End of Survey?

RantWoman needs readers to hold the content of this post in the Light. There is MUCH more to say but holding in the Light the points here is enough to start.

Speaking of surveys

In the rest of RantWoman's life, RantWoman is going around telling everyone who is building COVID related datasets and either talking to humans or doing surveys to please include the six questions used in the American Community Survey about does the responded identify as a person with disability x. The point is to build some ability to analyze disability-related info into the datasets organically. RantWoman recognizes that merging data might sometimes create overwrite issues. Tough. Ask the questions. Collect the data.

Other than that, RantWoman is also monitoring followup with results of a survey called Flattening Inaccessibility related to people who are blind or visually impaired. RantWoman darn sure thinks many problems surfaced int that survey also apply to people with other disabilities.

RantWoman is telling readers here about these points in faithfulness to a single standard of RantWoman. RantWoman also admits to being severely charm-challenged about a survey coming together at HER meeting. One point: books on discernment tend in RantWoman's experience not to interact with the subject of surveys. Somehow, RantWoman would also throw in the concept of continuing revelation. Furthermore, RantWoman is trying to choose carefully among a whole basket of reasons her head might explode.

With that as an intro, a survey coming soon from the AdHoc Committee on Disability.

For Once RantWoman goes for Less is More

Arguably, RantWoman should just leave the following meditations well enough alone. When has RantWoman ever been known to leave well enough alone. A survey will shortly occur. RantWoman thinks the survey is a fine place to start. Never mind what is meant by start. The task is create opening and closing statements. Today RantWoman was called to work on the closing statement, in terms of spiritual life and lived experience. Thank you in advance for sharing the journey including side excursions to Planet RantWoman.

PS RantWoman knows perfectly well that RantWoman's "help" is not great committee process. RantWoman begs pardon for the Grab the Blind Person and Bless them moment and will refrain from even mentioning yet another opportunity to go off about silencing.

Here is what RantWoman the closing statement said:

Thank you for sharing your experience!

The Ad Hoc Committee on  Disability believes our community is stronger when people with different bodies and minds are able to be fully present and safe. We strive to create space so that our community can
grow and learn together, can speak openly of needs and discomforts, and can learn how better to live together. We hope this provides people who worship with us better access to University Friends Meeting’s physical spaces, social spaces, worship and spiritual life.The project will provide Meeting opportunities to learn about legal requirements and other important concepts related to accessibility, inclusion, allyship, spiritual accompaniment, disability justice and words describing the shared experience of spiritual journeys together.

If there are resources you find especially valuable, the Ad-hoc committee invites you to share them. We look forward to working together towards accessibility, disability justice and a stronger community.

[URK: RantWoman's substantial edits omit any reference to specific Quaker testimonies. And RantWoman is sharing the current editorial bramble bush out of her own sense of integrity. Ummm]

Please hold tenderly RantWoman's urge just to go off! Please also bear with the editorial markings mess

The part RantWoman suggests just eliminating [with comments in square brackets] Where things started, after RantWoman suggested moving the text from the beginning to the end of the survey.

Thank you for sharing your experience!

Read on for more about what disability means to our committee...

The basic work of the committee is access.
[Um, no, that is not how RantWoman remembers the minute creating the committee]

 The Ad Hoc Committee on Disability "Legally, the Americans with Disabilities Act applies.

[um,FINALLY! on one hand, after 15 years that RantWoman can remember, with almost NO mention that RantWoman can remember of any legal standards! On the other hand, this is WAY too simplistic. Understanding which laws apply to different situations needs to be part of the community's work.]  

believes our community is stronger when people with different bodies and minds are able to be fully present and safe. We strive to understand what needs you have, and what could be done to allow you more access to University Friends Meeting’s physical spaces, social spaces, worship and spiritual life.The project will provide Meeting opportunities to learn about legal requirements and other important concepts related to accessibility and inclusion.

[RantWoman appreciates that this earlier version of her wording made it this far. RantWoman also appreciates the updates]

This stuff will make RantWoman's eyes glaze over--and RantWoman has a pretty high tolerance for such writing. RantWoman also thinks it will severely turn off people who approach problems differently.

[RantWoman is VERY relieved: an even earlier draft included something about capitalism. RantWoman has multiple opinions about capitalism but tartly notes that some kinds of disabilities pose the same challenges for employers deeply steeped in capitalism as for employers wanting to abolish capitalism. RantWoman recognizes that this point, like all of the verbiage below is WAY too much for a dabble one's foot in survey.]

Look. RantWoman is not just about disability justice. RantWoman is about praying and worshipping together across difference. RantWoman is about spiritual accompaniment, allyship. RantWoman needs to start there and might or might not get to the verbiage below, for one thing if she has to spend too much time being gaslighted about lived experience.]

Eyes Glaze over save for next steps
But access isn’t the end of the conversation. Disability justice[12]
includes ending internalized, institutional, and systemic discrimination
against disabled people; upsetting all the interconnected systems of
oppression; and bringing disability analysis of bodies, minds, and
interdependence to all social justice work.[23] As a spiritual community
that intends to uphold “that of God in every one,” both accessibility and
disability justice resonate with our testimonies of integrity and equality.

Our society consistently devalues physical or mental deviance from
“normality.” The shame of failing to live up to social standards means that
talking about disability is somewhat taboo,[31] despite significantly
shaping our morality, our relationships, and our own conceptions of
self-worth.

There is incredible diversity within the disabled community, e.g.:
ADD/ADHD, addiction, anxiety, autism, bipolar, blindness, deafness,
dementia, depression, developmental and/or intellectual disabilities,
dyslexia, epilepsy, eating disorders, hearing loss, learning disabilities,
mobility impairments, personality disorders, PTSD, traumatic brain injury,
vision loss – not to mention physical or mental issues due to acute or
chronic illness, injury, or even pregnancy. Many (perhaps most!) in the UFM
community have one or more of these, though we probably don’t all consider
ourselves ‘disabled.’ This committee conceives of ‘disability’ broadly,
erring on the side of inclusion, though we affirm your right to identify
yourself however you wish.
End of eyes glaze over part

Looking forward to working together towards accessibility and disability
justice!