Thank you for this, Maeve. I found this well worth reading and mulling over, and
hope others do as well.
   --------------------------------------------------
   Alison Reiheld
   Assistant Professor, Department of Philosophy
   College of Arts and Sciences
   SIU-Edwardsville
   [log in to unmask]
   --------------------------------------------------


Quoting "O'Donovan, Maeve" <[log in to unmask]>:

> Hello everyone,
>
> I write as one of the signers of the petition, and as a disabled philosopher
> who is disturbed by the responses to the petition from those who are critical
> of it. I think there is something being asked for in the petition that is not
> being understood, and I am surprised by the tone and content of the
> criticisms of the petition.
>
> What is being asked for:
>
> As has been pointed out by others, the petition calls attention to the
> difference between an environment that accommodates disabilities and one that
> is accessible in nature, and it asks that the APA and the profession make a
> move from being the former to being the latter. Much of the criticism of the
> petition rests on claims that accommodations are made, but this is not what
> the petition is asking for from its addressees.  I venture a guess that the
> majority of the people involved in discussing this petition, including those
> without disabilities, know that it's far better to be given equal treatment
> (accessible environments) than to have to ask for it (accommodations). Also,
> the petition explains that the absence of an accessible environment at APA
> events contributes to an overall hostility met by many persons with
> disabilities in the field. The existence of the petition itself, as well the
> many posts on the Disabled Philosophers blog (and to confidential listservs
> to which I hope a member of the committee has access) are evidence of the
> fact that there are many persons in our field who are living with
> disabilities and who are meeting great obstacles in their careers as a result
> of a lack of accessibility and, in some cases, as a direct result of asking
> for accommodations. So whatever is being done in our field and by the APA,
> for philosophers with disabilities, it is clearly not enough and we, the
> signers, are asking for more.
>
> Tone and content of criticisms:
>
> Shelly Tremain is an accomplished philosopher who is a trailblazer, and she
> began this petition. Many more of us have signed it. I am not alone in
> experiencing the criticisms of our petition--criticisms that claim that
> petitions aren't helpful or that a lack of concrete demands somehow
> diminishes this particular petition--as disingenuous. They sound too much
> like what we heard when we were demanding that attention be paid to the lack
> of gender and racial diversity in the profession, demands that resulted in
> the forming of the very task force that is now critical of the petition
> signed by many disabled philosophers and their allies. For those who want
> specific grievances to be made public, they already are. They are posted on
> the Disabled Philosophers blog on a regular basis.
>
> To further this conversation, here is my concrete recommendation: I recommend
> that members of the Committee on Inclusion and Diversity read or re-read all
> of the posts on the Disabled Philosophers blog and, if granted permission, be
> given access to the posts on confidential listservs for philosophers with
> disabilities, then devote a meeting to discussing the significance of these
> postings for the work of the committee ("to identify problems faced by the
> discipline in advancing inclusion and equitable treatment of historically
> underrepresented groups at all levels of philosophical pursuit, and to
> suggest policies that can effectively address these problems"
>
http://www.apaonline.org/news/153559/Announcing-the-APA-Task-Force-on-Diversity-and-Inclusion.htm).
>
> On a final note, it shouldn't be ignored that the members of the Task Force
> on Inclusion and Diversity include tenured, full professors while many of the
> philosophers with disabilities who post their experiences are students and
> those searching for tenure-track jobs. It is a great thing that there are now
> feminist philosophers in positions of power in our discipline, including
> President of the Eastern Division of the APA; this doesn't mean our
> profession is no longer deserving of criticism when it comes to the needs of
> those on its margins. There are now many who hold positions of power to do
> something concrete and positive in response to this petition, and I look
> forward to seeing that happen.
>
> Maeve
>
> Maeve M. O'Donovan, Ph.D.
> Associate Professor and Chair of Philosophy
> School of Arts & Sciences
> Notre Dame of Maryland University
> 4701 N. Charles Street
> Baltimore, MD  21210
> 410-532-5129
> [log in to unmask]
>
> www.pickeringchatto.com/raceandgender
>
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