DLF is committed
to taking action. "Whether it's the fight for BSL
recognition, against cochlear implantation in children,
or for Deaf Education, or any campaign fighting for
Deaf rights, DLF will support these campaigns."
Many Deaf people believe that action is needed in addition
to marches and lobbies, and DLF is there to take that
action.
Direct action
is as old as history. The slaves of the Egyptian and
Roman empires revolted against their rulers, peasants
in the middle ages did the same, and ever since capitalism
began, workers have taken strike action and other forms
of action - just think about the Luddites. Pick up any
newspaper at any day and you will see reports of people
protesting about all sorts of things: to save the environment,
object to experiments against animals, or against capitalism,
for example.
We might not
be slaves or peasants, but by taking direct action,
we are doing something that has a long history. DLF's
direct activism is similar to the non-violent direct
action that has taken place in more recent times. We
refer to the 1960's and 70's, for example, when there
were movements for civil rights for Black people in
the USA, and for Gay men and Lesbians. Women also had
campaigns for equal pay, although their direct action
has been taking place since the early 20th century.
Catholic people fought in Northern Ireland for their
civil rights and Welsh people took direct action for
Welsh language rights.
- Helps campaigns;
- Increases the possibility of
media attention, and hence public interest;
- Empowers people.
History is the
best teacher of direct action and why DLF believes in
it. Black people, gay people, women, all have far more
equality now than they did only 30 years ago, and part
of why that has happened is because they were prepared
to roll up their sleeves and fight. Those people who
went to prison for Welsh language rights, lived to see
their protests succeed. DLF knows inequality amongst
different groups is still present, and there is still
a lot of action being taken on these issues. But if
people had not campaigned, if they had not taken action,
they might still be a lot worse off today.
The
very best example of the success of direct action in
the Deaf community is from the United States of America
in 1988. Students at Gallaudet University campaigned
for and demanded a Deaf President. They took over the
campus for a week until all their demands were met -
and they won! It was a real Deaf revolution and it worked.
A
good example in England is Disabled people taking to
the streets for equal rights. The Disability Discrimination
Act came into force and it was direct action that helped
achieve it. Deaf people were an important part of this
movement. Again, DLF believes the DDA is weak and is
not good enough - a Civil Rights Bill is the only way
forward. The point is that the government was forced
to make some concessions to the action Disabled people
were taking in the 1990's.
Some
people think it is better to stick to marching through
the streets making as much noise as possible, try to
encourage MP's to support the campaign, and use other
lobbying methods. DLF supports these, but believes direct
action is an important part of any movement. It gives
the campaign extra firepower. Direct action is the finger
on the trigger that fires a loaded gun. The bullets
in the gun are all the action that takes place in a
campaign. The government and other authorities see a
gun being loaded so it takes notice. Direct action fires
the gun - they can't ignore it.
One
of the most important things about taking direct action
is that it is extremely self-empowering. It is good
for the soul. We spend every day of our lives experiencing
oppression in our society. We get angry when we see,
for example, Deaf children denied BSL in education;
or millions being spent on cochlear implants aimed at
(and failing to) 'normalise' Deaf children when it could
be spent on developing natural sign language. These
things make us feel like second-class citizens. But
by standing up and taking action for our rights, we
show the powers in control - the paternalists and the
men (as they tend mostly to be) in suits - we are not
prepared to accept oppression. Direct action gives us
confidence and a feeling of power that we do not get
in our everyday lives. It helps us believe in ourselves.
It
helps us think another world is possible - one where
Deaf and hearing people are equal.
DLF
believes in non-violent direct action. This can range
from anything to lobbying outside a conference without
police or conference organisers knowledge, to storming
the conference and taking over the platform, demanding
to be 'heard'. It can mean taking over and sitting on
the roads, chaining ourselves to buildings, climbing
up buildings or lampposts and unfurling banners; there
are so many creative ways action can be taken! There
are no rules about what direct action is and isn't.
Recently, people have been throwing custard pies in
the faces of politicians, destroying GM crops, and recently
one group took over the Millennium Wheel! It leaves
everything to the imagination.
DLF
understands that there will be people anxious of taking
action. They might worry about losing their jobs, or
ending up in a police cell and losing their freedom
for a while, or getting hurt. That is why, in DLF, it
is very important that it is up to you to take responsibility
for your actions.
DLF
believes the Deaf community needs to be a lot braver.
More people are needed to get involved in and support
action. DLF's dream is that the numbers prepared to
act will grow. DLF is setting up 'activists weekends'
for people who want to take action but are a bit worried
about doing so.
DLF
will never tell you that you 'must' take action. You
will see us trying to encourage you to join or assist
us but nobody is a 'leader'. Nobody tells someone what
to do. It is about doing it yourself, with other people
who also want to. It is self-empowering. Nobody
comes along and empowers you. You empower you!
What
we do not like, is people who are very 'vocal',
who talk, and talk, and talk, about taking action, telling
Deaf people what they need to do, but then are nowhere
to be seen when the action takes place. They are better
off in other organisations.
If,
however, you are a person who really wants to see direct
action, but does not feel confident about taking it,
for whatever reason, you can just be honest about it.
We will respect you for this. You are still welcome
to support DLF - all we ask is that you do something
in return. For example, you can still go along and support
DLF activists at demonstrations, hand out leaflets,
act as a witness in case someone gets arrested, help
chair our meetings or write up the minutes: there are
a million and one things you can do!
Finally..
People
who take direct action make history. Remember the 'Wolves
Six'? They blocked a roundabout in Wolverhampton and
were arrested. One hundred people turned out at their
court hearing to support them. Their case was thrown
out on the day and the charges dropped. They became
heroes in the Deaf community, winning awards for their
bravery, and rightly so. Remember the activities after
the demonstrations in London, Manchester, Wolverhampton,
Newcastle, and all the other places? They helped get
local news coverage about the issue of BSL recognition.
Direct
action works, and anybody can do it. You don't
need a leader telling you what to do. You can do it
for yourself.
Deaf
Power!
Note:
If you want to read more about direct action in the
Deaf community, read 'Seeing Voices' by Oliver Sacks.
It is the story of the Deaf revolution at Gallaudet.
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