ACI joined dozens of organizations throughout the county for the 12th annual Day of Mourning, sponsored by the Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN). This vigil remembers individuals with disabilities who have been murdered by a family member or caretaker. Participants held candles as they read names of the victims. Personal reflections were also shared.
As part of a nation-wide Day of Mourning, the Alliance Center for Independence (ACI), a non-profit center for independent living based in Edison will be holding a vigil on Friday, March 1, to honor the lives of disabled people murdered by their families and caretakers.
This event is part of a nation-wide effort organized by the Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN), a Washington, DC- based disability advocacy organization. ASAN has compiled a list of over 1300 reported murders of people with disabilities by relatives or caregivers over the last 40 years.
In the past 5 years, 570 people with disabilities have been murdered by their parents, relatives or caregivers, according to ASAN. The first filicide was in 2012. ACI has been holding its annual local filicide vigil since 2014.
“The purpose of this annual event is to mourn our brothers and sisters in disability but also bring public awareness to this often dismissed, yet tragic issue,” says Carole Tonks, ACI Executive Director and organizer of the event.
ACI's annual holiday party took place on November 20th at the Minnie B. Veal Recreation Center in Edison. Holiday Express provided the music, entertainment, and food. Everyone had a great time dancing and singing to all their favorite holiday tunes! Thank you to all the musicians, crew, and volunteers of Holiday Express for the wonderful night!
On September 14th, individuals with disabilities from across New Jersey gathered at the Statehouse in Trenton to showcase the power of the disability vote!
The event was sponsored by REV UP NJ and the Alliance Center for Independence and took place during Disability Voting Rights Week, a national effort by REV UP to get those running for elected office to listen to the concerns and issues of their disabled constituents. The event also featured many great speakers including NJ Assembly Speaker, Craig Coughlin and a live performance by musician, Cory Singer.
REV UP NJ is a chapter of REV UP, a national effort of the American Association of Persons with Disabilities (AAPD).
For additional information, please contact Luke Koppisch at lkoppisch@adacil.org or visit adacil.org/voting
ACI participated in a Radiological Community Reception Center Exercise conducted by the Middlesex County Department of Health and local emergency response organizations. Consumers and staff learned firsthand about the emergency procedures during a radiological event. After the simulation, participants provided feedback on ways to improve accessibility during a real emergency.
On the night of March 1st, ACI joined disability advocates across the nation in a Day of Mourning Vigil in Edison. The vigil remembered and honored disabled victims murdered by their parents or caretakers. The emotional ceremony included speeches, poems and reading the names and ages of the 550 victims who were murdered between 2021 and 2023. This adds to a growing list of 1600+ names.
The national Day of Mourning is a time for the disability community to commemorate the many lives cut short. By honoring disabled victims and celebrating the lives they lived, the vigil sends a message that disability is not a justification for violence and disabled lives are valued.
ACI would like to thank Eugene Meyers of NorthJersey.com and USA Today Network and Della Crews of News12 for their recent reporting on this important issue.
As part of a nation-wide Day of Mourning, disability rights advocates in the Edison area will be holding a vigil on March 1st, to honor the lives of disabled people murdered by their families and caretakers.
The Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN), which tracks these cases, has compiled a list of over 1300 reported murders of people with disabilities by relatives or caregivers over the last 39 years. The total number of killings is likely higher than the amount which are reported in news media.
This problem is made worse by irresponsible news coverage which presents these murders as the sympathetic acts of loving and desperate parents, by a justice system which often gives a lighter sentence to a parent who kills a disabled child, and by the dangerous cultural prejudice that says a disabled life is not worth living.
