
stand, and truly recognize,
their common suffering and
the need to support one
another in a united effort..
A sense of identity is
also to be found growing,
not just within the disabled
community itself, but
among all minority groups
whose livelihoods are being
so profoundly threatened by
Bennett’s so-called “re­
straint” legislation. Recent
events in BC are pulling
together such minority
groups as natives, ethnic
minorities, homosexuals,
people in poverty, the disa­
bled, etc., in a fight against
a common enemy which is
endangering the social
fabric of this province.
Yet, throughout this
ordeal and forever after it,
minority groups must recog­
nize each other’s differences
and respect each other’s
uniqueness, for it is that
difference and uniqueness
which makes for diversity in
society and contributes to
e whole. Even with this
risis situation we find
ourselves in now, the
disabled community is
having to struggle to be
beard, to deliver its mesage, to contribute its
unique perspective to the
overall effort. Two out of
three Budget-protest rallies
organized so far have in-

eluded on the speakers’ list
representatives of the disa­
bled community, but only
after painstaking persuasion
by the BCCD and a good
deal of hedging and back­
tracking on the part of
officials. It is not enough to
have the disabled mentioned
here and there in other
people’s speeches: our own
voices must be heard if our
story is to have any kind of
impact....
1983

Charter Victory!
by Tim Louis
Jean Chretien, Minister
responsible for patriation of
the Canadian Constitution,
has given in to the demands
of COPOH (Coalition of
Provincial Organizations of
the Handicapped) and
agreed to name the disabled
within the proposed Charter
of Rights. This represents
the culmination of an inten­
sive, six-month lobbying
campaign which involved all
of COPOH’s nine provincial
member organizations in­
cluding the BC Coalition of
the Disabled....
While the initial recep­
tion from the Joint Commit­
tee was positive, the Federal
Government held firm and
refused to amend the Char­
ter of Rights to include the
handicapped. Continued

pressure by COPOH, and
the support of many other
non-governmental organiza­
tions, eventually convinced
the Government to give in
and Chretien announced his
change of heart early in
February.
The Federal Government
agreed to include the term
“physical and mental handi­
cap” in Section 15(1) of the
proposed Charter of Rights.
Section 15(1) deals with the
protection of minority
groups from discrimination
which had not been previ­
ously extended to the disa­
bled.
1981

The Dawson Case: A Question of Human Rights
by Jill Weiss
Early this month, the Ministry of Human Resources filed
suit in provincial court to gain custody of a six-year-old
multiply handicapped child named Stephen Dawson so that
surgery could be performed to repair a blocked shunt and to
thus remove building intra cranial pressure on his brain.
Stephen’s parents had refused to authorize this surgery,
saying that their child was in constant pain, was not capa­
ble of a reasonable “quality of life”, and should be allowed to
“die with dignity”.
The family court judge, Patricia Byrne, agreed with the
parents, saying the surgery was an extraordinary surgical
intervention which constituted cruel and unusual punish­
ment, and remanded the child to the custody of his parents,
who she felt were best able to make the right decision. One
week later, acting on the basis of an appeal by MHR, a child
advocate lawyer, and the BC Association for the Mentally
Retarded, Supreme Court Justice McKenzie overruled Judge
Byrne’s decision and specifically ordered the necessary
surgery.

This case has received
substantial publicity and
has important implications
for the disabled community.
At stake are some basic
questions:
• Can anyone determine
the possibilities and/or
quality of life of a disa­
bled child and/or adult?
• Can parents (or anyone
else) deny a disabled
child necessary medical
treatment because of
their presumption of that
child’s quality of life?
(continued on next page)

November/December 1996» page 9

T

R

A

(The Dawson case, cont'd
from previous page)
Justice McKenzie an­
swered a resounding “no”.
In a thoughtful and care­
fully worded statement, he
said that no one can deter­
mine the future or current
quality of life of a disabled
child....
A teacher, a physi­
otherapist, a pediatrician,
and the head of Sunny Hill
Hospital, where Stephen
Dawson had lived for the
last two years, unanimously
agreed that he was a con­
sistently happy child who
showed absolutely no signs
of pain until the shunt in
his brain was recently
blocked. They stated that he
was a responsive child, who
giggled with delight when
his babbling was repeated
by staff, clapped his hands,
and was capable of free
movement on his bed. All
confirmed that Stephen was
by no means the most se­
verely retarded child at the
hospital and that he had
more physical ability than
most....
As disabled people, we
must be keenly aware of
how easy it is to underesti­
mate our potential. We must
also be careful not to stig­
matize or abandon children
who have multiple handi­
caps and/or who are mentallv handicapped. If we

page 10 • November/December 1996

N

S

I

T

ION

believe that a disabled child
will have a limited quality of
life, we should fight for
improved support services,
not for the termination of
such a child’s life. This is
the measure of ourselves,
our movement and our
society.
1983

Don't talk to me about rheumatism

Deinstitutionalization: A Process
by Richard A. Watson
Deinstitutionalization is
more than just a physical
move from the care institu­
tion into the community,
and the eventual abolish­
ment of the institution.
Deinstitutionalization in­
volves a whole process of
preparation on behalf of the
people moving into the
community, and only with
this process firmly under­
stood and carefully executed
will the concept of
deinstitutionalization work.
Originally, the institu­
tion was a monster of the
government, a result of
social technology, created
under three basic, but false
assumptions. First, the
government believed that

there was economy in num­
bers: that it’s cheaper to
administer care and medi­
cine when patients are lined
up in rows all in one build­
ing. Second, this was a way
of hiding away the sick and
lame so society did not have
to deal with them. And
third, handicapped people
are happier when they are
all together “with their own
kind”.
Institutions are perpetu­
ated for the convenience
and prestige of the medical
and social work professions.
Institutions employ thou­
sands of people whose posi­
tions within the care field
are visible and useful in
climbing the ladder of pro-

