[van-announce] WINDOW PAIN, readable this time, sorry!

[kym hothead]

‘Window Pain’For Immediate Release

Window Pain
Kym Hothead and Janet Baxter present a collaborative art show

Sponsored by: Disability Coalition to Stop the  Cuts and individuals?
What: Art Exhibit
When: End of June and later…?
Where: Studio TBA
Why: Overwhelm the decision-makers with support thereby forcing decision
makers to halt the re-assessment process.

The Window Pain project grows from an outraged disabled population, who are
under an attack of astounding proportions. They are a part of a government
lead re-assessment.
In response we have gathered disability level 2 and level 1 recipients to
collaborate on an art exhibit that asks the question, "How has the
government re-assessment process affected your life?"

Janet Baxter is photographing the faces of individuals who are currently a
disability level 2 or level 1 recipient. The photographs will be displayed
within a huge sixteen-pane glass window frame.
Also on display around the room are the statements of the people whose
portraits appear who have answered the question, "How has the government
re-assessment process affected your life?" through writing, multimedia
installations, spoken word and visual art.
We aim to move our friends and neighbors to act.

Kym is a two-spirit activist, who was born in poverty, lived and worked
successfully but who is currently on disability. Kym has studied life
her/his entire life. She is also a multimedia artist and has shown her work
in Calgary, Victoria and Vancouver. She has completed her first video called
i’m telling at Video In as a project with the ‘Out on Screen’ film festival.
Janet is a local photographer who specializes in portraiture. She studied at
Emily Carr, her freelance work ranges from performance documentation, to CD
art and wedding photography. Her personal work explores themes of ritualized
behavior, anxiety and isolation. Janet’s work has been shown to high acclaim
in Canada and the United States.
If you are interested in talking with one of the artists, call Kym at
604-253-0613

Background:
Premier Gordon Campbell's BC Liberals have repeatedly stated that their "New
Era" legislative agenda is to get as many people working at private sector
jobs as possible. To this end, at least 14,000 people are now in the process
of having their current legally recognized disability status 'reassessed' by
Human Resources Minister Murray Coell. However, this is just another one of
the BC Liberal's "New Era" agenda strategies to save money by:

Taking away thousands of peoples' Disability Level I ($608/month) and
Disability Level II ($786.42/month) status and benefits;

Declaring many thousands of people who now have, or had, Disability Level I
or II to be "employable" and to be put on regular income assistance benefits
of $510/month;

The final goal is to cut "employable" people off all benefits after 2 years
of receiving regular income assistance and drastically reducing the benefits
of "employable" parents under the 2-year "Time Limits". Many people would
not be eligible for any benefits for another 3 years;

Elimination of the Disability I designation. DB I recipients now must all
try to qualify as "Persons with Persistent Multiple Barriers to employment".
But the government's "screening tool" is so flawed that as one advocate has
stated, a person who is blind would not qualify. Huge numbers of older
people with health problems (even 64 yr olds!) are being designated
"employable" ($510/month) and must do an employment plan or be cut off
welfare altogether;

Targeting those with "invisible" disabilities like mental illness, Hepatitis
C, diabetes and so on. Advocacy groups around the province are reporting
extreme panic, stress and depression among the disabled people who have
received reassessment forms. Suicide has been a frequently mentioned option.

Because of the "reassessment" process, thousands of people on Disability I
or Disability II are enduring psychological abuse in the extreme at the
hands of the BC Government. Disabled people (especially those with invisible
disabilities) are being threatened with eventually being cut off welfare
benefits altogether and ending up penniless and destitute should they not be
able to find some sort of job.
All people with Disability Level’s I and II have already gone through a very
long, difficult and humiliating process to get their disability status. Many
disabled people now see that they are being put on 'trial' once again for
the 'crime' of either being physically or mentally 'different.'

“Because of the fear and distress the reassessment process has caused, there
has been an estimated 30 suicides in B.C since October 1” (Times Columnist
Nov. 22/02, The Province November 15/02)

More individuals are bound to end up in the medical system if these
so-called policies are not drastically re-thought or rescinded. For as well
as being ill-conceived, the costs of these draconian measures are high for
both society as a whole, and the person with the disability.
The government recently withdrew the reassessment process for some 5,000
mentally ill citizens, but there are still 14,000 people on Disability II
who are still being reassessed and must fill out the 23 page forms.

We call on the government to grandparent in everyone who was on DBII and
DBI, to rescind the 23 page application form, and return to the previous
definition of disability.

Because of increasing outrage from disability advocates and health
professionals, the deadline to submit their forms was extended to March 15,
03. However, the whole intent of this process is to disqualify people so
they lose their benefits and the government has more money to spend on
things like the Olympics, and, of course, on the salaries and perks for
politicians many of whom make well over $100,000 a year.

While the deadline for the reassessment process has passed, many people have
been unable to return their completed forms to the Ministry. Others who do
not qualify for disability benefits under the narrower eligibility criteria
will see their monthly cheque drop by nearly $300 a month. They will also
lose their enhanced medical, their bus pass, and many could lose their
housing.

The reassessment process must be stopped. Attempting to slash thousands of
peoples' disability benefits and thus deprive them of more of the
necessities of life is an incipient public health crisis and we call upon
all who are concerned about this to join in this campaign.