As part of National Disability Day of Mourning, Social Justice and Leadership Education intern Kathleen Downes, the Women’s Resources Center, and a team of people fighting for disability justice at the University of Illinois will hold a vigil on March 1 from 6-8pm to honor people with disabilities murdered by family members and caregivers. It will be held in 2050 SDRP. The event is wheelchair accessible and all are welcome. We will be reading the names of the victims, voicing our grief, and fighting for the day that there no more names on the list of the dead. The Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN) has compiled a list of more than 950 such murders that have occurred over the last 38 years, though the number is likely higher than that which is reported.
Irresponsible media coverage has often framed these crimes as “understandable” or as “acts of desperation.” The justice system frequently gives a lighter sentence to those who harm or kill disabled people, sending the dangerous message that the lives of people with disabilities are not worthy of equal justice. The first vigil was held in 2012 to in response to the murder of George Hodgins, a 22-year-old autistic man killed by his mother. ASAN has continued to organize this event in partnership with the National Council on Independent Living, the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund, ADAPT, and the American Association of People with Disabilities.
In hosting this event at the University of Illinois, we seek to send the message that disabled lives are worth living and that disability is not a justification for violence. Please join us in celebrating the lives of the victims and telling our community and the world that these crimes must end. Violence against people with disabilities and damaging cultural attitudes that justify it are not acceptable. Please contact Kathleen Downes at kdownes2@illinois.edu for further information or to help plan the event.