fessional success. The insti­
tution continues to exist
despite people in economics
and the rehabilitation fields
proving it is more expensive
to maintain people in insti­
tutions than in the commu­
nity with appropriate sup­
port mechanisms.
What about the effects
of institutional settings on
the client? The expectations
of a patient within the insti­
tutional care model do not
promote active involvement
in one’s own growth or that
of the community. The
handicapped are excused
from any obligation or re­
sponsibility to themselves or
to society. The result is a
passiveness which elimi­
nates any real motivation on
the part of the patient for
self-improvement. This
naturally means the patient
has absolutely no control
over the creation of his/her
own environment and life­
style. The patient does not
have to make any decisions
because the institution
makes them for him/her,
and such decisions are
usually based on medical
and professional considera­
tions.
Deinstitutionalization,
therefore, must be regarded
as a multi-faceted and long­
term process involving the

preparation of institutional­
ized persons for living a
trauma-free life in the com­
munity. This does not refer
only to the learning of a
wide range of self-mainte­
nance skills, from grocery
shopping to the assertion of
legal rights, but also to the
gaining of an emotional
maturity and strength ena­
bling people to be content,
confident and productive
within a self-created social
environment....
1984

Justice Institute
; Supports Access
The Justice Institute of B.C.
■ has received funds from the

Ministry of Education, Skills
and Training to increase
access to its programs for
students with disabilities.
Students interested in
attending courses at the

; Justice Institute, who have
the necessary prerequisites
but require support, should
contact Shelley Rivkin at 5285628 or TTY 528-5655.

Dear Editor;
I think the BC Coalition of the Disabled and the disabled community
in general are making a fatal mistake in aligning themselves so
intimately with Operation Solidarity. The disabled community has
over the past two decades been developing its skills and learning to
use them effectively in presenting the uniqueness of its position in
society and the distinctiveness of its character. The disabled are a
recognizable group and, when they turn out at demonstrations or
appear on television shows, people notice. Now the disabled commu­
nity, by joining hands with Operation Solidarity, is giving up its right
to be disabled in the community; it is giving up its own vested
interests. Operation Solidarity is a conglomeration of labour unions,
laid-off government employees' unions, churches, community agencies
and minority groups, among others.
... fill the agencies who might be suffering from government
cutbacks and who have used the disabled to achieve financial secu­
rity are now using the disabled to regain their status when in reality
their job should be to make disabled individuals and the disabled
community more independent and self-reliant.
I doubt whether the disabled will gain anything from their asso­
ciation with Solidarity. On the other hand. Solidarity will gain cred-continued
on next page)
November/December 1996» page 11

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(Letters, cont'd from previous
page)
ibility on the "sympathy" that
the disabled evoke....
Yoshinori Tanabe
1983
Dear Friends:
The headline in the Vancouver
Sun read—"Educated Man Tired
of Retarded Label". And so am I.
So is every mentally handi­
capped person. So is every
parent, every friend and every
advocate of mentally handi-

page 12 • November/December 1996

capped people. We're damn
tired of it too. We're sick and
tired of it.
within the disability com­
munity, there appears to be a
hierarchy of handicaps. Those
mho are mentally handicapped
inevitably appear at the bottom.
Those mho live with any other
type of disability inevitably shy
away from association with
mentally handicapped people.
what is it about the disabil­
ity of mental retardation that
frightens us? what is it about
the disability of mental retarda­
tion which makes people, mho
are sensitive to the impact of
prejudice, stereotype and
discrimination on most handi­
capped people, become insensi­
tive to a mentally handicapped
person?
what is mental retardation?
It is simply an intellectual dis­
ability. It means people some­
times have trouble thinking
straight. It means you get
confused, particularly in pressure
situations. It means your capac­
ity for scholarly pursuits is
different. It sometimes means
you can't remember everything
you've just said. It means you
are capable of doing things yet
you sometimes forget what to
do. For some, it means you can't
speak very mell, if at all. It
means you are a little slower.
So far this sounds like me. I
am often mentally handicapped.
It doesn't mean you don't
feel joy, sadness, love, satisfac-

tion, and frustration as keenly as
anyone else. It doesn't mean
you can't learn. It doesn't mean
you don't grow and develop. It
means you respond to love,
affection and warmth. And it
means you are hurt by discrimi­
nation, by taunts, by rudeness.
And what of the place of
mentally handicapped people in
the world today? I know of no
mentally handicapped person
who has the ability to hate.
Mentally handicapped persons
are not bomb makers. They
aren't testing cruise missiles.
They haven't sent people to war.
They don't damage the environ­
ment. They don't make pornogra­
phy. And we aren't hurtling
toward the destruction of our
planet because of them. So
what's so great about intelli­
gence anyway?
I write this letter because I
think we can do something
about it together. All of us—
mentally and physically handi­
capped people of today and of
the future. Can we not help in
the liberation of mentally handi­
capped people? Can me not lend
our intellectual abilities to those
whose disability is an intellec­
tual one? Can me not help bury
the stigma associated with
mental retardation? Do me not
have common cause—the rights
of all disabled people? Can me
not help each other?
with respect,
Al Etmanski
1985

TRANSITION

Independent Living Centre in B.C.?
The Coalition of Provincial Organizations of the Handicapped
(COPOH) is interested in facilitating the establishment of an Inde­

pendent Living Centre in B.C. The BCCD is looking for groups in
B.C. who are interested in becoming involved in working on such a

task.

Independent Living Centres have already been proven very

successful in some cities in the United States. They are a part of
and one result of the overall consumer movement which strongly

promotes handicapped consumer control of their own goods and

services. A major foundation on which the concept of Independent
Living Centres is built is self-help and peer counselling. The objec­
tive of such centres is to provide the support services necessary to
enable handicapped adults to live independently in the community.

