On June 13, 2022, MindFreedom International was very fortunate to be able to sit down with a wonderful delegation from the Women’s Institute on Leadership and Disability (WILD) at our office in Eugene, Oregon, USA. WILD is an amazing project convened by the great folks at Mobility International USA (MIUSA). Delegates from WILD met with MFI staff Sarah Smith and Kelli Williamson, as well as MFI volunteer, Jeff, and MindFreedom co-founder, David W. Oaks.
The WILD delegation included women from Peru, Colombia, India, Botswana, Mauritius and Brazil, all activists and organizers for disability rights. Delegates discussed the issues they worked on within the fields of accessibility, inclusion, and empowerment of people with disabilities, and emphasized both physical and psychosocial disabilities were included. As well as women in the field of physical disability advocacy, the delegation included psychiatric survivors and Mad Pride organizers.
We appreciated this amazing opportunity to get to know more about our allies in empowerment and disability human rights around the world. Our common ground was very clear. The WILD delegates, like us, were very clear in their support of self-determination and consent in medicine and direct care.
MFI was greatly encouraged the hear news from the Latin American Psychosocial Diversity Network (La Redesfera Latinoamericana de la Diversidad Psicosocial, or simply Redesfera). The Redesfera, along with the Mexico Mad Pride Network (la Red Orgullo Loco de México) succesfully organized a Mad Pride march in Mexico City last month on May 26. We look forward to bringing you more news from psychiatric human rights and Mad Pride activists across the Americas.
MindFreedom thanks Pao Yauri, the delegate from Peru, for teaching us about the work she and others are doing in Peru and across the Americas for the rights of people labeled with psychosocial/psychiatric disabilities. As we connect with leaders like Pao, we hope to elevate their work and keep our English-speaking followers up to date on the movement in Latin America.
MindFreedom International greatly encourages our followers to learn about and support the Women’s Institute on Leadership and Disability and MIUSA.
MindFreedom International continues to build our connections to the whole Cross-Disability Movement, as we unite to defend the rights and raise the voice of people of all types of bodies and minds. Thank you to every WILD delegate that visited our office! We were honored and hope to continue to connect for accessibility and human rights around the world.