Disability Community Remembers Hodgins and Other Disabled Victims of Domestic Violence

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Please, consider let your contacts know and spread the word.Thank youAmy Sequenzia

For Immediate Release03/26/2012

Local Contact: Amy SequenziaPhone:  ()*

Email: amysequenzia@...

Disability Community Remembers Hodgins and Other Disabled Victims of Domestic Violence

 Rockledge, FL  – Local disability rights advocates will be holding a vigil to honor the lives of disabled people murdered by their families and caretakers. This is part of a nation-wide Day of Mourning, during which disability rights activists in cities across America will hold events to remember members of the disability community whose lives were lost to domestic violence.

On March 6, Hodgins, a 22-year-old autistic man, was murdered by his mother in Sunnyvale, California. In response, the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network (ASAN) held a vigil in Sunnyvale on March 16th. During the vigil, mourners read a list of names, beginning with Latimer, a disabled teenager killed by her father in 1993. At the same time as ASAN’s vigil was being held, ’s father was speaking on a television panel for the Canadian Global News, arguing for legalizing the killing of disabled people - in the name of " mercy. "  

When disabled people are murdered by caretakers or family members, many people justify these murders as “understandable,” or talk about the “burden” of caring for  someone with a disability. This is the view that was aired on Canadian Global News, and in many news articles covering the murder of Hodgins. Many people are quick to justify the murder of a disabled person, when they would offer no such justification if the murder victim were not disabled. Therefore, the national Day of Mourning is meant to demonstrate to the community that the lives of disabled people have value. 

The vigil will be held at 6:30 PM, March 30th at McLarty Park – 790 Barton Blvd., Rockledge

 *I am non-speaking autistic, is my support personSent from my iPad

-- Regards,Ven Sequenzia, Jr. 

PresidentAutism Society of AmericaState of Florida Chapter