Radio Ability - February 2008
programme transcript

    Opening music - Leigh Stirling - "Nightmare Street"

Hi, my name is Tony Page, and this is Radio Ability, music news and information for people with disabilities, and the non-disabled alike. Coming up in this hour-long show, we'll have information about disability hate crimes and the campaign to stop them, a newly-discovered positive side to Downs Syndrome, plus Radio Ability's monthly feature on positive vs negative language re disability, and birthdays of famous disabled people born in February.

But for now, it's back to the music. Here's Joy Division, featuring Ian Curtis who had epilepsy, and their classic from 1980, "Love Will Tear Us Apart"

    Music - Joy Division - "Love Will Tear Us Apart"

The issue of hate crimes against disabled people, is one which is finally getting the attention it deserves. We're all aware of racist and homophobic violent hate crimes, and people with disabilities, like any oppressed minority, suffer hate crimes also.

Hate crimes can range from, at the lowest level, name calling and mimicry, right through to threats, intimidation, violence, even murder. What all these crimes have in common is that the victim can have done nothing to deserve them, but is being targeted simply for being in an oppressed minority, in this case, disabled.

Victims have been robbed, falsely imprisoned, tortured. In one high profile case, a disabled woman was urinated on in public. In another, disabled military veterans were abused at a swimming pool.

The magazine Disability Now is currently running a campaign against disability hate crime, and has for a few months featured reports on such vile actions.

Obviously, hate crimes are the extreme result of a common root cause, ie disability prejudice. Here at Radio Ability, we ask, what is the root cause of disability prejudice? How deep-seated are these negative attitudes, are they perpetuated by the media, in families, perhaps in British culture itself? Or is disability prejudice simply a flaw in human nature, impossible to influence by reason and solvable only by legislation? Have your say on Radio Ability's forum, which you can find on radio Ability's website.

Where's Radio Ability's website, I hear you ask? It's at radioability.2tunes.com

Well, I'll tell you what is human nature. This next track, by Michael Jackson ...

    Music - Michael Jackson - "Human Nature"

I've just been talking about hate crimes and disability prejudice. Well, one thing that can't possibly be helping the fight against disability prejudice is when both of the main political parties here in the UK, seem to be hell bent on attacking disability benefits and labelling us as scroungers. The government talks of getting over half of Incapacity Benefit claimants back into work, and bringing in new tests for Incapacity Benefit to make it harder to claim for those of us who cannot work. They also seem to forget that those of us who can work often find it harder to get a job because of prejudice and negative attitudes, which can only be reinforced by the government's plans and the way they are reported in the mainstream media.

The next track, by Tragic Mike, is dedicated to Brown and Cameron.

    Music - Tragic Mike "Dedicated Follower Of Thatcher"

I've just talked about the government tightening up access to Incapacity Benefit, well other less obvious benefits are also being attacked by the government, both nationally and locally. I read recently in the Derbyshire Times that people with mental illness in Derbyshire are no longer to be eligible for a gold card, allowing free or subsidised bus travel. People with mental illness have already been under attack, with the Mental Health Bill which risks mentally ill people being locked up when no crime has been committed and when the mental illness is untreatable.

There's a lot of myths about mental illness. Firstly, it is not the same as insanity, it covers a wide range of conditions, the most common being depression - which is on the increase. Which explains that the person most likely to be killed by a mentally ill person, is him or herself.

Having said that, there is a positive side to mental illness, in that many people with mental illness are exceptionally creative. Look at Bipolar, formerly known as manic depression, people with bipolar include Amy Winehouse, Phyllis Hyman, and, recently diagnosed, Britney Spears.

She's up next with a record which sums up the media-promoted attitude towards mental illness. Toxic.

    Music - Britney Spears - "Toxic"

A regular feature on Radio Ability is Mind Your Language, a feature on the correct language used to describe disability.

This month, it's about terms we should not use, namely "Tragic" or "pitiful". By the same token, we are not "brave" or "plucky" for living with disabilities. Not only is such language patronising towards us, it also reinforces negative stereotypes and makes us look like a burden on other people. Disability is not a negative thing, people with disabilities often have abilities in other areas which more than compensate.

Likewise, we do not "suffer" from a disability or condition. We "have" that condition. Period.

On that note, the next track is by a lady who had diabetes. The Northern Soul sound of Linda Jones, with My Heart Needs A Break.

     Music - Linda Jones - "My Heart Needs A Break"

Unless you've been living on another planet - I wish I had sometimes, but that's another story - you'll have heard about, in fact you're probably sick of hearing about, the "obesity time bomb" and the government's efforts to deal with it.

Don't get me wrong, some of the ideas to make us healthier are good ones, like the plans to enforce food manufacturers to clearly display the fat and sugar content on foods. This will help people with conditions such as diabetes and heart disease, decide which foods are good for us and which are not.

