BOOKS: "Capitalism & Disability," by Marta Russell.

My friend Loren is COO at Sweet Behavior LLC, and he mentioned this book a while back. I bought it immediately and read these essays earlier in the month. 

I can tell you is made an impression, and before the reference to capitalism is dismissed out of hand, as many of you will do, I'd recommend at least reading the publisher's tout here. 

There's quite a bit to this. 

Capitalism & Disability

This book comprises a collection of groundbreaking writings by Marta Russell on the nature of disability and oppression under capitalism. 

Spread out over many years and many different publications, the late author and activist Marta Russell wrote a number of groundbreaking and insightful essays on the nature of disability and oppression under capitalism. In this volume, Russell’s various essays are brought together in one place in order to provide a useful and expansive resource to those interested in better understanding the ways in which the modern phenomenon of disability is shaped by capitalist economic and social relations. The essays range in analysis from the theoretical to the topical, including but not limited to: the emergence of disability as a “human category” rooted in the rise of industrial capitalism and the transformation of the conditions of work, family, and society corresponding thereto; a critique of the shortcomings of a purely “civil rights approach” to addressing the persistence of disability oppression in the economic sphere, with a particular focus on the legacy of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990; an examination of the changing position of disabled people within the overall system of capitalist production utilizing the Marxist economic concepts of the reserve army of the unemployed, the labor theory of value, and the exploitation of wage-labor; the effects of neoliberal capitalist policies on the living conditions and social position of disabled people as it pertains to welfare, income assistance, health care, and other social security programs; imperialism and war as a factor in the further oppression and immiseration of disabled people within the United States and globally; and the need to build unity against the divisive tendencies which hide the common economic interest shared between disabled people and the often highly-exploited direct care workers who provide services to the former.

Meanwhile in Minnesota, friend and disability advocate Noah McCourt files lawsuits claiming city and county websites violate both state and federal disability law.

Photo credit.

It's always instructive to check in on Noah McCourt. You'll recall that in 2015, Noah and I got to know each other when he ran unsuccessfully for 6th district council (GOP) in New Albany. He later moved back to Minnesota and has stayed very much involved.

Even from afar, I'm richly enjoying Noah's principled activism. Who says young people don't get it?

Not me.

First lawsuits over disabled access to websites make their way to Minnesota, by Tad Vezner (St. Paul Pioneer Press)

Echoing a recent trend in other states, for the first time a lawsuit has been filed in Minnesota alleging that websites — in this case, belonging to a county and couple of cities — violate disability law.

Much like lawsuits demanding such things as wheelchair ramps and handicap parking, the suits claim the defendants’ digital real estate is so inhospitable it denies access.

Late last month, Noah J. McCourt, a disability advocate with autism from Waconia, sued Carver County as well as the cities of Norwood Young America and Chanhassen in federal court, claiming their websites violated both state and federal disability law.

“I really think that this kind of issue is really a question of who we want to be as a community. Do we want a community that says we’re open to business or we’re closed?” said McCourt, who noted that he has 10 other disability-related suits pending against Carver County.

McCourt claims that the county and cities are violating the federal Americans with Disabilities Act, the Minnesota Human Rights Act, and a lesser-known federal law called the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which makes it illegal for entities to deny people with disabilities access to “programs or activities” that receive federal funding.

Officials with Carver County and Norwood Young America declined comment on the suits, noting they typically do not comment on pending litigation. Chanhassen officials did not immediately return a call for comment Friday ...

Not in NA, at least yet: "Man In Wheelchair Struck By Car, Gets Ticket For Not Crossing Road Fast Enough."

Our weekend message to "Mayor Jeff Gahan Presents the Board of Public Works and Safety" (shouldn't it be Board of Works and Public Safety?) simply is this.

Don't be like Denver (below) -- and don't lie to me by saying "it couldn't happen here."

The mayor and his board have made no effort whatever to wrap their institutional arms around modernity. To repeat: it's merely procedural, Jeffrey and Warren. You must develop good habits, and to develop them, you must acknowledge you have a problem.

Instead of this: "How will (a proposal) affect parking/traffic/cars?"

You ask this: "How will (a proposal) affect handicapped users without cars?"

Infrastructure decisions routinely are rendered in the absence of forethought as to their effects on persons with disabilities. These tiny bits of effort will have little if any ultimate effect on the Holy Writ of Autocentrism. However, these instances will immeasurably assist the disabled in getting back and forth.

It's cultural, Jeffrey and Warren. You're in charge. Think you might get to the task of changing the culture?

Or should we ask Adam's DemoDisneyDixiecratic Party for permission?

online.com/2017/08/01/man-in-wheelchair-struck-by-car-gets-ticket-for-not-crossing-road-fast-enough/amp/">
Man In Wheelchair Struck By Car, Gets Ticket For Not Crossing Road Fast Enough (5 News Online)

DENVER -- A man in a wheelchair claims he was ticketed because he couldn't get across the road during the signal's allotted time and now he's fighting the citation, according to KDVR.

Kyle Wolfe said he was passing through 19th and Lawrence streets in downtown Denver. Wolfe said he started to cross the street when the signal indicated it was his turn to cross.

Wolfe said he couldn't make it through the intersection in the 20 seconds allotted at the light. He said he was 5 feet from the curb when an SUV struck him from behind.

Wolfe said the accident left his wheelchair totaled, and left him scraped and bruised. He received a ticket from a Denver police officer for disobeying the traffic signal.

"I was very shocked that a pedestrian that has the right of way got a ticket," Wolfe said.

"Noah brings a fresh perspective. We need young people like him to shift or refresh the narrative."

Borrowed from Noah's Fb page.

You'll recall Noah McCourt's opportunity to experience the UN.

Former council candidate Noah McCourt has been invited to participate in a United Nations panel.

Noah's visit to NYC appears to have been a success. Congratulations for a job well done.

Waconia man, disability rights advocate invited to speak at United Nations, by Liz Sawyer (Minneapolis Star-Tribune)

Noah McCourt, who ran for Waconia City Council, was invited to speak to the United Nations about his challenges with autism.

It was a controversial run for public office, not a victory, that launched Noah McCourt's political career.

As a young, black, autistic man, his bid for City Council in the mostly white exurban community of Waconia made waves last November. A history of mental health problems and a recent legal battle to end guardianship by his parents drew ire from his opponents at City Hall, some of whom questioned his ability to serve.

While McCourt lost to an incumbent, he drew 43 percent of the vote. His story rippled across the country, prompting advocates to call the 23-year-old a champion for the developmentally disabled — paving the way for a new generation of more diverse public officials.

The United Nations took notice.

McCourt was formally invited to New York to speak about his experiences in honor of World Autism Awareness Day. On Friday, he sat on a panel titled, "Toward Autonomy and Self-Determination," which examined guardianships, finding employment and developing relationships.