From a Disability respective: UK radical Disabled People writings on disability issues in the mid-1970's, originally compiled by Keith Armstrong

(first published in 1976 in Peace News) with a new introduction by Keith Armstrong.

Authors: Trevor Thomas, Charlotte Baggins, Pat Carr, Kevin McGrath and Keith Armstrong.

Contents

Crippled words ............................................................ Keith Armstrong

People with disabilities and state dependency............ Pat Carr

Superwoman with hips of clay.................................... Charlotte Baggins

Invisible People ............................................................. Kevin McGrath

The grey areas of disabled oppression..................... Trevor Thomas

Copyright remains with the individual authors who freely gave their contributions for publication.

Introductiom 2014

The writings republished here will be of special interest for those taking courses in Disability Studies, Disability History Studies and those with an enquiring mind interested in the philosophy of ideas.

The articles and drawings shared here were first published 38 years ago. At the time of its creation those campaigning for equality for disabled people in the UK, were just a few mainly isolated individuals, and this text reflects the period of its creation. However, from tiny seeds great plants can emerge.

The cover and some of the illustrations were created by Maryanne Gorden. The cover image is of barbed wire representing disability discrimination with the cotton wool of the charity industry who by their very nature never fully resolve the cause of problem they came to alleviate.

Very little information about the writers can be found on the internet with the exception of the late Trevor Thomas who died at the age of 86 in 1993.

Obituary: Trevor Thomas http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-trevor-thomas-1483804.html

Patrick Boylan was Director of Leicester Museums, Arts and Records from 1972 to 1990. This interview is largely about Trevor Thomas, who preceded Patrick as Director of Leicester Museums in the 1940’s http://www.lgbt-stories.org/patrick-boylan/ (audio)

Art treasures that defied the Nazi terror http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/10838178/Art-treasures-that-defied-the-Nazi-terror.html

Video: German Expressionism Leicester - Patrick Boylan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iE9oNAQyN2Q#t=40

It is ironic to note that 16 years to the day of this Peace News publication, the United Nations declared the 3rd of December to be International Day of Persons with Disabilities.

The copyright of the articles and artwork remains the creators, this paper is shared in the interest of academic research.

A big thank you to Peace News for supporting the publication of these articles.

Keith Armstrong

Introduction 1976

This issue of Peace News Is about people with disabilities. Most of the work published in this section Is by people with disabilities. Trevor Thomas is a member of the Campaign for Homosexual Equality. Charlotte Baggins is a member of the Anarchy Collective. Pat Carr was evicted from Hornsey Rise Squats and re- squatted by the Greater London Council. (I say resquatted because the flat had no utilities whem she was ordered in, although she was asked to pay rent.) Kevin McGrath has a daughter with a severe mental handicap. Maryanne Gorden has done most of the Art Work and Is a member of Science for the People Collective. Trevor Thomas drew "Blind Alley". Thanks to R. for her help.

To talk about the implications of people with disabilities in this society is taboo. We can only really be liberated when we are all liberated and that can only hap pen during revolution . .. people with disabilities cannot be liberated if they are either sexists or racists. People who are gay only really came out when the message of " to be gay is to be beautiful " got across. Likewise with people who are Black. People with disabilities can only really come out (I know I haven't fully) when they/we consider ourselves to beautiful as well.When one asks a member/supporter of the " heavy left" what will happen to people with disabilities after their " revolution " all I have heard said was " We will build more ' homes ' and create more sheltered employment for disabled people ". That is no source of liberation. An injury can happen within 0.9 seconds: it can take up to two or three years to recover or even longer. The system at the present moment spends more money on weapons for destruction than creation. It is a wonder that so many of us survive for so long even without having a nuclear war.

There are many aspects of disability we have not mentioned in this issue because they would take so long to research, or they would take over 10,000 PN pages to explain. There are no articles on Charities, sex, drugs and drug companies, sheltered employment, the failure of the Chronically Sick Disabled Persons Act to be even enforced, etc., although we hope there will be in future issues of PN.

I hope though that this issue will stimulate discussion.

Keith Armstrong, London.