Tools & Resources
[Tools & Resources]
A Conversation with Quincy Abbot on Global Dignity Day
Written by Anna Bligh, CIL Marketing Intern
A CIL marketing intern and a disability rights advocate walk into a bar. Just kidding – we actually talked on the phone. When I was asked to interview Quincy Abbot, The Arc’s National President (1996-1998) and a founder of CIL, in support and celebration of Global Dignity Day, I wasn’t entirely sure where to start. As someone brand new to the world of Long Term Supports and Services (LTSS), I wasn’t familiar with the concepts of dignity of risk, self-determination, and their importance. After spending some time researching the topic, I was surprised to find that it is not talked about more in everyday life. After all, it is a necessity for all people, especially for older adults and people with disabilities, to be treated with dignity and respect.
According to the Mental Health & Developmental Disabilities National Training Center, dignity of risk is defined as “being able to make choices that could have negative consequences and getting to experience those consequences.” Another important aspect is self-determination, or “the right all people have to make personal decisions, set their own goals, and decide how to work towards their goals” (MHDD).
Left: Anna Bligh; Right: Quincy Abbot
Quincy Abbot is very familiar with dignity and dignity of risk. When his third daughter, Becky, was born with brain damage in 1963, Quincy began his lifelong journey as a disability rights advocate. He was an active member of The Arc National Board from 1991 to 2001 and served as The Arc’s National President from 1996 to 1998. One of his many accomplishments, born out of his efforts to enable people with I/DD to move out of institutions in Connecticut, was the founding of CIL (watch a short film here). Quincy pointed out that the word “risk” has a negative association. He prefers to use the phrase, “seizing opportunities.”
Quincy defines dignity as feeling good about something and having other people recognize that you are feeling good about it. When asked for an example, he replied, “One day I got a call from the Executive Director of the Agency that supported her. The mother of another resident was going to take her daughter to a football game in Boston. She invited my daughter to join, but the Executive Director was afraid to authorize it and wanted my approval. I said, of course, it is an opportunity to go somewhere she wants to go and she should be able like anyone else. She went and she enjoyed it. “
He believes, “You are never going to be able to improve in your situation and enjoy life unless you recognize that there is a little bit of risk everywhere. Even if you stay home and do nothing, a fire might break out. You can only enjoy life by seizing opportunities to do things as they come along and not say, ‘Oh, I shouldn’t do that because there is a one percent chance that something bad will happen.’ Don’t look at it like that; look at it like there is a ninety-nine percent chance that something good will happen!”
He went on to explain that we can promote opportunities for people with disabilities by listening to what they want to do and not holding them back.
“A common boundary of dignity is the fear that something will go wrong, rather than looking at the opportunity and seeing what could go right,” Quincy says. “I think back to when my daughter was in a different Hartford housing facility and our church was starting a program for people with disabilities one afternoon a week. The church called me and said that state employees were refusing to bring her because it might be too difficult. So I arranged for someone from the church to take her, and told them I would pick her up for dinner and bring her back afterward. It all worked out and went well!”
Quincy now believes that our mantra should be the positive one of “Seize the Opportunity” rather than the negative one of accept the Dignity of Risk.
You are never going to be able to improve in your situation and enjoy life unless you recognize that there is a little bit of risk everywhere. Even if you stay home and do nothing, a fire might break out. You can only enjoy life by seizing opportunities to do things as they come along!
Quincy Abbot
Disability Rights Advocate & Former President of The Arc (1996-1998)
Interested in learning more? Join Dignity Alliance Massachusetts for a free webinar, “Dignity in the Commonwealth: A Conversation on Global Dignity Day,” hosted by Paul J. Lanzikos, Dignity Alliance Massachusetts co-founder and former Secretary, Mass. Exec. Office of Elder Affairs, and Bill Henning, Dignity Alliance Massachusetts co-founder, Exec. Dir., the Boston Center for Independent Living on Wednesday, Oct 20th from 4 p.m. – 5 p.m. You can join the conversation around dignity by following the hashtags #ThisIsDignity and #DignityUnitesMass, and check out the Dignity Alliance Social Media Toolkit with content prompts for ideas on how to contribute to the conversation!
About Dignity Alliance Massachusetts
Dignity Alliance Massachusetts is dedicated to transformative change to ensure the dignity of older adults, people with disabilities, and their caregivers. We are committed to advancing new ways of providing long-term care services, support, living options and care while respecting choice and self-determination. Through education, legislation, regulatory reform, and legal strategies, this mission will become reality throughout the Commonwealth.
About Global Dignity
Global Dignity believes that ensuring the dignity of every single person is essential to combating intolerance, injustice, and inequality. Through education and initiatives in more than 80 countries, Global Dignity empowers people to recognize their own inherent dignity and respect the equal worth of others. Only then can we build cultures of dignity in our schools, communities, workplaces and—ultimately—societies that are more just, open, and peaceful.
