On Thursday, June 20th, our group attended the second to last day of the conference. While there, we listened to several interesting talks on disability and family life. My favorite part of the conference was when Robert Martin spoke about his experience with institutions. He went into detail about the negative experiences he had while in an institution. One example he gave was when he tried to sneak a cat in and his care takers nearly through it out the window. He concluded by explaining that segregation had never worked in the past, yet we are still separating people with learning disabilities from people without disabilities. This message was powerful to me because it connected the lack of the rights people with disabilities face currently to the lack of rights other minority groups have had to fight for throughout history, and showed that like other groups, it is possible to make the necessary changes towards equal rights.
On Friday, June 21st, we attended the final day of the conference. This was an exciting day because we got to see our own group members participate in the Moot Court Competition. In addition, we al received certificates for completing the conference. Following the conference, we took the bus back to Dublin. Once in Dublin, I said goodbye to the amazing group of girls that I became close friends with throughout the trip. I am so grateful to have had such an amazing experience, where I got to meet incredible people, gain exposure to different fields within culture and disabilities, and learn about disability rights and policies. Although I was sad to leave Ireland, I am excited to share everything I have learned about Culture and Disabilities with my family and friends now that I am home!
(Certificate from 11th International Disability Summer School)