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
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www.pickeringchatto.com/raceandgender

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