The Carers Alliance – election message

The following message is from Robert Gow, Qld Campaign Manager of the Carers Alliance. The Carers Alliance are running candidates for the senate around Australia
more info – http://www.qld.carers.org.au/
Hello all,
Many thanks for the support you have all given, the election draws near
 and we are getting many contacts from carers who are desperately
 seeking a better deal.
Carers are [...]

“Unlikely Travellers” voted best documentary at IF awards

 
Congratulations to Michael Noonan and John Hart and for their film “Unlikely Travellers” winning the Inside Film (IF)  award for best Australian  documentary.
“Unlikely Travellers” will be screened on the ABC over the next three weeks beiginning Monday November 19 at 8pm.  more details here. 
Here is my review of the launch of Unlikely Travellers in August [...]

QUT controversy resolved but patronising attitudes to disability continue.

The long running QUT dispute over the sacking of two academics seems to be over with an out of court settlement. Courier Mail article  “QUT academic brawl ended by settlement”
It seems to me however that there are 3 issues that marked this affair which remain unresolved. These are…
 1/ attitudes towards disability,
 2/ attitudes towards free [...]

The Carers Alliance – A new party contesting the senate election.

“Our purpose is represent, raise and monitor issues affecting unpaid family Carers through the representative participation of Carers as candidates in Federal and State parliaments. The Carers Alliance will represent the rights of unpaid Carers of people with disabilities, mental illness, chronic illness or issues of frail age who need assistance at differing times in [...]

Laughing at Aborigines now – An Aboriginal woman’s perspective

UPDATE – This post has suddenly become very popular.  New visitors to Paradigm Oz should be aware that this was posted before the new allegations against Noonan were put on youtube (post on that issue here ).  It was not written as a response to the youtube allegations. The complaint refered to was a complaint to [...]

Laughing at the “disabled”, Michael Noonan exposes his naughty bits!

CAUTION!                                                                                                                          Some academics may be offended  by the film footage in this link.     Michael Noonan’s Naughty Bits
The controversial Bris Vegas film maker, Michael Noonan, has been accused of producing “misanthropic and amoral trash” and exploiting people with intellectual disabilities who are not competent to make decisions for themselves in his PhD thesis “Laughing at/with the [...]

Brisbane family challenges Queensland’s adult guardianship laws

 Media Release 26/8/07 contact John Tracey (07) 32552146
Brisbane family challenges Queensland’s adult guardianship laws
A Brisbane family who has a member with an intellectual disability has organised a protest against Queensland’s guardianship laws.
 
The protest will be next Wednesday, the 29 August 2007 at 9.00 am. outside the Brisbane Magistrate’s Court, 240 Roma St. Brisbane.
(a client of [...]

Picket – Expose the Qld. Office of the Adult Guardian. Stop neglect and cover-up.

See also ABC law report 15/8/06 “Guardianship and Administration Tribunal”  
Update – while the suppression order seems to have prevented media coverage of our picket, the Courier Mail has been following the issues with other cases and published the following on Sept 1……  “Unwilling ward of the state”
Join the campaign to reform  the Queensland Office of [...]

Disability and film

“The big dilemma for disabled actors is that they are a tiny minority, unable to get agents, regular work, or even their foot in the door.” 
“Liberal guilt is suffocating. Is it ever okay to laugh at the disabled?”
“………but the fact remains that the disability humor in “South Park” is outrageously funny. I’m disabled and [...]

“Unlikely Travellers” by Michael Noonan – movie review

 
The controversial movie “Unlikely Travellers” by Brisbane film maker Michael Noonan had its world premier on Sunday (Aug 12) as part of the Brisbane International Film Festival. The documentary features the lives of a group of people with intellectual disabilities who travel to Egypt as well as their families and support workers.
Up until Sunday’s screening “Unlikely [...]

Staring at “The Disabled” and seeing nothing.

                              
                      “Alison Lapper Pregnant” by Marc Quinn.
 The controversy surrounding Michael Noonan’s film project “Unlikely Travelers” has raised issues about the representation of people with disability in the media and public. As mentioned in the earlier post  “Laughing at “The Disabled – Power, perception and prejudice”, I claim that those who are defined by society [...]

Fascism and disability in Queensland – The Guardianship and Administration Act.

See also – Picket – Expose the Qld. Office of the Adult Guardian. Stop neglect and cover-up.
 
In Queensland, any one of us can have our rights of freedom of movement and association taken off us for a period of 6 months at a tribunal hearing where we or our representative are not present. There is [...]

Still laughing at “THE DISABLED”

The previous post looks at some of the theoretical issues surrounding the criticism of Michael Noonan’s film project “Unlikely Travellors”.
The following short clip is from Noonan’s work.  This is entitled “Unlikely Skipper”

This clip made me smile! 
 It is clearly the persons disability that is the focus of the humour – he is [...]

Laughing at “THE DISABLED” – power, perception and prejudice.

Background
A recent controversy at the Queensland University of Technology has has resulted in severe punitive action being taken  against two academics, Gary MacLennan and John Hookham who, in the name of speaking up for “the disabled”, publically criticised a Phd. Student, Michael Noonan and his Phd thesis “Laughing at the disabled (later renamed “laughing with [...]