It's Disability Pride Month But Things Look Grim For Disabled People
Things look dire for disabled people everywhere in the World.
Hello, Crippies! Yes, I’ve been a bit AWOL from this space, mostly because of work, writing projects and life in general.
I haven’t forgotten that it’s Disability Pride Month, which is a period I’m always looking forward too (also because it’s my birthday month, uh-uh).
But, as much as the disability community has been coming closer and thriving in its way and the disability pride in me has started to form a shape, things are looking pretty rough for disabled people now and the foreseeable future.
I don’t know how much you’ve been following the news, but both in the US and the UK people with disabilities are facing a couple of life-endangering threats: in the UK, the government has been planning to cut the P.I.P. (personal independence payment), which is what many disabled people rely on to cover extra costs in case they need daily assistance or assistance for mobility.
The Labour government wanted to cut this resource as a plan to push disabled people into work, without accounting for those who can’t work at all and without identifying solutions to make the job spaces more accessible and actually accommodate disabled people into the workspace.
As far as I know, this regulation hasn’t passed yet, but someone who lives there or has more information could tell us more.
Meanwhile, in the U.S.A. the President’s Big Beautiful Bill aims at cutting the funds to Medicaid, which is a type of healthcare many people, especially disabled, ill and poor people rely on. This would mean losing access to healthcare, which, I don’t need to say, would have dire consequences (yes, even death).
Unfortunately, unlike in the UK, this Bill has been approved, leaving now many people scared and worried about their fates in terms of access to basic care and services they need in order to survive.
But again, those who have much more info, feel free to share.
In Italy, the President of ANGSA (National Association for Autistic People), Giovanni Marino, has made some horrible and discriminating declaration regarding people with disabilities, saying (I translate from Italian):
People with disabilities: sly people who like to take advantage, unscrupulous leeches that suck public funds, aiming at living a rich life with public money.
He also supports the institutionalization of disabled people and is against the UN declaration for the protection of people with disabilities.
This is just one part of the declaration he has made and therefore, many local associations and organizations working for the interests of disabled, neurodivergent and chronically ill people have written a letter to ask for his removal from the role of President of ANGSA, a letter that has seen a wide participation also from the general public (mine too).
Now, this latter case might not be as severe as the other two I mentioned, but this is not the first time someone in power in this country, and someone who holds in his hands the lives of disabled people, has said something like that.
Unfortunately, in Italy, the view of disabled people is still very antiquated and harmful; I’ve lost count of how many inspirational articles I’ve read about someone with a disability doing something normal like graduating from school or going to university. And when it’s not inspirational, then it’s a pity show.
These are just some of the most emblematic things that have happened and that have crossed my eyes. I’m sure there’s more.
I try to remain positive, to look at the good side of it, to cheer for my community and educate myself, but no matter how much we support one another and comment under each other’s Instagram Reels, it’s in the political institutions and buildings that the real change and the real action happen. If a politician decides that they have had enough of us, then things get really messy and complicated.
It’s not just about losing a couple of grands or whatever, there are lives at stakes here, there are breathing, living people with hearts, brains, dreams and aspirations. We aren’t disposable goods, as someone might’ve thought during the peeks of the Covid pandemic.
So, please, be a good friend, partner, mother, daughter, son, brother, father, colleague, neighbor and support us, help us, walk with us. Be loud, be bold, don’t fall for propaganda. This isn’t just for us, it’s for you too.
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I've been keeping up with things here in the UK, and thankfully it doesn't look like PIP cuts will go ahead as planned, at least for now. To push a bill through without too much gov opposition, its entire proposal for a new, far more restrictive PIP application system had to be cut out. But at the same time, with the same bill, health benefit payments under the Universal Credit umbrella of benefits are set to be significantly cut and frozen for recent and new applicants.
It's all so confusing and frightening, but while I don't doubt cuts will be pushed harder and further, there's hope that you can always see where most people's human empathy come out tops.
Y'know for all the people I've encountered from the online cross- disability community I don't recall anyone from Italy, so nice to hear from you, always curious to what folks are facing around the world. Just wish it were under better circumstances! We did so much to try to get recognition, respect & inclusion & now so much is being taken away.