17-08-2014, 11:41 PM
I have no axe to grind on this matter. So those on both sides of this debate please take note! I pointed out that the guys of the RAFA club lost their club, through legislation (the law of the land). However, could they not simply have relocated? Not at that time for their membership had dwindled to less than 100 and they did not have the financial strength to relocate, and still have what they were used to.
Week after week I stood on those steps and watched as their aging membership arrived. Many struggled to get up those steps. Some had simply stopped going to their club because they could no longer bound up those steps as they once had, and others of course, could only manage this sporadically, on special occasions. Oftentimes I wondered, if access were easier, would they still have a lot more members?
Disability is something one can be born with, or as a result of a trauma, or simply through years of wear and tear. Who can say that tomorrow I will still be able bodied?
Already, the law in the UK, is heavily in favour of anti-discriminatory laws with regard to the disabled. Similarly FIDE, and yes, it is going to hurt some as things change. The guys at the RAFA club lost their club, but what if some 20 years prior to that they had relocated to an access friendlier place?
I suppose what I am saying is that people should recognize when a hurricane is blowing, as opposed to a mere gust of wind. Disability rights are here to stay, embrace that reality, or I fear you will get blown away.
There is a cost, always, in change. However there are also opportunities. Some will adopt and embrace, some will fight against it, ultimately this motion, or one like it, will be passed. If not this time, then next time, or the next,....
I am no longer in Scotland, but I still care deeply about the struggle you guys have. Whether you vote for or against this, I wish each and every one of you well.
God Bless
John
Week after week I stood on those steps and watched as their aging membership arrived. Many struggled to get up those steps. Some had simply stopped going to their club because they could no longer bound up those steps as they once had, and others of course, could only manage this sporadically, on special occasions. Oftentimes I wondered, if access were easier, would they still have a lot more members?
Disability is something one can be born with, or as a result of a trauma, or simply through years of wear and tear. Who can say that tomorrow I will still be able bodied?
Already, the law in the UK, is heavily in favour of anti-discriminatory laws with regard to the disabled. Similarly FIDE, and yes, it is going to hurt some as things change. The guys at the RAFA club lost their club, but what if some 20 years prior to that they had relocated to an access friendlier place?
I suppose what I am saying is that people should recognize when a hurricane is blowing, as opposed to a mere gust of wind. Disability rights are here to stay, embrace that reality, or I fear you will get blown away.
There is a cost, always, in change. However there are also opportunities. Some will adopt and embrace, some will fight against it, ultimately this motion, or one like it, will be passed. If not this time, then next time, or the next,....
I am no longer in Scotland, but I still care deeply about the struggle you guys have. Whether you vote for or against this, I wish each and every one of you well.
God Bless
John