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Mathieu Warren's blog
Opening Session Disibility Assitance Issues!
About this event: AIDS 2006 – XVI International AIDS Conference


On Sunday night I was at the Rogers Centre for the opening ceremonies. I have a high pitch range hearing loss and I asked for disability for audio and visual impaired seating and they said "Yes, the first two rows are set aside for that." from the first attendant. I was with a friend she was visually impaired and she was with me with her assistant. We got hassled, threatened, and harassed by the security staff at the Rogers Centre. I was disgusted by their lack of respect for disabled people. When the doctor from the UNAIDS was speaking, he was speaking of discrimination...There I was stage left in front of him being discriminated against. I was told by the head of security that it was ok where I was sitting when I first came in... The security guard who was harassing me was threating to remove me with the police as well as my friend who was visually impaired... I said I am not moving and I was told that it was ok by the head of security. He checked with him and then said it is ok... I was disgusted... How can people who are supposedly able to deal with an event of this size be so discriminatory? Are we going to take this from people who are hosting us in their venue? What can we do as a group (all impaired people) do to voice this and hold them accountable? I am disgusted... If people can't look beyond a physical disability, how the heck are they going to look beyond HIV and AIDS? See my point?

August 14, 2006 | 10:51 PM Comments  0 comments

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