Re-establishing My Credentials: Psychiatric Survivor Activists are Needed by the 100%, Now!
The popular blog site Mad In America just published my post about my psychiatric survivor #MadPride #Disability journey since I broke my neck in 2012: (If you would like to hear this as a voice synthesized podcast, click play below.) By David W. Oaks David W. Oaks, Revolutionary, Aciu! For more than four decades, I have worked as a psychiatric-survivor human rights activist. Then, at the end of 2012, I broke my neck. As readers of my blog posts, such as those on Mad in America, know, I have devoted the past few years to rehab...
read moreThis Thursday 5/7/2020: Free Zoom with Doc and Panel on Disability Rights
You’re invited to a free Zoom this Thurs 5/7 sponsored by MindFreedom International. Watch recent doc on empowerment of people with disabilities, plus a panel discussion (I’m on panel). PISS ON PITY: WE WILL RIDE traces origins & early history of ADAPT. Beginning in Denver in ‘83, ADAPT has become a national force utilizing civil disobedience to fight for the liberation of people with disabilities from institutions & for equal access to society. 2 shows,...
read moreCreativity & Mad Pride: Free Opal Network Public Event, This Tues. 10/29/2019
Free Opal Network Public Event Facebook Event Page: https://www.facebook.com/events/414424775938010/ Click here to view PDF flyer orDownload Creativity & Mental Wellness Art for Empowerment & Mad Pride in Mental Health You are invited to a free, special gathering with workshops & performances! Where : Trauma Healing Project 1100 Charnelton St., Eugene, OR When : This Tues., 29 October 2019 3:30 pm – 5:30 pm Psychiatric Survivor comedian Jim Flannery will join our event by live web on the big...
read moreCreativity & Mental Health: Planning for a Special, Free Event for Opal Network
Dear Opal Network supporter, A mural of Opal Whiteley A decade ago here in Eugene, Oregon we formed an informal coalition of more than a dozen agencies that work on mental health. Our goal: To increase the empowerment and self-determination of mental health consumers and psychiatric survivors here in Lane County, Oregon. We are planning a fun event for October 2019 for Opal Network. We have two more planning meetings before this event and we hope you attend one or both. For a flyer about the below information, click here:...
read more8 Ways I Am Celebrating July 2019 as Mad Pride Month. How will you celebrate next July 2020?
Leonard Roy Frank, one of the main heroes of the psychiatric survivor movement! Mad Pride! Leonard especially fought electroschock. Today is 15 July 2019, and we honor the birthday of the late great Leonard Roy Frank, one of the main psychiatric survivor leaders of our modern era, and a good friend (his photo is on the left). I have blogged about Leonard before, and Mad Pride Month needs to celebrate Leonard: http://davidwoaks.com/my-friend-leonard-roy-frank Leonard supported grassroots activism wherever you are. Our local group,...
read moreThis Friday, 7/5/19, MindFreedom Oregon Invites You: MAD PRIDE!
You are very welcome, if you support human rights and nonviolent revolution in mental health, to our monthly grassroots meeting of MindFreedom Oregon. If you live in the Eugene, Oregon area drop on by to our free 2 pm meeting downtown. If you live out of this area or unable to attend in person, you can now participate for free via the web: computer video or even just phone. This July meeting we celebrate Mad Pride Month! Folk singer David Rogers will expertly play a few tunes on his guitar, including “The Thoughts Are...
read moreAmazon movie problem: I’ve asked them, do you have answer?
For several months, my Amazon movies have had a problem: About every second, there is a little hiccup in the video, a short pause of action. Movie-lovers who watch with me have noted the problem. This only has impacted the visual part of the movie, not the audio. I informed Amazon of the problem using live chat. We provided a bunch of information. First challenge I noticed that the Amazon helpers would often repeat the questions, wish they had read what had already happened. Second, I was handed off to several helpers at Amazon. I think...
read moreNEWS RELEASE: Disability Activist Launching New Consulting Business. Aciu!
David W. Oaks, community organizer with more than four decades of experience in nonprofit advocacy, is launching a for-profit consulting firm, oriented towards green accessibility and empowerment. In 2012, David experienced a major accident, and he is “quad” (or “tetra”) in a power chair, with disabled voice and fingers. With the support of Vocational Rehabilitation (VR), he prepared a business plan to launch this business, with a focus on disability. Now VR has given a green light to support this launch. This firm, Aciu...
read moreLaunching Business: Disability, Memorization, Revolution! Ačiū!
Bongo the Cat (recovering from an injury, probably from a fight), myself, and Ian pose with 112 playing cards that I just memorized! I’ve just gotten some very good news: After a year-and-a-half of preparation, I am finally about to officially launch my consulting business, Aciu Institute. More about that soon. Memorizing 112 Cards Readers of my blog know that I have been working on my memory, in order to prepare for launching my consulting business. Rather than just memorize the order of a deck of playing cards, I have...
read moreMy Great Friend, Rev. Phil Schulman, Still Delivers Message Filled with Wisdom, Humor & Love
One of my very best friends for many years is the creative, loving, wise, funny Phil Schulman. Phil is a minister who has led several Unitarian Universalist congregations. Phil has been such a prominent, positive leader in so many movement gatherings of mental health consumers and psychiatric survivors that I affectionately call him “The Mad Movement Minister”! In November 2017, while biking from home to an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting (Phil has been clean and sober for many decades) a truck hit him. Phil suffered a major traumatic...
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