Question
1:
a)
Would the Fellowship discuss and share experience of disabled AA
members suffering progressive diseases who require a full-time
professional carer to accompany them in their AA Home Group
meetings?
b) Would the Fellowship discuss the implications within Tradition 12 of the professional carer attending meetings, thus enabling the disabled group member to continue to attend the AA meeting of their choice?
c) Would the Fellowship discuss and make recommendations on how best the special needs of disabled AA members who need professional carers might be met in closed AA meetings?
Background
1. The Information Sheet on AA Special Needs Organisation in the United States:
b) Would the Fellowship discuss the implications within Tradition 12 of the professional carer attending meetings, thus enabling the disabled group member to continue to attend the AA meeting of their choice?
c) Would the Fellowship discuss and make recommendations on how best the special needs of disabled AA members who need professional carers might be met in closed AA meetings?
Background
1. The Information Sheet on AA Special Needs Organisation in the United States:
''SPECIAL
NEEDS / ACCESSIBILITIES COMMITTEES''
Some A.A. entities are attempting to meet such needs by forming Special Needs-Accessibilities Committees.
Since the goal is to make A.A. accessible, some committees refer to themselves as Accessibilities Committees. In some localities committees name themselves according to the specific need addressed, such as "Hearing impaired" committee".
When one or more members of an A.A. group have special needs (such as the need for American sign language interpreter or *wheelchair accessibility, or has an illness which prevents them getting to the meeting room or needs special physical help, i.e., getting to the toilet during the meeting, A.A. members from that Group will see their needs are met.
The Members of Special Needs Committees explore, develop and offer resources to make the AA message and participation in our AA PROGRAM AVAILABLE TO EVERYONE WHO REACHES OUT FOR IT.
A G.S.O. Staff member who serves on the Special Needs Assignment is available as a resource and communicates with the local Special Needs Committees. In the interests of good communication and working together, Special Needs Committees are encouraged to keep their area Committees and local central/intergroup informed of their activities.
It is also helpful to work closely with committees handling Public lnformation and co-operation with the Professional Community in terms of keeping the public and appropriate agencies informed about A.A. BEING ACCESSIBLE TO ALCOHOLICS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS.
Some A.A. entities are attempting to meet such needs by forming Special Needs-Accessibilities Committees.
Since the goal is to make A.A. accessible, some committees refer to themselves as Accessibilities Committees. In some localities committees name themselves according to the specific need addressed, such as "Hearing impaired" committee".
When one or more members of an A.A. group have special needs (such as the need for American sign language interpreter or *wheelchair accessibility, or has an illness which prevents them getting to the meeting room or needs special physical help, i.e., getting to the toilet during the meeting, A.A. members from that Group will see their needs are met.
The Members of Special Needs Committees explore, develop and offer resources to make the AA message and participation in our AA PROGRAM AVAILABLE TO EVERYONE WHO REACHES OUT FOR IT.
A G.S.O. Staff member who serves on the Special Needs Assignment is available as a resource and communicates with the local Special Needs Committees. In the interests of good communication and working together, Special Needs Committees are encouraged to keep their area Committees and local central/intergroup informed of their activities.
It is also helpful to work closely with committees handling Public lnformation and co-operation with the Professional Community in terms of keeping the public and appropriate agencies informed about A.A. BEING ACCESSIBLE TO ALCOHOLICS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS.
2.
This has been a local experience:
My Home Group has a long term female AA member with 24 years unbroken sobriety who suffers from a progressive disease.
She is unable to walk and has to use a wheelchair. She has valiantly attended her home group meeting regularly for some years since it was first started. She is an ex Journalist, in possession of a brilliant mind which is unaffected by her illness, but unfortunately, she is physically trapped in an extremely poorly functioning body.
When her health deteriorated she made a request to the members of her Home Group, which is a Closed Meeting, for permission for her Professional Carer to be present. There was minor dissent within the Group and the question could not be resolved as it was said that it only takes one member to raise an objection.
