“A gem of a book that captures the resilience and determination of families and self-advocates fighting for meaningful equality and full inclusion for every person.”
—Krista Carr, Executive Vice-President Inclusion Canada.
The Audacity of Inclusion
Fighting for the Equality of Persons Labelled Intellectually Disabled
Now Available
One beautiful, surprisingly warm spring morning on the isolated islands of Haida Gwaii, an insight smacked Dulcie McCallum in the face with the force of an unexpected tsunami: at the heart of it all, the law was the culprit. Rather than promoting rights, the law was itself the taproot of injustice.
For people with an intellectual disability, the law is what defines their disadvantage, not their disability.
For every child diagnosed with the label of intellectual disability, there remains a certain lousy predictability to the way they will be treated by society and the prejudice that will haunt them. Officially labelled with the r-word, they have also been tagged with “imbecile” or “moron.” Often treated as objects of pity or charity, segregated in “special” schools, sheltered workshops, and institutions, they are consigned to the sidelines of society.
