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The Fire of Shared Struggle in Mexico

By Krista Erickson

"Experiencing first-hand that the creative and active struggles of people with disabilities is an ongoing challenge around the world, being met with innovation and collective efforts, assures me that one day, through our shared struggle, we will all know some semblance of liberation."

Krista Erickson, who is visually impaired and from Illinois, was a delegate on Mobility International USA's Mexico Leadership, Minority and Disability Rights Exchange, funded by the DeWitt Wallace/Youth Travel Enrichment Fund, established at the New York Community Trust by the founder of The Reader's Digest Association, Inc.

"As activists with disabilities, we were advocating for the protection of fundamental civil and human rights, educational and employment opportunities for people with disabilities and improved governmental services for people with disabilities."

A Guatemalan activist once said that the fire of shared struggle was the light of his life. In other words, the knowledge that others knew of his and his people's plight gave him the courage to continue.

This is what I was thinking near the end of our three-week trip to Mexico as our group of about twenty people gathered in the cool evening air around a blazing campfire. I remember sharing stories, songs, bits of our respective cultures, and giving hugs to our Mexican hosts, colleagues, and now our friends.

As members of the Mobility International USA (MIUSA) delegation, we had come to Mexico to build friendships, develop leadership skills, and participate in a cultural exchange. We also came to learn and share experiences and knowledge about issues affecting people with disabilities. Sometimes the process was challenging and overwhelming.

Together, we had not only discussed issues in great detail, but we also worked together to paint and plant trees at a factory that builds wheelchairs (where the 1996 delegation had helped to build a ramp), and spent a fascinating morning with architecture students discussing issues of why and how to build accessible buildings. We met with local Mexicans with disabilities. We also appeared on a television program, and news of our activities was mentioned in a local paper. As activists with disabilities, we were advocating for the protection of fundamental civil and human rights, educational and employment opportunities for people with disabilities and improved governmental services for people with disabilities. We were also active in fostering grassroots organizing efforts among people with disabilities.

We were a diverse group of delegates and we learned a lot from each other and about meeting each other's individual needs. We learned to work together as a cohesive group, sharing the experiences of the trip. I had expected a difference between my culture and opportunities in the United States and the same conditions in Mexico but was amazed to find a greater similarity. I discovered that many issues concerning people with disabilities are universal. Between the MIUSA delegation and our Mexican counterparts, we had clearly established, in so many ways, that we shared many of the same challenges; and, therefore, shared many of the same solutions.

The privilege of traveling to Mexico has provided me with a greater and invigorating sense of solidarity and hope. Experiencing first-hand that the creative and active struggles of people with disabilities is an ongoing challenge around the world, being met with innovation and collective efforts, assures me that one day, through our shared struggle, we will all know some semblance of liberation.