What a week. Starting with a speedy East Coast train trip to Scotland and back for work. Interviewing learning disabled mothers about their birth experiences. Spectacular scenery, cheeky photos and enforced work space on the journey.
Got a Stinky Pete response from Sloven Board Chair on Thursday and pre-recorded an interview with Radio 4s You and Yours about Norman Lamb’s No voice unheard, no right ignored Green Paper that afternoon. A bit of an odd situ, sitting alone in a room at BBC Oxford with a set of headphones, bootleg copy of the Green Paper and microphone, waiting to speak to Shari Vahl about LB and the campaign.
Made me feel pretty sad really but it wasn’t as awful as the first time I did it. Back in the day.
The Green Paper was published yesterday with a good set of responses, commentary and media coverage [eg. Community Care, Oxford Mail, BBC and Rights in Reality]. We produced a campaign response in typical Justice Shed type fashion: part tongue in cheek, part cutting (we hope), passion drenched and last minute/skin of the teeth type jobby. Norm, love him, was heartwarming in his recognition of the trouble and toil we’ve* been undertaking. And a complete sob (in a good way) moment for Connor.
[Update: good summary piece in the Guardian too].
I was working at home. My mum had volunteered to transform the out of control mass of stuff/paperwork in the Justice Shed into order.
This effort was partly to find a missing (seemingly crucial) record in getting #justiceforLB. One of those documents you can’t help thinking really? This is necessary? What is being denied rather than asked here? I worked my way through my usual cone of shame work tasks while my mum cussed about the lack of dates on various letters/documents, efficiently magicking a mountain into three, well ordered, neat boxes. Three? Wow.
The missing record was nowhere to be found. I called the GP surgery to ask if they could provide a replacement copy. Sigh. Not a good call to make. Er, record, yes. Relating to our dead son…
“Yes. His name is/was/[howl]. It may be under my name… Thank you.”
I walked to the surgery and picked up the record. Another line in Sloven’s bizarre ‘We completely accept LB’s death was preventable but, at the same time, our legal team will continue to do everything in their power to overturn some stone to get us out of the shit’ approach closed.
Then today. The first day of filming for the LB movie produced by My Life My Choice with Oxford Digital Media, funded by Oxford City Council. Filmed in the Jam Factory. As it probably should be.
*For any new readers to this blog, I just want to clarify that #justiceforLB and the #LBBill are collective endeavours. Crowdsourced contributions from all sorts of people (an explosion of diversity, colour, brilliance, cheekiness, humour, passion, commitment, rule breaking, sense, and love).
mydaftlife 
Article 4 – General obligations UNCRPD.
1. States Parties undertake to ensure and promote the full realisation of all human rights and fundamental freedoms for all persons with disabilities without discrimination of any kind on the basis of disability. To this end, States Parties undertake:
a) To adopt all appropriate legislative, administrative and other measures for the implementation of the rights recognised in the present Convention;
b) To take all appropriate measures, including legislation, to modify or abolish existing laws, regulations, customs and practices that constitute discrimination against persons with disabilities;
c) To take into account the protection and promotion of the human rights of persons with disabilities in all policies and programmes;
d) To refrain from engaging in any act or practice that is inconsistent with the present Convention and to ensure that public authorities and institutions act in conformity with the present Convention;
e) To take all appropriate measures to eliminate discrimination on the basis of disability by any person, organisation or private enterprise;
f) To undertake or promote research and development of universally designed goods, services, equipment and facilities, as defined in article 2 of the present Convention, which should require the minimum possible adaptation and the least cost to meet the specific needs of a person with disabilities, to promote their availability and use, and to promote universal design in the development of standards and guidelines;
g) To undertake or promote research and development of, and to promote the availability and use of new technologies, including information and communications technologies, mobility aids, devices and assistive technologies, suitable for persons with disabilities, giving priority to technologies at an affordable cost;
h) To provide accessible information to persons with disabilities about mobility aids, devices and assistive technologies, including new technologies, as well as other forms of assistance, support services and facilities;
i) To promote the training of professionals and staff working with persons with disabilities in the rights recognised in the present Convention so as to better provide the assistance and services guaranteed by those rights.
2. With regard to economic, social and cultural rights, each State Party undertakes to take measures to the maximum of its available resources and, where needed, within the framework of international cooperation, with a view to achieving progressively the full realisation of these rights, without prejudice to those obligations contained in the present Convention that are immediately applicable according to international law.
3. In the development and implementation of legislation and policies to implement the present Convention, and in other decision-making processes concerning issues relating to persons with disabilities, States Parties shall closely consult with and actively involve persons with disabilities, including children with disabilities, through their representative organisations.
4. Nothing in the present Convention shall affect any provisions which are more conducive to the realisation of the rights of persons with disabilities and which may be contained in the law of a State Party or international law in force for that State. There shall be no restriction upon or derogation from any of the human rights and fundamental freedoms recognised or existing in any State Party to the present Convention pursuant to law, conventions, regulation or custom on the pretext that the present Convention does not recognise such rights or freedoms or that it recognises them to a lesser extent.
5. The provisions of the present Convention shall extend to all parts of federal States without any limitations or exceptions.
Pingback: Celebrating impact #JusticeforLB | justiceforlb.org