Elders and Disabilities
We attended the recent Zoom class, Elders and Disabilities, led by Marsha Saxton (International Liberation Reference Person for People with Disabilities) and Jerry Ann Yoder (International Liberation Reference Person for Elders).
For us it was a special and very gratifying evening. It was great to see and connect with Co-Counselors from many countries. Over forty people attended.
We want to make special mention of the tact with which Marsha and Jerry Ann addressed the issue of language oppression, and the respect they had for our identity as people whose first language is not English. In our RC Communities the work of Xabi Odriozola, our International Commonality Reference Person for Languages and Interpreting, is bearing fruit. From the first moment, Marsha and Jerry Ann helped us integrate into the class. They took us very much into account.
Regarding the subject of the class—it is sensitive for us, since as older people we are more and more aware of the challenges and difficulties we are facing in society, which are going to increase.
Marsha talked about how long many groups have been fighting to achieve basic rights so that all people, regardless of their physical characteristics, are not discriminated against or marginalized in our societies. She also said we could discharge to prepare ourselves for the challenges that may arise with respect to disabilities, if they have not already arisen.
Finally, we need to think about how to interact with people with disabilities whom we meet in our daily lives, because sometimes the relationship is not easy for us and we do not know how to approach them.
Thank you, Marsha and Jerry Ann, for your wonderful and important work to end the oppression of the elderly.