August 2020: The Outreach Committee and the Ohio Developmental Disabilities Council issued the following statement in response to the need to address racism and disability in all aspects of our communities.
Black Lives Matter: A Call for Justice and Reform
The Ohio Developmental Disabilities Council is appalled by the ongoing killing of African American men and women by the police. We recognize that racism and anti-racism are disability issues and that individuals with disabilities are disproportionately affected by racism in all aspects of life: health care, education, housing, employment, and the criminal justice system. As many as 50% of people killed by law enforcement each year are people with disabilities who are Black, Latinx, or LGBTQ+.
We, the Ohio’s Developmental Disabilities Council, declare our commitment to take action to drive change to address these inequities. We commit to focusing on a systematic, data- driven focus on poverty, economic mobility and other factors that impact the social determinants of health faced by African Americans and other persons of color. We commit to standing together and speaking out against injustice and discrimination by strengthening our efforts to address inequities through the work of council. We will listen, we will learn and we will change.
Video: Racism Destroyed In One Minute
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bOcCbLcvSE