This incident has raised very serious, broader present and future issues for ALL AA Group members who may develop a serious progressive disease and who would eventually need a Carer present in the AA meetings.
My Home Group has a long term female AA member with 24 years unbroken sobriety who suffers from a progressive disease.
She is unable to walk and has to use a wheelchair. She has valiantly attended her home group meeting regularly for some years since it was first started. She is an ex Journalist, in possession of a brilliant mind which is unaffected by her illness, but unfortunately, she is physically trapped in an extremely poorly functioning body.
When her health deteriorated she made a request to the members of her Home Group, which is a Closed Meeting, for permission for her Professional Carer to be present. There was minor dissent within the Group and the question could not be resolved as it was said that it only takes one member to raise an objection.
This incident has raised very serious, broader present and future issues for ALL AA Group members who may develop a serious progressive disease and who would eventually need a Carer present in the AA meetings.
[See
also: The Traditions, Preamble and Concepts]
“The
background to this question states “This incident has raised very
serious, broader present and future issues for ALL AA Group members
who may develop a serious progressive disease.” I think the veto
rule idea in the background to this question has also even broader
very serious implications for the stability of democratic authority
in AA generally if this idea were to become widespread.
I can only think the veto rule idea might have come from the circuit speaker “Chautauqua orator” lecture imports from the USA, outside published literature, the internet, or a misunderstanding of Concept V. Concept V mentions a power of veto stating that “..no Conference vote can be considered binding on the Trustees of the General Service Board unless it equals two-thirds of a Conference quorum. This gives the Trustees a power of veto in cases where the majority is not great..” The "power of veto" in this part of the concept is dealing with the relationship between Conference and the Trustees of the General Service Board; it is not dealing with the relationship between the majority in an AA group conscience and a dissenting minority, or a “Chautauqua orator” with a big opinion in the AA group conscience. The Concept itself deals with the traditional “Right of Appeal” assuring us that minority opinion has a right to be heard and a right to be carefully considered in group consciences at all levels of the service structure. It does not grant minorities or a “Chautauqua orator” with a big opinion in an AA group the power to veto a majority vote. Such a power of veto could turn the democratic right to express minority opinion mentioned in Concept V into the undemocratic power for a “tyranny of very small minorities invested with absolute power” to dictate to a majority (a “tyranny of very small minorities invested with absolute power” is also mentioned in Concept V). Therefore, if individual alcoholics in a group were to be invested with absolute power to veto, I think some of them would inevitably wind up vetoing themselves all the way up to the top of a pyramid to become dictators of very small minorities invested with absolute power. This would not be good for AA. Imagine the thought of lots of autonomous AA groups lead by dictators running around doing their own thing, not considering the rest of the AA group conscience. No doubt, Bill W’s mention of the French revolution and “De Tocqueville” (Alexis de Tocqueville) the French nobleman and political thinker quoted by him in Concept V made Bill W. aware that each new generation in AA will bring in its fresh crop of would be “Napoleons” and “Madame Bonapartes.” When joined in an AA partnership with others they can present a formidable force. Tradition Two is clear, “For our group purpose there is but one ultimate authority….” This ultimate authority is in the democratic vote of the majority. The tradition does not say “For our group purpose there is but one ultimate authority - a loving God as he may express himself in our group conscience - and a "Madame" or “Napoleon” who can veto him.”
One could of course substitute “Napoleon” or “Madame” for any of history’s dictators to suit your own preference or to suit the character you wish to depict. Or if you’re a bit of a naturalist observant of the social structure of the North American wolf pack held together purely by animal instincts on the rampage, the leaders at the top of the pack are called the “Alpha Male” and “Alpha Female” or “Alpha Dog” and “Alpha Bitch.” For “Chautauqua orator” See Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age page 130.