1982

disabled People's International Peace Statement
Disabled people all over the
world know, from their
deepest personal experience,
the capacity of war to cast
its mantle of death and
destruction over life and
limb. The ability of modem
weapons of war to devastate
people, to sear human
memory with the permanent
scars of personal tragedy, to
shatter the dreams and
hopes of children, to malm
and injure, is nowhere more
eloquently proclaimed than
here, the Peace Memorial
Park in Hiroshima.
Everyday the absolute
sanctity of human life is
asserted by the aspirations
of this planet’s 500 million
disabled people. The créa-

tion of disability and the
ending of life by the waging
of war is an abomination.
Yet the accumulation of the
engines of war gains peace.
The talents of human­
kind are turned from the
satisfaction of people’s
needs to the invention of
more and more horrific
devices of destruction.
The products of human
labours, wrested from the
earth with all the ingenuity
of generations of men and
women, are dissipated in
gigantic stockpiles of arma­
ments which are of benefit
to no one.
The power of co-opera­
tion amongst individuals
and the organizing capabil-

ity of the human race is
squandered in the creation
of gigantic war complexes
whose sole intent is the
destruction of people.
How long can this ob­
scenity continue?
We, the representatives
of all the world’s disabled
people, have come to Hiro­
shima to make known our
resolute condemnation of
the arms race.
1985

November/December 1996» page 13

Submissions for An Anthology for
and by Canadians with Disabilities
are being requested from any
interested creative writers.
Contributors must be at least 18
years old, but not necessarily
established authors. All entries, if
accompanied by a self-addressedstamped envelope, will be
responded to.
Submission requirements:
• Creative pieces including: short
stories, poetry and short scripts
• Fiction or non fiction
• Submissions should be typed
(taped versions will also be
accepted)
• Include a self-addressedstamped envelope (SASE) with
submission
• Include a short statement about
yourself (50-100 words) in a
covering letter
• Possible themes could include:
Family Relationships,
Friendships, Self-Identification
(Who Am I?), Pride or Touched
with the Challenge
• Entries must be written by a
person with a disability (or in
collaboration with a person who
has a disability)
• Submissions will be accepted
between October 1,1996 and
January 31,1997.
Mail your submission to:
An Anthology for and by Canadians
with Disabilities, c/o Selection
Committee Chairperson, 253
College Street, Suite 377, Toronto,
ON M5T1R5.

page 14 • November/December 1996

Transition

New SPARC Placards
SPARC has received many
complaints concerning our
parking permits and have
come up with a new design
which we expect will correct
these problems.
The new permit, which
is 3 1/2" X 6", is slightly
smaller than the previous
permit, can be put in a
pocket or purse for easier
accessibility. It is also made
of a much lighter and
stronger material which will
eliminate breakage. The
background is white with
blue lettering, and the inter­
national handicapped ac­
cess symbol is white on a
blue background.
The major difference in
the permit is the new way of
indicating the expiry date.
Previously we applied expi­
ration date stickers. Now
with the months down the
sides and five future years
at the bottom, on both sides
we will holepunch the expi­
ration date. This should
prevent tampering with the
stickers which has been a
problem in the past. It will
now be easier to read both
the permit number and the
expiration date from a dis­
tance to improve enforce­
ment. Also, it will be easier
for the public to report and
advise us of abuse. The
authorized owner’s name
and signature and instruc­

tions for displaying the
permit remain on the back
side of the permit.
The old design will
continue to be issued as
temporary permits, so the
permanent permits will be
distinctive.
We have also changed
the “hanger” to make it
easier for putting on the
rear view mirror and the
extra strong new material
should help eliminate the
problem of breaking at this
weak point. ~

Cross Country Skiing:
good for the Mind,
Body and Spirit
Enjoy the many benefits of
cross country skiing
through the Disabled Skiers
Association of BC (DSABC).
Come meet our friendly
volunteers who will provide
qualified instruction and
will adapt lessons to meet
the goals of each individual.
Experience the benefits of
increased fitness level (in­
cluding balance, coordina­
tion and stamina), make
some new friends, and enjoy
the great scenery and fresh
air. Whether you wish to try
the sport for a day, take a

series of lessons or simply
wish to ski on your own or
with a friend or family mem­
ber, DSABC offers a variety
of discounted rates and
packages. This year our
programs will be available at
Hollybum Ridge, accessible
from Vancouver within a
one hour drive or with the
shuttle service.
For further information,
please call the cross-country
ski coordinator at 322-0229
or the DSABC office at 7373042. Have a great Christ­
mas! ~
November/December 1996* page 15

TRANSITION

helping agencies depend on government
funding and fear funding cuts. They need an
independent advocate like the Coalition to lobby
for their interests.

The B.C. Coalition of People with Disabilities is a
province-wide, non-profit organization run by and
for people with disabilities. We are an umbrella
group representing all people with disabilities and
our strength comes from membership support.

•

Will you join the Coalition today and help build
the voice for people with disabilities?

policy research and development on areas of
concern to you.

•

membership voting rights, if you are a person
with a disability.

As soon as you begin your membership, you'll
enjoy a number of benefits:
•

an organization that can lobby the government
on behalf of people with disabilities—too many

page 16 • November/December 1996

If you would like more information on BCCPD,
please feel free to contact the office at the address
below, or call (604) 875-0188.