Other ideas, however, are not. Like the idea of restricting NHS treatment for people who are overweight, or who smoke. Not only is this the worst kind of moralising, and I suspect a cost-cutting measure to enable further cutbacks in an already cash-starved NHS. It also forgets that some people are overweight through no fault of their own, whether for medical or social reasons. Especially when you consider there's for many years been a problem with health clubs and even leisure centres limiting their range of facilities for people with disabilities, and I understand it's sometimes still the case today.

The media coverage, egged on by politicians, doesn't help us one bit either. All the talk of obesity leading to diabetes and heart disease, people are bound to think - wringly - that if you're diabetic or have a heart condition, it's your own fault for overeating or not taking exercise.

Having said all that, I still wouldn't recommend the lifestyle being suggested by Oasis in the next record, here on Radio Ability. Namely, Cigarettes and Alcohol.

    Oasis - "Cigarettes & Alcohol"

You know how TV programmes have teletext subtitles for deaf people. Well, we understand plans are afoot to broadcast text subtitles for radio, especially talk radio. This could easily enough be done on digital radio, like DAB, not sure if it could be done on analogue FM radio, eg by data in the RDS subcarrier, if anyone knows maybe you could let us know.

For the time being, this broadcast is already available in a text format for deaf people, or people who can't understand my voice, LOL. This broadcast is trans-scripted on the Radio Ability website.

If you're not sure of the address of our website, it's at radioability.2tunes.com (repeat). Said website also has this programmed streamed, so you can listen to it anytime. And a forum for discussion of any issues raised in this broadcast, or suggestions for issues we should be covering. Or artists who we should be playing. Or whatever.

The next track is by an up-and-coming blind recording artist. Here's Jessica Callahan, with City Streets.

    Music - Jessica Callahan - "City Streets"

Now on Radio Ability, it's Celebration Time, when we celebrate the birthdays of famous people with disabilities who have their birthdays in February.

First of all, happy 60th birthday to Alice Cooper, the rocker who has asthma, who was born on the 7th of February in 1948.

Fast rewind to 1812, Charles Dickens, the novelist with epilepsy, who gave us Oliver Twist among others, was born on the 7th.

Thomas Edison, the famous inventor, was born on 11th February 1847. Edison has a learning disability and diabetes. Most famous for inventing the electric light, he also invented the phonograph, the first record player. Early records were made on cylinders, perhaps just as well CDs aren't cylinders or I'd never have enough space to keep them, LOL.

Speaking of music, another rocker, Tony Iommi, was born on 19th February 1948. The guitarist in Black Sabbath, Tony lost 2 fingers in an accident. He was still able to play the guitar, by creating artificial plastic fingers.

Michael bolton, the easy listening singer who is deaf in one ear, was born on 26th February, 1953.

Last but not least, the actress Elizabeth Taylor, who had asthma, was born on February 27th, back in 1932. Liz Taylor starred in a number of films, notably Lassie.

Now, a bit back I mentioned Tony Iommi ... well, you can hear his guitarist skills on this next track. Taking you back to the late 70's, here's Black Sabbath with Hard Road.

    Music - Black Sabbath - "Hard Road"

A report on the BBC News website last month describes how literally hundreds of plants with natural medicinal properties, are at risk of extinction. Plants such as the yew tree, the hoodia cactus, magnolia, and the autumn crocus, are at risk due to deforestation and over collection, and I bet climate change ain't helping matters.

This ain't the only way people with conditions are likely to suffer as a result of people riding roughshod over the environment. People with asthma and various breathing disabilities are having their condition aggravated by the increasing amount of pollution, caused by increasing car use etc.

Personally, I hate it when any species goes extinct. I was heartbroken when the Yangtse river dolphin was declared extinct, and to think that's just the tip of the iceberg.

As Ian Dury would say, "What A Waste"

    Music - Ian Dury - "What A Waste"

Also on the BBC News website - this time in the health section - was recently an article detailing how people with Downs Syndrome are less likely to get certain cancers, notably, intestinal cancer.

Interestingly, there are actually a number of cases where having a condition, albeit one seen as a danger to health, can bring health benefits. One such example is Sickle Cell Anaemia, where people with the condition, or even carriers of the relevant gene, have a greater resistance to malaria than average people.

Famous people with sickle cell include T-Boz Watkins out of the R&B group TLC. They're up next, with their 1995 hit, Waterfalls.

    Music - TLC - "Waterfalls"

Well, that's all we've got time for on Radio Ability this month. But if you want to hear this programme again, or if you've only just tuned in and want to hear it from the start, you can listen to our audio stream on our website, at radioability.2tunes.com (repeat).

So Bye for now. C U next time, and I'll play out with the jazz funk sound of Kenny G, What Does It Take

    Ending music - Kenny G - "What Does It Take"

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