Posted on 09/08/2021 10:44:56 AM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer
People with disabilities can be particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change — so why shouldn't they be at the forefront of climate activism?
When Cecile Lecomte joined the anti-nuclear movement nearly two decades ago, she was a national climbing champion and quickly began to apply her sporting skills to environmental activism with treetop protests. But for the last three years, scaling trees has been a very different endeavor.
Lecomte lives with rheumatoid arthritis, a chronic inflammation of the joints. It's a painful, progressive disease with acute flare-ups. "This, of course, makes me see the world a little differently," she says.
These days, she must meticulously organize her life around her pain and limited mobility. "Planning is difficult because sometimes I have a phase where I'm doing well, and sometimes a phase where I can't do anything at all and need help with everything."
"It's mind-blowing what a person can adapt to and how often that potential is not seen by society, and they say, 'You're disabled, you can't do anything,'" she says. She now shares her techniques with other environmental activists with disabilities.
But Lecomte has had to leave some activist groups. "There was no awareness of my concerns and not much willingness to think about where there might be problems," she says, adding that the ableism manifests not only in people underestimating what a person with a disability can achieve, but also excluding them or treating them with suspicion.
(Excerpt) Read more at dw.com ...
Using wheelchairs that are the product of modern industrial society.
How so?
Maybe the Gretas of the world are running out of open and always generous pockets to pick. They are trying a newer approach to ask “How Dare You??!”
Not sure what makes a disabled person’s opinion more important than anyone else’s?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.