TRANSITION

1986»
to
1990
A Victory for
Pro-Choice?
by Rawnie Dunn
On the morning of January
29th, I was sitting in my
hotel room at a COPOH
Council meeting in
Ottawa...! grabbed the Globe
and Mail off the tray and
said, “What a loud headline!
It looks like a supermarket
tabloid!”
That headline, of
course, like much of the
entire paper that day, was
about the Supreme Court’s
decision which effectively
legalized abortion in
Canada. It was hailed as a
victory for Pro-Choice. As I
glanced over the photo­
graphs of laughing, clapping
women, I felt a little sad that
I couldn’t participate in their
joy. Not that I don’t agree
with the right of a woman to
choose to reproduce or not. I
most definitely do. It was
just that experience had
shown me that the Law can
sometimes mean one thing
for able-bodied men and
women and another thing
for disabled men and
women.

Many battles have been
fought under the banner of
Pro-Choice, but the focus
has not always been the
same for the groups in­
volved. For able-bodied
women, it has largely come
down to a struggle for the
right for a woman to choose
whether or not to have an
abortion, whereas with
disabled women the essence
of the struggle has been for
the right to choose whether
or not to have a baby.
There is more than a
difference in semantics here.
From the struggle of disa­
bled women against compul­
sory sterilization, to their
struggle to resist apprehen­
sion of the fetus or the child
by the “authorities”, to their
struggle to even receive

unbiased medical informa­
tion and counselling, the
message is the same: we
disabled women do not want
to be universally assessed
as unfit to mother simply
because we are disabled. We
do not want decisions about
our bodies and our futures
made without consulting us,
without our being able to
consider all the options.
Quite simply, what we want
is the right to choose.
My newspaper was
basically right, of course.
The Supreme Court decision
did herald a victory for Pro­
Choice, but until all
women—whether ablebodied or disabled—control
their reproductive powers,
the fight will not be won.
1988

Dear Editor:
I too would like to odd my voice to those objecting to the views
expressed by one of your readers in Transition who thinks the govern­
ment should not pay for medications for people with RIDS.
I very much appreciated the earlier article you carried on RIDS as
a disability and I think that people within the disabled community
can learn a lot from people with RIDS and their friends. Think of the
extraordinary organization and networking that's occurredl In addi­
tion. all chronic illness is by definition incurable and disabling and,
unfortunately, sometimes support services and treatments that might
help are denied to sufferers by people who have the same beliefs as
the man who wrote the letter.
If we are going to be effective in bringing about social change
that will benefit the disabled community, we have to embrace the
goals of disabled people's coalitions that work for us all, regardless
of the particular nature of our disabilities.
Maureen Moore
1987
{continued, on next page)
November/December 1996» page 17

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(Letters, cont'dfrom previous
page)
Dear Editor:
I want to applaud Mr. Bob
Elliott, for speaking out on his
strong feelings about my article
in Transition. This article con­
cerned the women-only initial
general meeting of a network
formed in March of 1986.
Since I wrote the article, I
can assure one and all that there
was no anger, either Implied or
overt, in it. It was a simple
announcement. The women of
the DisAbled Women's Network
are not fighting against any­

page 18 • November/December 1996

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thing, let alone his supposed
"unsympathetic, unsupportive,
angry men". DAWN BC is a
Network of
A women supportting each other.
we help. we do
not fight. at least,
me haven't yet.
Dawn BC is a
society, with
bylaws and a
constitution. But
DAWN is also o
family, a family of BC
women.
To his charge of sexual
discrimination, I can only reply
that we are a network of
women, but we ore appreciative
of help from men. DAWN is
concerned with women's issues
only. There are some things that
are specifically not male inter­
ests. However, a number of men
have already been helpful in
helping us get started, and I
have no doubt that men mill
continue to assist. I invite Mr.
Elliott on any occasion to give us
the benefit of his opinions and
experience in the disabled
culture. we all have respect for
his thirty-four years of experi­
ence with discrimination.
I think that the suggestion
that women take a close look at
why me are uncomfortable
discussing our concerns with
males present, as Mr. Elliot
pointed out, is a good one. we
are uncomfortable; it mould be
good to discuss why.
Eunice Brooks
DAWN BC
1986

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The Measure of
Worth
by Bill Richardson
We are a people who tend to
understand worthiness by
measurement. How much is
he worth? Is it worth it to do
that, to go there, to spend
the money, to spend the
time? We turn to quantity
even to validate those hu­
man pursuits where quality
is supposed to be of para ­
mount concern. A Van Gogh
painting is of itself less
interesting, it seems, than
the huge sum paid for it by
a Japanese insurance com­
pany.
It need scarcely be said
that the 10 million dollar
measure of Rick Hansen’s
heroism is important. The
interest generated by that
trust fund will do a lot of
good. But money in large
amounts inevitably gener­
ates controversy, too. There
is bound to be rancour, as
various agencies vie for their
share. Some people are
angered that individuals like
Rick, or Terry Fox, or Steve
Fonyo felt compelled to
undertake life-threatening
projects in order to raise
money and public aware­
ness. Why, they ask, is
money not available for
medical research, when it is
so freely spent on the mili­
tary and interior decoration
on Sussex Drive? Money­
raising invites invidious
comparison. I, for one.

