If I am not mistaken mayor or deputy mayor of New York is totally blind person Amit
-----Original Message----- From: accessindia-boun...@accessindia.org.in [mailto:accessindia-boun...@accessindia.org.in] On Behalf Of namdeo2000 Sent: Wednesday, June 30, 2010 10:06 PM To: accessindia@accessindia.org.in Subject: Re: [AI] Is it time for persons with disability to enter politics? Besides Advocate Sadhanchandra Guptaa there was 1 more MP whose name was Jamnaprasad Shastri from Mp again that is Madhya pradesh. I don't remember his exact constituency. Secondly, I don't think disability has anything to do with ability of entering in to politics. If 1 thinks that he/she has an attitude, aptitude calibre and strong willpower to do so, I think 1 should definitly take 1 plunge.Naturally, if such people would go to this field they would certainly be able to cater to the needs and problems faced by these so far neglected communities. Regards Namdev ----- Original Message ----- From: "Subramani L" <lsubram...@deccanherald.co.in> To: <accessindia@accessindia.org.in> Sent: Wednesday, June 30, 2010 8:23 PM Subject: [AI] Is it time for persons with disability to enter politics? > Folks: > > This is in reference to the story below. This raises the curious but > difficult question: should persons with disability enter politics in > order to influence policy (both the ones that affect them and those that > doesn't). I am doing an analytical article on this question and would > welcome responses from those in this list and from those with other > disabilities outside this list. Kindly pass this around and encourage > folks to respond. I have a few questions which I am putting below the > story and so pl read the mail fully. > > *** > > Britain's first MP with Cerebral Palsy encourages persons with > disability to enter politics > > June 28: The first elected representative to the British Parliament with > Cerebral Palsy, possibly the first in the world with that disability, > has urged more persons with disability to enter politics. > > Paul Maynard, elected to the House of Commons last month as a > Conservative Party candidate, has said that his presence in the House > should provide encouragement for other persons with disability to > contest elections and enter Parliament. > > "I just hope that simply my being here, in the House of Commons, people > who may be nervous about getting into politics are not put off by any > fear of what might happen during the (election) campaign," Maynard, MP > from Blackpool North and Cleveleys, told Britain's The Independent > newspaper in an interview published on Monday. > > He also said that he had faced ignorance about his condition from a > young age, but had been determined to rise above the taunts. "There will > always be people who will use it (the disability) against you and you > will have to learn to deal with that," Maynard, 34, told the newspaper. > > Maynard studied in a special school until he was five years old. He was > then transferred to mainstream school and went on to obtain a > first-class degree from Oxford. He mentioned in his interview that his > life was transformed by the early experience he had in the special > school. > > > "Because my problem was with the thighs, and their muscle development, > they would strap you into tight iron callipers for several hours a day. > You had nothing to do. So I was doing all my numbering and all my > reading far earlier than most children and very quickly learnt to > read and write, which was an unexpected bonus later on," he said. > > Maynard, who worked as a management consultant before getting a job at > the central office of the Conservative Party, had decided to enter > politics just weeks before the elections this year. > > He faced derogatory comments in his constituency after a television > interview, in which his slurred speech (due to his disability) was > mistaken for drunkenness. He explained about his disability and insisted > that it didn't affect his intellectual abilities. > > He eventually achieved a 7 per cent swing and won by a majority of 2150 > votes in his constituency, which was one of the seats the Conservatives > rested back from Labour. > > He had already delivered his maiden speech in the Parliament and has > made interventions at the Prime Minister's Question Time, considered an > important business t the British Parliament. > > Britain had David Blunket as the first person with disability as a > cabinet minister under Labour, when Tony Blair appointed the visually > challenged MP from Sheffield as Home Secretary. > *** *** *** > > (PL mention your full name, designation/office, age , name of the > organisation you represent and the city you hail from) > 1. Do you think having a politician with disability would make a > difference in terms of passing legislations and implementing them? > 2. This is more a personal question -Given a chance, would you enter > politics? Pl substantiate your answer as to why you would and why you > wouldn't make that choice? > 3. What do you think r the advantages and disadvantages of being a > politician with disability? Are these (advantages and disadvantages) the > reason that influence your choice to enter or not to enter politics? > 4. Are 'politicians with disability' the need of the hour? Do you have > personal choices amongst the present crop of activists who would make > good politicians (ignore it if you are not comfortable answering this > part of the question). > 5. What are the challenges do you think for activists to become > politicians? > 6. Do you think politicians with disability, such as Paul Maynard spread > awareness and positive impressions about persons with disability? > 7. Do you think it would be difficult in circumstances in India for a > person with disability to become a politician? If you say yes, why? > 8. What are the risks of being a politician? Are you worried about > compromises you may have to make by being a politician? Or do you think > being an educated person is actually an obstacle to be a good and honest > political leader? > Voice your thoughts in the blog to discuss the Rights of persons with > disability bill at: > http://www.accessindia.org.in/harish/blog.htm > > To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in > 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 Voice your thoughts in the blog to discuss the Rights of persons with disability bill at: http://www.accessindia.org.in/harish/blog.htm To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in 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 Voice your thoughts in the blog to discuss the Rights of persons with disability bill at: http://www.accessindia.org.in/harish/blog.htm To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in 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
