We all do it

We all do it. We don’t mean to, but we do.

The audience and judges sneered when contestant Susan Boyle walked on stage on Britain's Got Talent. When she started to sing, the sneering quickly turned to awe. In the days that followed, discussions took place about how superficial we all were to laugh at her, since it turned out she possessed exceptional talent. The consensus seemed to be that, as Ms. Boyle was an extraordinary singer, it was wrong to snicker at her perceived lack of social graces and unglamorous appearance.

Hmmm…so, it’s OK to laugh at someone who looks different and who doesn’t possess exceptional talent?

A mother with a happy, smiling baby with Down Syndrome overhears other mothers talking in the park, “There but for the grace of God go I.”

A family with a child with Down Syndrome is less graced by God? Really?

On The Tonight Show, President Obama discussed his bowling score of 129 with some self-deprecating humor, "It was like Special Olympics or something."

I wonder….would this thoughtful leader have put himself down in jest by saying "Man, I bowl like a girl!" I doubt it; he knows in his heart one doesn’t put down another or even oneself, by calling someone “a girl.” And, if he slipped, Americans across the country would let him know that girls are not inferior beings.

An article in the May 2009 Diabetes Forecast focuses on the discrimination in employment against people with diabetes. It is an informative discussion about the necessity of the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendment Act and its protection of workers’ rights However, the author, almost in hushed tones, seems to need to make the point that people with diabetes aren’t really disabled. They just need the law to have a fair workplace.

What’s so terrible about having a disability, about being in that group? What’s so terrible about needing an accommodation to level the playing field, to do the essential functions of one’s job? The unemployment rate among people who are blind is 70%. Provide accommodation for insulin, snacks, and low blood sugar, but not provide text-to-read programs or Braille accommodations?

Why do we not want to be seen to be like others who are different? Can we not look a little harder to see that we share a common humanity?

Violence against children and adults with noticeable differences is much higher than against those without noticeable differences; it is prevalent in our neighborhoods, our schools, our homes. One Texas institution even ran a coordinated “fight club,” treating their clients like dog-fighting entertainment.

We, of course, don’t condone this violence, we may not even see its enormity. But we need to be aware of it. When people are beaten because of race, religion, or sexual orientation, it’s classified as a hate crime. Can we not demand that beating of people with disabilities be treated similarly?

Legislative opportunities to support our citizens with disabilities abound. The Community Choice Act would allow people the option to receive support services in the home. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities recognizes the essential human rights of all people. The convention has been open for signatures for more than two years, and 139 countries have signed, but not the United States.

Where are our priorities?


On this Blogging Against Disablism Day, I ask myself – where is my ableism? How do I reflect the deeply ingrained prejudices of my culture? Where am I an ableist in my individual actions? In my community actions?

I give you the same challenge. Ask the tough questions.



This post is part of a worldwide blogging phenomenon, Blogging Against Disablism Day. Be sure to head over to Diary of a Goldfish to read more perspectives on ableism/disablism. Thanks, Goldfish for your extraordinary efforts again this year.

Links: my BADD 2007 post and BADD 2008 post

"People with intellectual disabilities deserve only one r-word: Respect"

Thanks, Ruth for sharing this beautiful video from The ARC of Virginia and The ARC of Northern Virginia. It sums up the issues well.

Thunderous Dehumanization

The R rated movie Tropic Thunder directed by Ben Stiller comes to theaters tomorrow. The film coins the phrase “full retard” to describe one of its characters.

Journalist Patricia Bauer prescreened the movie and shares some of her observations:

“Stiller’s character, Tugg Speedman, is presented as a fading action hero who earlier failed in his bid for Oscar glory while portraying Simple Jack, a character with an intellectual disability. Speedman’s portrayal of Simple Jack is featured as a movie within the movie.”

Bauer describes the stereotypical protrayal of a person with a cognitive disability,

“In character, Stiller speaks in a stilted, stuttering, adenoidal fashion, and wears overalls, bad false teeth and a classic institutional bowl haircut.”

Bauer tallies the number of times slurs are used in the movie and finds (approximately):

“Number of repetitions of the word “retard” or its variations: At least 16 in the “full retard” scene alone, not counting the uses of words like “idiot,” “moron,” “moronical,” “imbecile,” “stupid,” “dumb” and “the dumbest M*****F***** that ever lived.” All are used to describe the character of Simple Jack, who is described in an introductory segment as a “mentally impaired farm hand who can talk to animals.”

Number of repetitions of the word “nigger”: Once, said by a black character criticizing a character pretending to be black.

Number of uses of other racial/ethnic/sexual epithets: None observed.”

