I've read this piece with close Hand&ear coordination and disagrees to author's Central hypotheses
Author writes, disabled people's 'opinions and experience aren't worth money'. Alas ugly capitalism! everything is slated to be calculated whether it pays monitary dividence or not. Let me start with Access India, why we share software-related skills/info on the list? Why we keep posting news/circulars related to blindness in particular and about disability in general? Isn't our time important? Many of us who share news items by putting considerable efforts and other infos here earn nothing from anywhere and just we're students. What we get in return? I think there are much bigger consolations and comradeship than money which keeps us together. Knowledge is supposed to flow freely to those who find it hard to obtain. Please don't teach me that I don't claim salary once I become teacher... if you're well-educated and skilled, so chances are higher money will come to you without much efforts; you just go on doing what suits you and your interests... And in Indian context being an academician free from all sides, let me be very bold and frank, ironically, few who are engaged with government on formulating disability policies are very influential,but less-read and ill-experienced to claim to represent all sections and unfortunately know least about all disabilities. More than money, what matters is networking. Bottomline: more you meet the better chances of yours in the committees. There is class of elites who have hardly experienced harsh grueling poverty,but proffer expertees in disability sector as they have triumphed the Everest! On 6/11/14, KanchanPamnani <[email protected]> wrote: > I hope a lot of people read this article and understand the true meaning In > India. Kanchan > > -----Original Message----- > From: AccessIndia [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf > Of Sanchit Katiyar > Sent: 11 June 2014 10:26 > To: accessindia > Subject: [AI] (no subject) > > Don't expect me to work for free - Opinion - ABC Ramp Up > > People with disabilities are often asked to sit on committees, > contribute to projects and tell our stories. But, as Carly Findlay > writes, people are seldom willing to pay us for our time. > > I believe there is a sense of united empathy between diverse > communities, even if our difference is not the same. I find myself > nodding when I hear stories from my Indigenous and gay and lesbian > friends too. > > Back in March I saw my friend Anita Heiss speak at her book launch. > She's an Indigenous author - so smart, so funny and so beautiful. A > lot of what she said resonated with me. > > Anita addressed the 'working for free' mentality geared towards > diverse communities. "Everyone wants an Indigenous person to do > something, but they're not valued in the marketplace," she said. > > Anita told a story about how she had been asked to speak at a public > event. She sent her invoice, but the organisers asked to lower it as > they already give to charity. "I'm a small business, not a charity," > she said, and told them she would donate money to a charity if the > organisation's staff did the same. Cue gasps from the audience. > > I find this happens for disabled people too. Commitment to engaging > disabled people often comes without a fee, also even without > consideration that we must take time from our paid or voluntary jobs > to give this free advice. It's like we are given unpaid opportunities > as a gesture of inclusiveness, or worse, that our qualifications, > opinions and experience aren't worth money. > > There seems to be the belief that we should be grateful for > opportunities, that at least it's something for us to do. I feel > there's an expectation that because we educate incidentally in life, > we don't mind educating large audiences for a low fee or for free. > > Lawrence Carter-Long, American disability advocate, says "If you value > the insight and the skill set, the best way to show it is to pay for > what you're learning. Changing the world shouldn't require taking a > vow of poverty. I'm not a non-profit or NGO. Bottom line? If you value > what I'm bringing to you, then pay me. If you don't then that's a > clear indicator of what you think our community is worth." > > I recently consulted with two organisations for free - providing them > with firsthand information about living with a visible difference. I > spent five hours at one organisation and three at the other. I took > time off from my day job to do this work. I received a snack and a > drink from each, and a taxi fare, but no payment. > > I'm not ungrateful. I have a full time job with a good wage. I earn > money from freelance writing and speaking, plus teaching. And I do > work for free for charities and schools. I've done speaking events > where I've donated my speaker fee to causes I believe in. I've donated > time to a film project for organ donation. I've volunteered at the > hospital providing guidance to young people. I write without payment > for other bloggers and boutique online magazines. And I am proud and > committed to supporting these initiatives. > > But when I consult for a private or public organisation, I expect > payment. If a company asks me for advice on disability, especially > when they'd usually pay a consultant for their services, I expect to > be paid. Similarly, if a publication or organisation asks me to write > for them for free when they pay their staff to write, and if they > generate revenue, I want to be paid. I'd also like a link back to my > blog - especially if I've done work for free. > > Jax Jacki Brown, a disability activist with tertiary qualifications > and lived experience in disability, concurs. "There is this assumption > that people with disabilities don't live busy lives and that we should > be grateful for any opportunity to educate around these issues. And > while I am, and I take my educational work very seriously, it takes up > my time, travel and money to do it," she says. > > I believe the work that people like me and Jax do in educating people > is important in facilitating change and improving access and > inclusion, and it deserves compensation. Our work is not to be given > away for free. > > Carly Findlay is a writer, speaker and appearance activist. She blogs > at carlyfindlay.blogspot.com and tweets under @carlyfindlay. > > Source: > > http://www.abc.net.au/rampup/articles/2014/06/10/4022534.htm > > -- > With best regards, > Sanchit Katiyar. > > E-Mail: > [email protected] > > Skype ID: > sanchit.katiyar11 > > facebook: > http://www.facebook.com/sanchit.katiyar.5 > > Mobile: > +919013816320. > > > > Register at the dedicated AccessIndia list for discussing accessibility of > mobile phones / Tabs on: > http://mail.accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/mobile.accessindia_accessind > ia.org.in > > > Search for old postings at: > http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ > > To unsubscribe send a message to > [email protected] > with the subject unsubscribe. > > To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, > please > visit the list home page at > http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in > > > Disclaimer: > 1. Contents of the mails, factual, or otherwise, reflect the thinking of > the > person sending the mail and AI in no way relates itself to its veracity; > > 2. AI cannot be held liable for any commission/omission based on the mails > sent through this mailing list.. > > > > > Register at the dedicated AccessIndia list for discussing accessibility of > mobile phones / Tabs on: > http://mail.accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/mobile.accessindia_accessindia.org.in > > > Search for old postings at: > http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ > > To unsubscribe send a message to > [email protected] > with the subject unsubscribe. > > To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please > visit the list home page at > http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in > > > Disclaimer: > 1. Contents of the mails, factual, or otherwise, reflect the thinking of the > person sending the mail and AI in no way relates itself to its veracity; > > 2. AI cannot be held liable for any commission/omission based on the mails > sent through this mailing list.. > -- Avinash Shahi M.Phil Research Scholar Centre for The Study of Law and Governance Jawaharlal Nehru University New Delhi India Register at the dedicated AccessIndia list for discussing accessibility of mobile phones / Tabs on: http://mail.accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/mobile.accessindia_accessindia.org.in Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ To unsubscribe send a message to [email protected] with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in Disclaimer: 1. Contents of the mails, factual, or otherwise, reflect the thinking of the person sending the mail and AI in no way relates itself to its veracity; 2. AI cannot be held liable for any commission/omission based on the mails sent through this mailing list..
