March 1, 2014 - Day of Mourning Vigils to remember disabled victims of filicide--disabled people murdered by their family members or caregivers

Saturday, March 1st, the disability community will gather across the nation to remember disabled victims of filicide--disabled people murdered by their family members or caregivers. In the past five years, over forty people with disabilities have been murdered by their parents. In the year since our last vigil, our community has lost at least ten more victims. In January of 2014, two more disabled people were lost in murder-suicides at the hands of their parents: Damien Veraghen, age nine, and Vincent Phan, age twenty four. These acts are horrific enough on their own. But they exist in the context of a larger pattern. A parent kills their disabled child. The media portrays these murders as justifiable and inevitable due to the "burden" of having a disabled person in the family. If the parent stands trial, they are given sympathy and  comparatively lighter sentences, if they are sentenced at all. The victims is disregarded, blamed for their own murder at the hands of the person they should have been able to trust the most, and ultimately forgotten. And then the cycle repeats. For the last three years, ASAN, ADAPT, Not Dead Yet, the National Council on Independent Living, the Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund, and other disability rights organizations have come together to mourn those losses, bring awareness to these tragedies, and demand justice and equal protection under the law for all people with disabilities. OnMarch 1st, we will come together again, and we ask you to join us. So far, twenty three volunteers have signed up to serve as site coordinators for vigils across the country. Current vigil sites: Chico, CA Theresa Beale, theresabbeale1117@yahoo.com San Diego, CA Andrew Raymond, bolthead@ix.netcom.com San Francisco, CA Rob Gross, rgross@esoftltd.com Irvine, CA Yvette Whitmer, yvettewhitmer@gmail.com Whittier, CA Vicky Mesa, vickymouse22@hotmail.com Chicago, IL Carrie Kaufman, CKaufman@accessliving.org Medford, MA Rachel Silverman, gingi@pobox.com Baltimore, MD Amanda Mills, muchbrighter2@gmail.com Towson, MD Rhonda Greenhaw, rgreenhaw@towson.edu Battle Creek, MI Lewis Harrison, harrison.lewis@rocketmail.com Houghton, MI Caroline Maye, cnmaye@mtu.edu Lansing, MI Nathan Brown, victorianoddities@yahoo.com Minneapolis, MN Claire Sisson, petkeeper1978@msn.com Kansas City, MO Teigan Hockman, asan.kansascity@gmail.com St. Peters, MO Emily Malabey, emilyjmalabey@gmail.com Lincoln, NE Sharon DaVanport, sdavanport@gmail.com Lindenwold, NJ Destinee Coleman, your.devine.destinee@gmail.com Woodbridge, NJ Evelyn Delgado, joyzee_devil@yahoo.com Phelps, NY Colleen Peno, checkersmydog@yahoo.com Poughkipsee, NY Cara Liebowitz, caraliebowitz@gmail.com Rochester, NY Diane Coleman, dcoleman@notdeadyet.org Seattle, WA Matt Young, indigowombat@yahoo.com Peterborough, Ontario Leah Andrews, landrews@nexicom.net Sign up here to hold a vigil in your local community. ASAN will provide a toolkit and information on how to organize a vigil in your local community to all volunteers.

Donate to ASAN »   Become an ASAN member » Autistic Self Advocacy Network: PO Box 66122 | Washington, DC 20035 ############# The following was shared with fellow Ability Chicago colleagues; What’s Wrong With “After-Birth Abortion”? By Will Saletan @saletan Just when you thought the religious right couldn’t get any crazier, with its personhood amendments and its attacks on contraception, here comes the academic left with an even crazier idea: after-bi... ######################################################################################### as shared by our colleagues at Access Living, who are hosting the Chicago vigil;  Dear Access Living friends and allies,   *Trigger warning for violence against people with disabilities.*   One of the most difficult parts about being a person with a disability is the knowledge that some people with disabilities are killed by those they trust because of their disability. It happens more often than most people know.   In general, when this occurs, attention seems to focus not on the victim with a disability, but on the perpetrator, who often is not held accountable, but rather, pitied for having to be the caregiver of a person with a disability.   While we value and love the people around us who provide direct support every day, erasing the humanity of a murder victim with a disability is not acceptable. Our most essential and primary work as disability advocates is to affirm the life and dignity of the person with a disability.   This Saturday from 5 to 6 pm, people with disabilities across the country will gather in over 20 locations to remember and honor people with disabilities who were killed (most often by family members and caregivers) primary because of their disability. This event is the National Day of Mourning, which is coordinated by the Autistic Self Advocacy Network.   Many of the murders, though not all, happen to people who have autism. The Autistic* community organized the National Day of Mourning to reclaim dignity and honor for the victims.   Please consider attending the Chicago site for the National Day of Mourning. Join us in affirming dignity and real community supports. See below my signature for details.   Amber Smock Director of Advocacy, Access Living *The use of “Autistic” as opposed to “person with autism” by many people on the spectrum is a way of showing that autism is an important part of who one is and should not be ignored, or made secondary. Seehttps://autisticadvocacy.org/identity-first-language/ for more detail.   Saturday, March 1, 2014 5 to 6 pm One Financial Place Plaza 440 S. LaSalle St, Chicago IL   Facebook event site (to get the most recent updates): https://www.facebook.com/events/455236191243389/?ref_dashboard_filter=upcoming   Chicago Day of Mourning 2014: Remembering People with Disabilities Murdered & The Gifts They Brought to the World   ~*Vigil remembering & honoring dead disabled people, particularly Autistic people.*~ The greatest GIFT you can give is attending to increase visibility & advocacy for this cause. Your support is beautiful & your attendance Divine.   Whether you have a family member with Autism, work with persons on the spectrum or are just interested in learning more about this prevalent disorder, all are welcome.   -Held in accordance with national events nationally.   -Coordinated through interdependent organizing with Autistic Activism Collective, Access Living and Autistic Self Advocacy Network.   -Will be AS ACCESSIBLE AS POSSIBLE   -ASL interpretation will be provided.   -Any Questions about Accessibility at this event should be directed at Carrie Kaufman   EVENT SCHEDULE   Intro: Say your name and a color/number/ other thing you like (Interactive art objects will be provided)   **Main event: reading of Disabled people that passed away along with what they contributed to the world   Conclusion: We've got a joyous surprise for you :)   (Alternative location for bad weather: Library of National Louis University 122 S Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60603, contact Ibby Anderson Grace for details. We will also be updating page-day of if it looks like weather will be an issue)   THANK YOU for your joyous support & please share!!