According to the New York Times a Dreamworks spokesperson says that the movie is a satire of the excesses of Hollywood. I’ve always been annoyed by the portrayal of persons with disabilities by temporarily able-bodied people in pursuit of Oscar or Emmy nominations, and I would truly love to see a film that satirizes the Hollywood portrayal of PWDs. However, I’m finding it hard to believe that Ben Stiller is really making a sophisticated societal satire in the vein of Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn. Mr. Stiller’s past films, seem to have the common theme of going for crass and crude humor, although the joke is on the zipper mishap or fart or whatever, not on an entire group of people. And, it’s not like Dreamworks is advertising this movie as a societal satire. According to Bauer,

“Early promotion of the film described Simple Jack as a “retard” and an elaborate DreamWorks marketing website that was taken down this week in response to complaints carried the tagline ‘Once upon a time … There was a retard.’”

The Dreamwork website is not advertising Tropic Thunder as a societal satire, but rather quotes critics who call the movie a “knockout of a comedy” and “the funniest movie of the summer.” So, I forgive me, Mr. Stiller and Dreamworks. I’m not buying it. Your movie is not a critical satire of Hollywood’s portrayal of the full diversity of humankind. It is another movie that slurs and hurts a large segment of our population for the sake of a joke or two.

I know some people, like one of Bauer’s commenters, would say, “Get a sense of humor!” At the root of this point is the belief that cognitive diversity is not a part of humankind, and making fun of this “other” group is no big deal. And since when does one group get to tell another group that they cannot be offended by slurs, epithets, and derogatory stereotypes? Do whites get to tell blacks to not be offended by slurs? Do whites get to tell native peoples to not be offended by dancing Indian mascots? Do men get to tell women to not be offended by curse words or sexual innuendos?

I’ve written before about the pain the word “retard” causes. Like all outrageous and socially unacceptable racial and sexual slurs, this word inflicts deep pain. Dave Hingsburger over at Chewing the Fat writes a powerful letter to Mr. Stiller explaining how much it hurts to see and hear the R word.

“You hurt me a second time today, Mr. Stiller. I am writing to tell you, to hold you responsible. I arrived home and saw on a website that it is now possible to buy tee shirts with the phrase 'full retard' on it. You are responsible for this Mr. Stiller, you wrote those words, you chose those words, you went public with those words. It is you, and only you, who must bear the consequences for your actions.”

“Full retard” t shirts?! More satire, right?

Autistic advocacy.org has an on-point video about the power of words.

Many groups are advocating a boycott of Tropic Thunder. You can learn more at the United Cerebral People blog. As Timothy Shriver, Chairman of the Special Olympics says in the Washington Post,

"So, enough. Stop the hurtful jokes. Talk to your children about language that is bullying and mean. Ask your friends, your educators, your religious leaders to help us to end the stubborn myth that people with intellectual disabilities are hopeless. Ask Hollywood to get on the right side of dignity.

I hope others will join me in shutting this movie out of our lives and our pocketbooks. We don't live in times when labeling and humiliating others is funny."

Let's make our voices heard.

Addendum: Thanks to Ruth for this link to a statement of solidarity "recognizing the dignity of individuals with intellectual disabilities" and signed by many organizations including The Special Olympics, National Down Syndrome Society, and more. Check it out.

A 2nd Addendum: Checkout 2 stories on NPR. "If one group laughs at the expense of another, we don't call that humor, we call it humiliation," explains Leonard J. Davis, Professor of Disability Studies at the University of Illinois. And Timothy Shriver, chairman of the Special Olympics explains why the r-word is hate speech.

Picture credit: Human Policy Press

Governor-designate Paterson

On Monday, March 17, 2008, David Paterson will be sworn in as governor of New York. He will be the first legally blind governor in U.S. history.

Fifty-three year old Mr. Paterson has been blind since childhood when he had an infection in his eyes. In a New York Times article, Mr. Paterson says, "I don't act the way I did when I was 17, like I can do everything myself, because I realized the minute I do that, no one helps me. So I learned to be a little more pragmatic about life." Mr. Paterson receives his briefings via lengthy voice mail messages from his staff, and so that he doesn't need to use notes, he memorizes all his speeches. He also says that he has felt more discrimination from his blindness than from his race.

Steve Kuusisto shares his thoughts on Paterson's governship in an op-ed piece in today's New York Times.

"New Yorkers will no doubt discover that Mr. Paterson will take great interest in the details of governance and that this will require him to take sincere interest in people. He'll ask more questions than your average politician. And those who work in his administration will find that they are important not simply for knowing things but because they can describe how they learned those things in the first place. That's perhaps the most important thing for the public to understand about professionals who are blind -- we are by nature tireless in acquiring information, and we remember virtually every detail of what we read or hear."

For further interesting information - Penny Richards offers a comprehensive list of blind elected officials through history over at Disability Studies.

Helen Keller photo discovered

Last week, the New England Historic Genealogical Society released this wonderful photograph of a young Helen Keller vacationing in Massachusetts in July, 1888. She is sitting outside on a chair and holding a doll. Her teacher, Anne Sullivan is next to her. Interestingly, "doll" was Helen's first signed word, in March of 1887. You can read the full story here - it covers some details about Helen's life and also the story behind the photograph.

