tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8211184.post111936382818061333..comments2023-11-02T14:41:32.637+00:00Comments on Fangworld: My Life As A Token CripAgent Fanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17283954005767631627noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8211184.post-1119887655027371292005-06-27T16:54:00.000+01:002005-06-27T16:54:00.000+01:00Thanks for all your comments everyone. That was a...Thanks for all your comments everyone. That was a hard post to write... <BR/><BR/>I was going to write it from the angle of one of the pets featured in the magazine - issue after issue, this poor 'disabled cat' appeared - we thought it was an amputee because in every photo, only three legs could be seen. When it died - and there was a centrefold feature on it's life, it became apparent it did have four legs - but it was deaf.<BR/><BR/>How did they get the funding money in the first place? Tokenism - present in many guises.Agent Fanghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17283954005767631627noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8211184.post-1119482857938320612005-06-23T00:27:00.000+01:002005-06-23T00:27:00.000+01:00I began to speak out, sometimes getting it right, ...I began to speak out, sometimes getting it right, sometimes getting it wrong, I began increasingly to feel like working within the system only took you so far. <BR/><BR/>Hey AF<BR/><BR/>Boy do I know that you are saying here. I am in the middle of a crappy situation with work and a lot of what you said here rings very true....<BR/><BR/>I wish I had the words to get across what I mean tonight, but I just haven't today<BR/><BR/>KAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8211184.post-1119446137911296022005-06-22T14:15:00.000+01:002005-06-22T14:15:00.000+01:00Hi Fangworld, Wow, disability arts, that sounds co...Hi Fangworld, <BR/>Wow, disability arts, that sounds cool! I was hoping to be like that, getting a job doing that or work with lovely Damon and the team at Ouch, I keep giving the hint but when the disability Extend happens again I probably will....Katiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02305216663591446183noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8211184.post-1119442240938115642005-06-22T13:10:00.000+01:002005-06-22T13:10:00.000+01:00i have been on boards like that. when i spoke up, ...i have been on boards like that. when i spoke up, i was greeted at first with a patronising "how well spoken you are" which turned into "dont say anything until the meeting is over". lol at that point i told them that sitting on the board(s) was eating into my time and if i wasnt able to provide real feedback, they were wasting my time. i was labeled an ingrate. i shrugged, moved on. like you, i found that working with the system usually meant being offered token and very limited input-and there was never change as a result of any issue i brought up, any point i made. i was even told not to use my experience as a point of sharing about improving services for the disabled-and i replied "then whats the point of having input from someone with a disability?" it was absurd.<BR/>anyhow, enjoyed yr post-thxRuthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00170658770134559035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8211184.post-1119416207654211422005-06-22T05:56:00.000+01:002005-06-22T05:56:00.000+01:00Gosh, yes, all too familiar. If there was such a l...Gosh, yes, all too familiar. <BR/><BR/>If there was such a low understanding of disability arts how did that funding ever get onto the spreadsheet in the first place? What were they thinking when that bit of money was ringfenced? <BR/><BR/>Still, nice to know that there's some easy money out there to grab ... but yeah maybe I'd be seen as too scarily political. It happens, doesn't it, when a crip suddenly shows he/she has a voice and doesn't fit into the "lets do something nice for them" mould. Oh to be any good at applying for grants.Damonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04921295141019123629noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8211184.post-1119384455705785442005-06-21T21:07:00.000+01:002005-06-21T21:07:00.000+01:00What's scary about this sort of thing is that a lo...What's scary about this sort of thing is that a lot of organisations aren't even allowed to give money to groups who are seen as political and so disabled people who engage with the issues are always denied funding.James Medhursthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15953493585646108206noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8211184.post-1119364669760168222005-06-21T15:37:00.000+01:002005-06-21T15:37:00.000+01:00"If you want to bite hard, it's hard to simultaneo..."If you want to bite hard, it's hard to simultaneously have your neck in the noose." Excellent Point!<BR/><BR/>"It made me decide which side of the fence I wanted to be on. Mine. Ours!" Aahhh....CWD: Crip World Domination gathering more recruits everyday. <BR/>How does 'Agent Fang, Minister of Arts' sound??Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com