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| Tammy Bernasky |
We met Tammy at the Pacific Rim International Conference on
Disability and Diversity in Honolulu. Her passion for her work is so vibrant that we couldn't wait to share it with you.
1. Could you please tell us a little bit about yourself?
1. Could you please tell us a little bit about yourself?
I was born and raised in a small town in
Nova Scotia, Canada. I have a fantastic family back home who are incredibly
important to me. I’m very close to them (my parents, sister, niece and two
nephews, as well as lots of extended family). As an extrovert, I love learning about
people and getting to know them and hearing their stories. I’d say I’m a very
curious, optimistic and philosophical person. I love to laugh and smile a lot!
I have a passion for learning. I received a master’s degree in political science
in 2004 and immediately jumped into my first overseas volunteer placement in
The Gambia. I subsequently did two other
placements in Sierra Leone and Tanzania. I spent a little over five incredibly
rewarding years working with the Coady International Institute – a leadership
education institute for development professionals with a focus on community
driven initiatives. Part of my role was to bring attention to disability issues
in the development context. I worked with the most genuine, kind and dedicated
people a person could ask for.
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| Toronto Skyline at night. |
2. You are currently a MA student of Critical
Disability Studies at York University in Toronto. How do you like the program?
This program has really deepened my
understanding of disability rights. I
appreciate the range of experiences and interests of the professors in the
program. I’ve really enjoyed the course
work and getting to know my classmates.
We’re a dynamic group with different opinions and experiences and I’ve
benefited greatly from the diversity in the classroom. This program has really
pushed me to think more critically about disability rights and inclusion. I’m
incredibly happy to be part of it.
3. Could you please tell us about your
passion in regards to the perception of disability and how perceptions are shaped?
My priority is to challenge misleading and false perceptions
of disability. I live with cerebral palsy and as such I have a visible,
physical disability. My parents always encouraged me to do the things I wanted
to do. It never occurred to me that I wasn’t capable of something and so I
approached life with a positive perspective.
I have never really faced extreme barriers. I have had many opportunities
in life and have made the most of them.
All children should have that same experience of being supported in who
they are – to be treated with dignity and respect. I think it is equally important to challenge
societal perceptions of people with disabilities. When people have limited
experience with something they tend to jump to conclusions and this is what
leads to inappropriate perceptions of disability.
4. Why are you interested in working with women and children in particular on changing perceptions toward disability ?
I am interested particularly in working
with children because I feel that changing perceptions must start early in
life. Children must learn from a young
age that they are valuable, contributing members of society who deserve equal
access to things like education, public spaces, community events, etc. If
children learn this from a young age, they will grow up to be the ones who
drive change in their own communities, rather than have external influences
trying to create change for people with disabilities. Empowerment must come from within the community
and within the individual.
I am interested in working with women,
particularly mothers, because mothers are often responsible for many essential
aspects of a child’s life and in some contexts mothers are ‘blamed’ or treated
differently if their child has a disability.
They too must be empowered to create change in their own lives and to
understand that having a child with disability does not mean that she or her
family are being punished or cursed.
Women with disabilities also face additional challenges simply for being
women. For example, they are more likely to experience abuse and violence than
women without disabilities, are more likely to be unemployed and have fewer
educational opportunities than men with a disability and women without a disability.
5. What would you like to see in terms of
disability inclusion in international development?
Disability inclusion within international
development is a difficult ideal to unpack because it is often defined and influenced by international
development organizations. The thing about disability is that it is diverse.
The disability community is not a homogenous group. Disability intersects with
many other factors such as culture, race, gender, class, age, and where one
sits on that diverse spectrum influences his or her needs and experiences. My ideal for disability inclusive development
would be that people with disabilities are fully involved in the development of
their communities. This means identifying development needs from within rather
than having external players influencing the development agenda. At the same time, I think we are still at a
stage in the disability movement where a twin track approach to inclusion is
most effective. That is, development programs must mainstream disability policies
in order to create long term change, but I also think that disability-specific
programs need to be developed and implemented in communities (by people with
disabilities themselves) to address unique needs and concerns in order to
ensure more swift and effective progress in the meantime.
6. We heard that you are the creator of
"Telling People Good Things Day" on September 17. Please tell us more about it!
You can find the Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/events/201397276701358/?source=1
Thanks, Tammy!