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certainly felt that all was not
right with the world when
Rick Hansen and Oral
Roberts reached the 8 mil­
lion dollar point at about
the same time.
Important and impres­
sive as the 10 million dollar
mark is, money—by its very
nature and its sharp effect
on human sensibility—
cannot be the real measure
of Rick Hansen’s heroism.
Real heroism is an achieve­
ment of the spirit, and as
such it is felt most tellingly
by the spirit, in that safety
zone where quantitative
measurement cannot enter.
The hero shows us that

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courage begins at that place
where we simply say “yes” to
a challenge; yes to the re­
sponsibility of being—in
Rick Hansen’s words—^the
“best we can be.”
What does being the
best involve? For most of us,
it has nothing to do with
capturing the imagination of
the world, nothing to do
with raising 10 million
dollars. For some of us,
being the best has to do
with raising a child alone,
with not much money. It
has to do with getting
through a demanding day
and still having the energy
and commitment to be an

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effective citizen. It has to do
with being undaunted by
the problems of the day to
day. Being the best you can
be may have to do with
something as seemingly
commonplace as getting out
of bed in the morning. We
are not, after all, without
our so-called disabilities...
. His journey leaves a legacy
of 10 million dollars; but
most importantly, he has
given us the notion that our
own life journeys, small or
large, can be heroic, and
that a warm welcome waits
for us when we get to wher­
ever we call home.
1987

The Catcher in the Wry:
1$ This Some Kind of Joke?
by Geoff McMurchy
When someone suggested to the Port Corpora­
tion that they install, as one of the “minor modi
fications” to the infamous Main Street overpass
a “catcher” to prevent out-of-control wheelchair
from careening into the traffic on Alexander
Street, they took it seriously!... They had a
contractor sketch plans for a backwards goalie’s-net-looking-thing, made of chain-link fence
(painted a tasteful yellow, mind you) that would
sit at the foot of the steep sidewalk which just
happens to be the sole pedestrian access to the
new CRAB Beach Park.
Perfect! Those disabled folks are always
going on about choice, so we’ll give them a
couple of options. They can go ahead and
(continued on next page
November/December 1996* page 19

(Catcher, cont'd from
previous page)
careen into Alexander Street
and maybe get hit by a
truck or they can smash
into a chain-link fence!
What a deal!
... Excuse me, am 1
being a bit hyper-sensitive,
or is the Port being a bit
insensitive? Does the
catcher idea (not to mention
the overpass itself) demon­
strate a certain, shall we
say, lack of concern for
equal access?
For its part, the City,
which agreed to cost-share
the minor modifications,
would seem to be trying to
do the right thing in this
case. They have decided,
after consulting with com­
munity groups including the
BCCD, not to proceed
with the catcher

1988

Creative AlDS Education
by Richard A, Watson
AIDS events have been the
most powerful and moving I
have ever attended in my
career as a protester. I
attended the Names Project
rally held July 12 which
opened the quilt exhibit at
the Vancouver Art Gallery.
As if it wasn’t enough
to view the massive assem­
bly of panels personally
created by those who have
lost loved ones through
; AIDS, there was the endless
recital of names coming
through speakers placed
around the exhibit. It was
like being trapped, almost
against my will. I could not
turn it off or run outside.
On Monday September
4th, the People with AIDS
Society hosted a Fantasy
AIDS Rally oh the empty
comer lot outside the
Vander Zalm-owned Fan­
tasy Gardens in Richmond.
... The rally was in re­
sponse to statements
which had been made
recently by senior cabi\ net ministers. It called
for the immediate resig­
nation of Forests Minister Dave Parker and
Health Minister Peter
Dueck. In a radio
interview Parker
said, “AIDS is a
self-inflicted

wound, and you’re bloody
well responsible for your
own acts.” Health Minister
Dueck subsequently
defended Parker’s state­
ment saying, “Some peo­
ple, in fact, by their life­
styles have invited the
disease.”,
People with AIDS and
their supporters are ap­
palled and angered at
such bigoted, homophobic
judgements passed on a
health issue, judgements
which serve to put the
health of all British
Columbians at risk. Such
attitudes on behalf of
“honourable” politicians,
combined with their re­
fusal to fund medical drug
therapies and education
programs, actually serves
to spread AIDS.
Mary Williams spoke
on behalf of the BCCD,*
saying that people with
AIDS have the support of
their fellow disabled citi­
zens. Williams said that
"instead of spreading
superstition reminiscent
of the dark ages, the
Ministers better bloody '
well start being responsi­
ble for their actions.”....
1989

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nsition

No Sex Please..
by Geoff McMurchy
Is “No Sex Please. We’re
Disabled” a joke or not? It
gave me pause for thought
when, after agreeing to write
something for this issue on
sexuality, I received an
almost total non-response
from thirty-odd question­
naires I sent out to BCCPD
members. The question­
naires were anonymous,
and even came with return
postage-paid envelopes, so
why the reluctance from
recipients to share their
experiences and views on
sexuality?
It’s safe to say that the
community of disabled
persons is much more sexu
ally disabled than non­
disabled people. Parents
and care-givers who “pro­
tect” their charges, media
exclusion, physical barriers
to socialization and poor
access to information have
all contributed to hinder
people with disabilities from
dealing with their sexual
identity.
Basically, a high per­
centage of the disabled
population have either been
taught that having sexual
relationship(s) is not an
option for them, or if they
wanted to explore sexuality,
they’ve found both physical
and attitudinal barriers in
their way. Just one of life’s
realities; it’s always been
that way.

Today, prehistoric
myths about what it means
to be a female or a male in
society still plague us, disa­
bled and non-disabled alike.
Under the critical gaze of
society, disabled people may
be self-conscious about
their disability, being seen
as less of a man or woman,
having less personal power,
and not having the skills to
overcome self-doubt.
It’s a double-edged
sword: society conditions us
so that our self-esteem
relies heavily on the roles we
play and it restricts these
roles, yet denies the means

to expand or adapt them.
The more marginalized you
are, the harder you have to
fight to maintain your selfesteem.
In many areas, the
collective self-esteem of
people with disabilities is
improving. It has changed
as we become more visible
and more involved in our
communities. We are ex­
panding our roles, and we
must seize every opportu­
nity to address our sexual
health and thereby contrib­
ute to our individual and
collective self-determination.
1990

At last, A Premier's Advisory Committee!
by Richard A. Watson
Premier William Vander Zalm

Many of us are now

and Provincial Secretary Bill

wondering about the risk that

Reid hosted a gala reception

the Council could become a

on January 12th at the Van­

convenient dumping ground

couver Hotel. About three

for every issue that arises—

hundred people representing
the Social Credit party, the

an excuse for politicians to
avoid issues by referring them

society service industry and a

to the Council. Council Chair

smattering of disability groups

Paul Thiele says he wishes to

gathered to drink wine and
wait in anticipation for the

make clear from the beginning
that the Council will not

announcement of who was
appointed to serve on the

consider problems that can be

long-awaited Premier’s Advi­

solved directly by politicians

sory Council on People with

or groups, unless the problem
is part of a global issue...

