Dr. Jean Antoine-Dunne shares her story
Dr. Jean Antoine-Dunne shares her personal story of how she became a disability activist.
My daughter Eileen was born in Ireland on 19th September 1979. She has Down syndrome. Since that time, I have been a disability activist.
After the birth of my daughter I co-founded the Cavan branch of Down Syndrome Ireland. I then served on the national executive committee of DSI. At the time I was a fulltime mother and a part time journalist. My first article on disability was published in the provincial newspaper, the Anglo Celt, on 20th May 1988. In 1989 I was asked by Down Syndrome Ireland to form an editorial committee to create the first DSI magazine. I co-edited this magazine for three years and again for a period after 2001 before returning to Trinidad in January 2005 to take up a position as a lecturer at the University of the West Indies, St Augustine.
Eileen’s dad Seamus and I worked tirelessly for school integration. He became National President of Down Syndrome Ireland in 1986 and was one of the forces behind the transformation of education for children with DS and other disabilities in Ireland. Our daughter was amongst the first group of children to attend primary school with support. Parents initially paid for a peripatetic teacher to visit schools and help our children. It is now the norm for children with Down syndrome in Ireland to attend mainstream primary schools. The government of Ireland now provides teaching assistance in these schools and the teacher pupil ratio is also reduced. This was a major breakthrough.
In 2005 in Trinidad and Tobago, people with DS or autism or with any form of intellectual disability, were still seen as objects of pity or charity and not as persons with potential. This is changing very gradually. My daughter Eileen lived with me for half the year in Trinidad. Her experiences were sometimes difficult for her to cope with, in particular when she was treated as someone without capacity. I felt that I had to do something to work towards the transformation of the landscape of disability in T&T. I researched and found persons I thought were like minded and who had similar goals. NODES was founded in 2014. We in NODES have fulfilled most of the goals that we set ourselves initially and have become a point of contact for many other activists. There is much more to be done.
I began a series of articles on disability in the Trinidad and Tobago Newsday in April 2014. This ran fortnightly until 2016 when I began a weekly commentary for TT Newsday. We have also hosted an international conference, a symposium and a panel discussion. I network with other activists.
My daughter Eileen has been fortunate. She was born at a time when worldwide changes in thinking about inclusion were being envisioned and sought. She benefitted enormously from our activism, Eileen now has TWO jobs, one in a supermarket, the other in a hair dressing salon. She works hard.
I believe that young people (in particular) with disabilities in Trinidad and Tobago can be actively engaged and employed in communities, in the same way that Eileen has integrated within her community. The time for change is NOW in Trinidad and Tobago.
Disabled/Mislabled Documentary
Disabled/Mislabled Documentary by Director Jean Antoine-Dunne