By Eunice Sung

The sound of hushed voices bounced against the walls of the Garden Chapel as members of the University of Maryland community gathered to honor the lives of disabled people who were killed by family members or caregivers. 

March 1 is the National Disability Community Day of Mourning and every year, communities gather to remember disabled victims of filicide, according to the Autistic Self Advocacy Network. 

This year, the day of remembrance fell on a Sunday so the co-chair of the President’s Commission on Disability Issues, Ana Palla-Kane, decided to hold the campus vigil on Monday night. Some members of the student advisory committee of PCDI also helped organize the event.

After a brief introduction, attendees took turns standing behind the lectern to read the names of victims who were identified this past year, their ages and when they were murdered. The ages of victims ranged from 5 months old to 96 years old.

“We say these names because [it’s] the only time these names are spoken. As painful as it is … we’re keeping their memory,” said Michelle Appel, one of the committee members and coordinators of the event. 

The reading of names took less than 30 minutes but, according to members of the committee, reading the complete list would take up to three to four hours. The complete list of victims and further details about them can be found on the Disability Day of Mourning website. 

In the back of the chapel, a table was set with Life Savers candies, electric candles, handouts regarding self care and red clothespins. Attendees had the option to wear a red clothespin to signal their desire for privacy so that others knew not to disturb them.

In addition to the staff and student event organizers, six other students attended the vigil, an improvement in turnout from previous years, according to Palla-Kane.

“I think it’s awesome that we have so many more people this year,” Appel said.

Over 600 disabled people were murdered by their parents in the last five years and the media portrays these murders as justifiable and inevitable due to the “burden” of having to take care of the disabled, according to the Autistic Self Advocacy Network. 

“It’s something that gets romanticized by the media. By making it a vigil, it’s giving honor to the people,” said Jonathan Katz, a graduate student studying urban studies and planning.

According to Palla-Kane, PCDI is committed to changing the way people perceive, relate and act towards people with disabilities. She believes this vigil is one opportunity to raise more awareness, challenge ableism and remember who the real victims are. 

“The event is beginning to shift the perception of people with disabilities. That’s the biggest goal,” Palla-Kane said. 

Chaplain Tarif Shraim also attended the vigil to share a brief message and show support. He encouraged everyone to be compassionate and support the family and friends who had to bear the pain of losing their loved ones whose lives were “unjustly robbed.”

After the vigil, Anna Kraemer, a graduate student studying neuroscience and member of the student advisory committee of PCDI, noted that the list of names that were read didn’t include victims in other contexts, such as those who were injured or killed by teachers or police. She said the vigil shows how ableism is still very rampant and ubiquitous across different places.

Alexandra Peterson, the graduate assistant of PCDI studying speech-language pathology, said there must be more awareness about the disabled community. Since one of her parents has a disability, she is constantly being reminded of accessibility issues and how she can get involved.

She believes that the annual vigil is an important way to bring awareness to these murders that are occurring and to honor the people that were lost.

“If we’re not going to have it, who is?” she said.

Featured photo courtesy of Eunice Sung.