On Monday, WNYC public radio in New York City aired a segment titled “The Overlooked Reality of Police Violence Against Disabled Black Americans,” featuring Haben Girma, disability rights advocate, Harvard Law graduate, and woman who is deaf blind. Said Haben, “…when we don’t comply because we didn’t hear the command or we can’t move in a certain way, or we don’t see a physical gesture, or maybe there’s an invisible disability and like a psychiatric disability, then the noncompliance is interpreted as threatening.” To read the full transcript.
Last week we mentioned the conversations parents will need to have with their disabled children around civil unrest and dealing with authorities. Forbes magazine’s June 8 issue had an article titled For Mothers Of Black Children With Disabilities, Living With Twice The Fear. The article focused on children with autism, but parents of children who are blind may be asking similar questions.
