Disability Capital

I went to the Disability Capital at the Docklands this year - not that I am a Londoner but because my new friend Maria is one of the speakers and she asked me to go listen to her. Some of my other colleagues were also speaking so I thought I might as well turn up.

List of speakers: (Archived webcasts)

• Ken Livingstone - Mayor of London
• Peter Hendy - Transport commissioner
• Anne McGuire - Minister for Disabled people
• Michael Lynch - Chief Executive of the Southbank Centre
• Teresa Blankmeyer-Burke - Philosopher and Bioethicist at Gallaudet University
• Edwin Black - renowned investigative journalist and author
• Baroness Jane Campbell of Surbiton DBE - Chair, Disability Committee CEHR
• Roger Berry MP
• Caroline Bernard - Policy and Communications Manager, Counsel and Care
• Mark Wheatley - Executive Director European Union of the Deaf
• Penny Beschizza - Deaf Positive
• Lee Jasper - Director Equalities and Policing, Greater London Authority
• David Ruebain - Levenes Solicitor
• Selina Aktar - Mental Health Activist
• Tara Flood - Director, Alliance for Inclusive Education
• Michelle Daley - Researcher on disabled people and the Transatlantic slave trade
• Frances Elton - Researcher on BSL London dialect
• Lucy Mason - Helping Empower Youth Activism
• Peter Gichura - disability activist and asylum seeeker
• Maria Zedda - Deaf business woman and writer

                                        Michelle and Maria

It was very interesting especially the bit at the end when Edwin Black, 'War Against the Weak' , scared everyone by his talks on eugenics which is the present day genetics. See the webcast.

I think my main take on the event is how it took me so long to get from Euston to the Docklands!