Creativity & 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...
read moreMeet & Greet John Bola, PhD, Psych Survivor, Researcher: MF Oregon
Those of you in the Eugene, Oregon area can be in for a treat: John Bola, PhD, will be at our free monthly meeting of MindFreedom Oregon, our local affiliate. Please spread the word to folks you know in Eugene! This will be an informal chance to chat with one of the main champions of researching change in the mental health system. As a young person, John experienced human rights violations in the mental health system, including electroshock. He lived here in Eugene for a few years, but mainly has been working and studying in California and...
read moreMore Forced Electroshock? Let’s Stop Bill in State of Washington, Now!
UPDATE 2/27/19: Looks like we won! The latest word from a staffperson at the State of Washington legislature, is that the proposed bill for easier involuntary electroshock is dead this session, and that no other bills have been amended to include this idea. Some activists were concerned that the concept would simply be added as an amendment to another bill. However, loosening restrictions on forced shock are dead this session. This is the “understanding” of Kevin Black, staff coordinator/counsel for Senate Behavioral Health...
read moreEco-Crisis Means Disability Movement Must Help Lead Global Revolution, Now!
This year, 2019, is my 43rd year working for human rights in disability. Based on sheer numbers, we are one of the largest social change movements in Earth’s history. Let us act like it now, and help lead a world-wide revolution. Sound crazy? Well, the odds are indeed against us. However, this is not a question of what can be done, this is a question of what must be done. Here are three reasons I feel we must pour our souls into this endeavor, now: 1. Creative Disorder We in the disability movement are extremely diverse. Some of us...
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