This post may have gone a bit “Off Topic” for some I know, but Tradition Three (Long Form) also states “.. Nor ought A.A. membership ever depend on money or conformity..” Therefore I think there ought to be lots of tolerance in AA not only for the physically disabled, but also for the mentally disabled with wandering minds such as myself. I like to troll around the houses to see what’s in the neighbourhood and occasionally spread a bit of muck (preferably bull) around the roses as it makes them flower better. Incidentally, if you’ve ever got a bit tired of reading the Big Book, Traditions, Concept V and Concept IX and want to brush up on knowing the difference between the “politico” and “statesman” in Concept IX and the difference between the “senators” and “elder statesmen” in Tradition Two, Alexis de Tocqueville can be looked up on the internet. Like Bill, I found he was a very interesting chap.”
I can only think the veto rule idea might have come from the circuit speaker “Chautauqua orator” lecture imports from the USA, outside published literature, the internet, or a misunderstanding of Concept V. Concept V mentions a power of veto stating that “..no Conference vote can be considered binding on the Trustees of the General Service Board unless it equals two-thirds of a Conference quorum. This gives the Trustees a power of veto in cases where the majority is not great..” The "power of veto" in this part of the concept is dealing with the relationship between Conference and the Trustees of the General Service Board; it is not dealing with the relationship between the majority in an AA group conscience and a dissenting minority, or a “Chautauqua orator” with a big opinion in the AA group conscience. The Concept itself deals with the traditional “Right of Appeal” assuring us that minority opinion has a right to be heard and a right to be carefully considered in group consciences at all levels of the service structure. It does not grant minorities or a “Chautauqua orator” with a big opinion in an AA group the power to veto a majority vote. Such a power of veto could turn the democratic right to express minority opinion mentioned in Concept V into the undemocratic power for a “tyranny of very small minorities invested with absolute power” to dictate to a majority (a “tyranny of very small minorities invested with absolute power” is also mentioned in Concept V). Therefore, if individual alcoholics in a group were to be invested with absolute power to veto, I think some of them would inevitably wind up vetoing themselves all the way up to the top of a pyramid to become dictators of very small minorities invested with absolute power. This would not be good for AA. Imagine the thought of lots of autonomous AA groups lead by dictators running around doing their own thing, not considering the rest of the AA group conscience. No doubt, Bill W’s mention of the French revolution and “De Tocqueville” (Alexis de Tocqueville) the French nobleman and political thinker quoted by him in Concept V made Bill W. aware that each new generation in AA will bring in its fresh crop of would be “Napoleons” and “Madame Bonapartes.” When joined in an AA partnership with others they can present a formidable force. Tradition Two is clear, “For our group purpose there is but one ultimate authority….” This ultimate authority is in the democratic vote of the majority. The tradition does not say “For our group purpose there is but one ultimate authority - a loving God as he may express himself in our group conscience - and a "Madame" or “Napoleon” who can veto him.”
One could of course substitute “Napoleon” or “Madame” for any of history’s dictators to suit your own preference or to suit the character you wish to depict. Or if you’re a bit of a naturalist observant of the social structure of the North American wolf pack held together purely by animal instincts on the rampage, the leaders at the top of the pack are called the “Alpha Male” and “Alpha Female” or “Alpha Dog” and “Alpha Bitch.” For “Chautauqua orator” See Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age page 130.
This post may have gone a bit “Off Topic” for some I know, but Tradition Three (Long Form) also states “.. Nor ought A.A. membership ever depend on money or conformity..” Therefore I think there ought to be lots of tolerance in AA not only for the physically disabled, but also for the mentally disabled with wandering minds such as myself. I like to troll around the houses to see what’s in the neighbourhood and occasionally spread a bit of muck (preferably bull) around the roses as it makes them flower better. Incidentally, if you’ve ever got a bit tired of reading the Big Book, Traditions, Concept V and Concept IX and want to brush up on knowing the difference between the “politico” and “statesman” in Concept IX and the difference between the “senators” and “elder statesmen” in Tradition Two, Alexis de Tocqueville can be looked up on the internet. Like Bill, I found he was a very interesting chap.”
Cheerio
The
Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)
See
also AA Minority Report 2013