Disabilities....

1989

November/December 1996» page 21

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Watson/Colley Fund
Seeks Donations
In the Spring of 1994, two pioneers of the BC
disability movement passed away. They
were Richard A. Watson and Garry E. Colley.
Richard Watson worked as a columnist for
The Province, and was long-time editor and
inspirationfor Transition magazine, and Garry
Colley was a Disability Rights Advocate for
the BCCPD’s Advocacy Access Project.
In memory of Rick and Garry, the
BCCPD and the VanCity Community
Foundation established a bursary fund.
Students with a disability studying in any
post-secondary Institution in the province of
BC are eligible to apply for this bursary.
Please consider making a donation to
this fund, in memory of Rick and Garry and
to help a student with a disability. You can
send your tax-deductible contribution to:

Watson/Colley Memorial Bursary Fund,
BC Coalition of People with Disabilities
204-456 W. Broadway
Vancouver, BC V5Y 1R3.

...for the hardworking production crew at
Transition Inc.:
Carol Dixon • Teresa Kubaseck-Berry • George
Lawson • Bob McElroy • Geoff McMurchy •
Eleanor Pasholko • Pushpa Patel • Robert
Ponto • Mark Rogen • Valerie Stapleton • Steve
Wong

And sincere thanks to the many people who
write, draw, send letters, suggest Ideas....
And, last but not least, we also are grateful to
our advertisers and sponsors who provide
necessary, and often unheralded, financial
support.

1991
to
1996
Tyranny of
Abuse
by Don Beddows
... Our care institutions are
places dedicated to the care
and protection of their
charges, but their intent
and thus success as caring
places is only as good as
their staff. And success
lasts only as long as that
staff vigorously strives to
uphold individual dignity,
individual choice, individual
freedom and to meet indi­
vidual needs in spite of the
compelling temptation to
bypass these in order to
make the institution easier
to manage and the popula­
tion easier to control. The
conflict question is, “Whose
comfort levels are of primary
concern?”
... Most people who
provide care are wellintentioned. But there is a
tyranny of ignorance where
care-providers do not under­
stand, a tyranny of arro­
gance where they know
what is best, and a tyranny
of devaluation where they
come to believe that the
feelings, needs and aspira­
tions of people with disabili­
ties are in some way less

valid and less important
than those of “normal”
people. We can all add our
own tyrannies to this list.
So what to do? Where is
the weak point?
Until we, and all who
interact with persons with
disabilities, can begin to see
them as “ordinary feeling
folk like us with an addi­
tional difficulty which
makes life tougher for them
than for us,” we will fall into
the trap of becoming tyran­
nical. It’s not enough to pay
lip-service to this issue. This

is a gut-level issue which
must be believed with heart,
mind and soul if we are to
protect people with disabili­
ties and be worthy of provid­
ing care.... We all do what
we do best because we are
grounded in an unshakable
belief in its value and right­
ness.
Such believers are the
real caring among us and
people with disabilities need
them as family, friends and
advocates. Then, perhaps,
they will be safe.
1995

A Self-Advocate's Story
Over the past year, Marcella
Baldwin has been talking to
consumers and self-advo­
cates about what the
guardianship changes will
mean in their lives. She is a
volunteer with the BC Asso­
ciation for Community
Living (BCACL) Self-Advo­
cacy Caucus.
Marcella prefers the
word “self-advocate” to
describe herself. This is
probably because it most

closely describes her ap­
proach to her work and to
her life: she wants to speak
for herself and to help other
people with disabilities to do
the same. But Marcella
remembers that when she
first started talking with
other self-advocates about
the new guardianship laws,
people expressed some
resistance and fear.
“Some of them were
afraid that, all of a sudden.

they’d have to make all their
own decisions,” she said.
Marcella explained to
her peers that guardianship
is all about having choices,
including choosing if you
want someone to help you
make decisions or not.
One part of the guardi­
anship picture that annoys
Marcella is the question of
capacity: how a person is
judged to be capable of
making their own decisions.
Under the old law, the
measurement is clearly an
intellectual one-a person’s
perceived ability to know
and understand the conse­
quences of their decisions.

Marcella doesn’t have
much time for that “dumb
IQ thing”. She knows that
an IQ rating is a “stupid”
way to measure a person or
to find out what matters to
them and how they make
decision.
This is one of the things
that Marcella talks about in
her speaking engagements
with students and employ­
ees in various workplaces,
and it has an effect. “Self­
advocacy opens people’s
eyes,” she says. ‘Then they
realize that if they give us a
chance, we can do things as
well as them, maybe better.”
Marcella has also seen

how changing a person’s
label-from “mentally handi­
capped” to “self-advocate”changes their view of them­
selves and of their place in
the world. “All of a sudden,
people feel like they belong.
That’s what I like to tell
people like me.”
For Marcella, it feels
good to give back some of
what she’s received. She
remembers that when she
first got involved in the self­
advocacy movement she felt
like she’d entered another
world. “I felt listened to and
I knew I wanted to help
other people to feel that.”
1994

