Inga Sæland, the Icelandic Minister of Social Affairs, explained in a speech to the 18th Conference of State Parties to the UN Convention on the rights of Persons with Disabilities, how, as a disabled person, she fought poverty to finish a law degree at 56, launch her own political party and become a government minister.
“My name is Inga Sæland. I’m legally blind. I have less than 10% vision, I’ve never driven a car, or seen the colors of autumn. However, I am now serving as Minister of Social Affairs and Housing — the first person with disability to become a minister in Iceland.”
In her speech the minister explained how she had fallen ill as a child and almost totally lost her eyesight. She grew up in a fishing village and was subject to harassment. She dreamed of studying but didn’t see the letters in the textbooks and dropped out. Although she thought it would be against all odds she married her husband and had four children.
Poverty was merciless
“Then everything changed,” Sæland told the conference. “He had an accident and could no longer work. Poverty was merciless. My son was a talented soccer player, but we couldn’t afford shoes. He played in an old pair so tight they tore off his toenails. My little girl hoped to learn violin, but it was out of reach. My oldest son longed to continue his education, but the bus fare to school was beyond our means. Watching their dreams slip away broke my heart. I blamed myself.”
Sæland: “Though blind, I saw injustice”
She explained that years later, she finally received support for her disability.
“For decades, I had felt like one of society’s unwanted, but at last the walls began to crumble. I received specialized transportation and help to see the words on the page. Thanks to that, at 56, I earned a law degree! At that point I asked myself, “How can I help?”
She said that “though blind” she “saw injustice clearly.” She launched a political party to fight poverty and improve the lives of people with disabilities. She was elected to parliament and became a government minister.
“Incorporating the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities into law in Iceland is deeply personal for me. That’s why, this March, I made it a priority to bring a bill before Parliament, and I will fight for it every step of the way.
My dreams came true thanks to support
Sæland said that her experience has shown that when we change how society views disability, we can change lives – and create new possibilities.
“My dreams came true thanks to the support I received – and the rights I was finally able to exercise. The very rights that this Convention, so close to my heart, so clearly sets out,” she concluded in her speech to the 18th Conference of State Parties to the UN Convention on the rights of Persons with Disabilities,
“My deepest thanks to the UN and to all of you for your dedication and commitment.
And now, here I am. Ready to tear down the walls that are still blocking disabled people from maximizing their potential.
Proud. Disabled. And endlessly grateful.
Nothing about us without us.”
See Sæland´s speech here.
Icelandic version here.