Dear Editor:
... I do not believe that people
with disabilities should partici­
pate In receiving handouts, free
services, reduced rates, special
privileges, etc. as it only per­
petuates the concept that we
are in some way less-thancopable and need to be taken
care of and felt sorry for.
Instead, we need to be
coming up with ideas that will
facilitate paying our way. It is
only through paying our own
way, contributing, participating
and generally taking care of our
affairs that we will gain and
maintain our self-respect, dignity
and sense of self-worth.
Pat Johnston
February, 1991

Dear Editor:
I was very upset after reading
Pat Johnston's letter in the
February 1991 Transition.
Getting rid of reduced rates and
free services, etc., for the
disabled community is not a very
good idea. If a disabled person
does not want these services,
that is his/her choice, but please
don't take these services away
from those who want them.
Living in Northern 6.C. costs are
higher than in the Lower
Mainland and the Island.
What about people who will
never have employment? Why
should I pay full fees for taking
one part-time course at a
college or university? What
about seniors' discount days in

stores, business, recreation,
etc.? The seniors have a choice,
and we, the disabled, have a
choice too. Rs long as the choice
is available, life is a little
easier.
V. Nielsen
May, 1991

TRANSITION

Independence 92
empowerment; Will
the Message Travel?
by Richard A. Watson
My greatest hope for people
with disabilities is that we
all have a sense of humour,
that we can laugh at our­
selves. If we do not, we are
destined to fail at what we
seriously believe in. This is
the conclusion I took away
after the gruelling five-day
Independence ’92 Interna­
tional Congress.
Never in my 15 years of
chronic conference attendance
have I seen so many
people of all sizes, shapes,
colours, nationalities, and
disabilities, ranging from
minor to severe, converge at
the same time in one loca­
tion for five days, and all (or
most) looking happy about
it.... Can you imagine the
shock of other people stay­
ing at the Pan Pacific Hotel
who did not know about the
Congress, emerging from
their rooms last Wednesday
morning to find a congestion
of 2,800 "gimps", with every
kind of mobility device im­
aginable, lining up to regis­
ter for the event?
It did not take the
attendance of many work­
shops for me to realize that
the underlying theme of this
Congress was the concept of

Priorities Not Ours
"empowerment". I remember
the beginnings of the dis­
ability movement, when we
held thinly attended and
naive protests in front of
transit, human resources
and health department
offices. We have matured
and Independence ’92 made
me and others see the big­
ger picture that Includes
supporting each other in
taking control in making
decisions about our own
lifestyles, taking the power
away from government
agencies and "care-givers".
In summing up the
value of this $4 million
Congress, Henry Ens, Ex­
ecutive Director of the Cana­
dian Association of Inde­
pendent Living Centres, told
me, “A best case scenario on
the results of this Congress
is that people with disabili­
ties in underdeveloped
countries will organize and
achieve legislative change
and develop ILCs.
“People will take back to
their countries a sense of
solidarity and motivation.
Without this event, the $4
million would have gone to
something other than people
with disabilities”....
1992

by Henry Viug
I think Independence ’92
was a colossal waste of
money and was very frus­
trating. Rather than doing
something constructive, the
government had a party.
Deaf participants were
very frustrated by the lack
of adequate interpretation.
The excuse given by the
organizers—that this was
due to an unexpected last
minute increase in the
number of deaf delegates—is
an outright lie. Only “50%”
access for the smaller ex­
pected number had been
contracted for!
The lack of interpreters
was very frustrating for me
personally as it prevented
me from doing any network­
ing with people with other
disabilities. I saw many
people I knew, but all I
could do was wave “Hi” and
“Bye”—and not even that
with the blind delegates!
The government should
stop imposing their and
Rick Hansen’s priorities on
us and let us decide where
and how we want to spend
time, effort and money (“us”
means legitimate disabled
consumer groups).
1992

TRANSITION

When a Win is
not a Victory
by Ann Vrlak
It is now two days since the
national referendum where
Canadians said “no” to the
constitutional agreement
penned by the First Minis­
ters. Many of us at BCCPD
gave our time to the cam­
paign and on Monday, Octo­
ber 26th, we “won.” Then
why doesn’t it feel like it?
Like many other “no”
campaigners, I was troubled
by questions like: Why do I
feel manipulated? Why on
earth were we asked to say
“yes” or “no” to such a com­
plex, and often contradic­
tory, set of issues? Will the
progressive “no” forces be
heard among the rejoicing of
more right-leaning voices?
Watching the referen­
dum results in the main­
stream media, it is clear
that the media persist in
focusing the debate, and
now the results, on the anti­
French, anti-aboriginal
angle. In reality, there was
much that was good about
this deal and, if the minis­
ters had been willing to
make some changes, we
could have lived with it. But
our concerns about equality
rights and social programs
were ignored or completely
trivialized (“There, there,
we’ll take care of those little
details later”). So we had no
choice but to work toward
the end of this fundamen­

Dear Mary (Williams) and Margo (Massie):
The Flowers I recently sent to the BCCPD are inadequate to
express my true feelings about the phenomenal support
provided by your organization. I don't know if this letter
can convey what I feel more effectively, but I will try.
When I first learned that the
BCCPD would be intervening, I was
simply delighted! knowing that my
cause would be supported by such
on influential group gave me an
enormous boost of hope. At the
initial hearing at the B.C. Supreme
Court, I felt rather overwhelmed by
the opposition. But at the B.C.
Court of Appeal hearing, I felt that I
had many supporters with me—
because of the BCCPD's involve­
ment—and I feel very honoured to
hove had this tremendous backing.
By the time you receive this letter, the decision or the
judges will be known. If their decision is negative, I want
you to know that I will continue to fight for the right to
self-determination as long as I am able. Reading your
personal story, Mary, touched me deeply and reinforces
my commitment to fight for the right to choose.
Margo and Mary, please accept my heartfelt gratitude
for your personal efforts. I truly admire the BCCPD for its
courage in speaking out so effectively on behalf of its
members.
Sincerely,
Sue Rodriguez
1993
tally flawed agreement.
We wonder if it's true,
as we dearly hope, that the
“no” came out of a grass­
roots discontent at the
elitist process, and the
threat to human rights and
social programs. Or, was it a
reactionary vote against
Quebec and our First Na­
tions? One thing is certain.

we should never have been
in the position of choosing
between aboriginal rights
and other human rights,
Quebec and the rest of
Canada.
1992

Transition

The Coalition Against Disincentives to Work
Challenges Your "Will to Act"
by Geoff McMurchy and Paul Tubbe
We’ve heard it before: the
best form of income support
is a job. Apart from money
to spend, a job can provide
us with a sense of purpose
and of belonging. If every
person of working age was
equally integrated into, or at
least had access to, the
labour market, you would
call that fair. But when
some people with disabilities
are quite well supported by
legal settlements, while
others have nothing but
what can be provided by
welfare services, the system
is unfair.
A recent report by the
Canadian Federation of
Independent Business con­
cluded that one of the main
reasons that 35.2% of busi­
nesses are having problems
finding qualified labour is
that they are “competing
with government social
assistance”. While one
might question this, there’s
obviously something wrong.
Part of what’s wrong is
that there are very real
systemic reasons why it is
more economically feasible
to stay on social assistance
than to work, if you have to
bear the cost of a disability.
It’s one of the main reasons
that so many people with
disabilities are on welfare or

page 28 • November/December 1996

at best are very marginal to
the work force.
When a person gets a
job, they face the prospect of
paying for attendant care,
transportation, housing,
and medical equipment and
supplies on their own. The
latter, most people know,
are very expensive. Taxicabs
are often necessary to sup­
plement handiDART rides.
Many people find accessible
housing in facilities where
rent is based on 30% of

income, with no upper limit!
With these and other em­
ployment-related expenses,
it’s not hard to imagine a
person doubting whether
they can afford to work!
The BC Paraplegic Asso­
ciation once did a compari­
son of the cost to govern­
ment of supporting a man
unemployed, to the man
being employed. The unem­
ployed cost was over
$32,000 and the employed
man cost government $63.

That was basted on 1991
ligures, but guess what? Not
a lot has changed.
“It’s time for
governments to wake up Io Ilie
huge costs of forcing people
into unemployment. We
spend billions on supporting
people as long as they are
idle”, says Sain Sullivan, a
City of Vancouver Councillor
and a quadriplegic!. "I have
to wonder why a businessman
can write oil 50% of a
lunch and I only gel a 17%
tax credit for the equipment
I need to even hold down a
job!”
The Canadian Paraple
gic Association also targets
the tax system. they've been
advocating a 100% tax
write-off, among other
measures, for years. No
changes have been Impie
mented because the govern
ment has apparently been
concerned about the poten­
tial costs.
As well as the tax sys­
tem, there are areas of our
income security and social
service framework which
demand attention. Existing
income support programs
can actually raise obstacles
to entering the work force.
David Metcalf, a vocational
counsellor at BC Rehabilita­
tion Centre says: “There’s a
lot more funding available

for support like personal
care attendants when one is
in training or educational
programs, but not when one
becomes fully employed. Is
it any wonder that so many
choose not to work?”
If it’s time for the gov­
ernment to wake up, then
the wake-up call has come.
It came as the report of the
Federal Task Force on Dis­
ability Issues, titled “Equal
Citizenship for People with
Disabilities - The Will to
Act”. Released October 28th,
it was hailed as “a signifi­
cant step forward in improv­
ing the status of persons
with disabilities” by the
council of Canadians with
Disabilities (CCD). However,
they preceded that state­
ment with an “if endorsed”,
and H’s a crucial qualifier.
Eric Norman, chairperson of
the CCD, said “Now we will
see whether the government
has the 'will to act' or not.”
The report makes over
50 good recommendations
dealing with federal-provin­
cial responsibilities, legisla­
tive reform, disability in­
come, labour market inte­
gration and the tax system.
It’s unclear how long gov­
ernment will give itself to
respond to the report, so it’s
incumbent on all of us who
care to act now! Ministers

Martin, Pettigrew, Rock and
Stewart and all MPs must
hear from us that we want
these recommendations
supported, that we want
commitment to action and
that we want to be con­
sulted in future planning.
The fate of this report and
the outcomes for people
with disabilities may very
well depend on our own “will
to act”.
So write a letter or make
a phone call to your MP!
Also, if you have a story
about your own financial
difficulties with working, the
Coalition Against Disincen­
tives to Work, an ad hoc
group of concerned indi­
viduals, is collecting them.
Contact Geoff McMurchy at
the BCCPD office. ~

November/December 1996* page 29

Transition

Charting New Waters
Violence Against Women with Disabilities
1

Video and Facilitator's Guide

The Justice Institute of BC has produced this new 35-minute video and facilitator's guide to raise
awareness of the barriers women with disabilities face when they try to end the violence in their
lives.Through the voices of disability advocates, this video offers ways for police, Crown counsel,
victim services, and other front line workers to support women with disabilities and overcome the
barriers.

The package consists of:
•

a 35-minute open-captioned video that combines interviews with disability activists and criminal
justice personnel with three dramatic vignettes portraying women with disabilities who have
experienced or are currently experiencing violence in their lives

•

a facilitator's guide to a six-hour interdisciplinary workshop, which includes a sample lesson
plan, content notes, participant handouts, and suggested readings

The project was funded through the Family Violence Prevention Division of Health Canada.
The cost of the complete package for non-profit and community organizations is $65.The cost for
libraries and educational institutions in BC is $75.
To order, please complete the form below and mail it, together with a cheque or purchase order
for the correct amount, to the address on the orderform.