A positive employment story

ABC World News had a story tonight about the Walgreen's Distribution Center in Anderson, South Carolina.

"Though the job market continues to be a bright spot in an otherwise
troubled economy, with the unemployment rate still just 4.7 percent, the national unemployment rate for disabled Americans is more than 44 percent.
Almost two decades after the first President Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act into law, disabled Americans continue to face enormous barriers in the workplace. But in this building, abled and disabled workers do many of the same jobs and earn the same pay."

This Walgreens is different. 700 employees and 40% have a disability. Check out the video or the written transcript. It's well worth a look. I would have liked to have seen more about the training, accommodations, and profitability of the employment. It looks like the employees are very satisfied, and I imagine turnover is very low.

Walgreen executive Randy Lewis speaks of the success of the effort and says that any company could do what Walgreens is doing. He says,

"This building is not about charity. It's about opportunity."

This is so much better than how Walgreen's competitor addresses employment and disability issues. Way to go, Walgreens!

"Bob's House"

If you missed the Super Bowl yesterday, here's a link to the Pepsi commercial which highlights a popular joke from the deaf culture and also an interview with the Pepsi worker who stars in the commercial. Here's a Pepsi link showing the making of the commercial. Enjoy! It's a fun commercial and highlights the commonalities and diversity of people.

Update on the Steak 'n Shake Discrimination

Yesterday, I linked to Karen's story of being denied service at her local Steak 'n Shake because she couldn't use the speaker box.

Here's an update: Karen says that she's received a response from Steak 'n Shake corporate headquarters and will be meeting with their representative. She is not looking for any remuneration (money or shakes!) - just an apology and appropriate customer service for patrons with disabilities.

Last night, the story was covered on ABC News and Fox News. I thought the coverage was good - not patronizing at all. Unfortunately, the videolinks are not captioned, so Karen and others who are deaf cannot hear the coverage via the computer.

It's good to see change happen.

Brent Martin, Rest in Peace

Please read about the tragic murder of Brent Martin, a gentle young man in the U.K. bullied and beaten to death by three teenagers simply because of his disability. A hate crime that happened last August and is just making the news now. Why wasn't this a top story? Other hate crimes are reviled by all.

Some links: Adrien Pearson, The Journal. Two admit murdering Brent Martin for sport
Pipecleaner Dreams, RIP Brent Martin
Dave Hingsburger, Black Armband

Carnival #28!

Photo description from Connie at [with]TV: woman, wearing glasses, reading the newspaper. Her mouth is wide-open as if yelling something; she appears to be appalled, offended, dumbfounded, angry - who knows - but it doesn't look good what ever it is.

Disability in the Media is the theme of the awesome carnival up now at [with]TV. Connie Kuusisto has put together an incredible collection of stories, reflections, videos on the subject - including the Ransom Notes campaign, a Nike ad, Oprah, Dr Phil, and a myriad of others. Much to see in the reflections and insights of so many bloggers. I hope you'll head on over.

Imagine a world without celebrity gossip

If we spent less time talking about Britney Spears ……

*The dramatic fall in gossip would lead to a gigantic reduction in carbon dioxide emissions, and global warming would slow.

*The media would have to find something else to fill their magazines, websites, and talkshows – say the Iraq War? Crises in Darfur and Somalia? Healthcare for children?

*With all our extra time, we could actually research the Presidential candidates and cast informed votes in the primaries.

*Maybe people could fill the profound silence by listening to the perspectives of minority groups, such as people with disabilities.

New Television Channel

UPDATE: New blog address for [with]TV found here.

Check out a new website and link on my blogroll, [with]tv. Connie has been asking me to write about this for a while, and I’m just now getting to it.

According to its blog, [with]tv is “ a start-up corporation devoted to providing television and Internet programming of, by, and for people with disabilities.”
Connie, from Planet of the Blind, is a volunteer blogmaster for the website and is looking for people to submit posts. You don’t have to be a blogger to participate. You can email Connie at articles@with-tv.com.

Yet another way for our perspectives to be heard. How cool is that! And, when you visit the [with]TV website, be sure to sign the guestbook and share your ideas and support.

“…not this separate category of human beings”

Fifty years ago, babies born with developmental disabilities were routinely placed in institutions by their families under the direction of their family doctors. Health care professionals often advised families to forget the child, to have other children, and move on with their lives. It’s an appalling time in our history – babies and young children routinely abandoned and forgotten.

I think it’s important that we recognize and remember this cruel part of our history. Kay Olson from the Gimp Parade says,

“My personal thought on what happened 40+ years ago is that it was a tragedy for whole families and has undoubtedly had a lasting impact on how we view developmentally disabled people today. That is, we're still living with the legacy of those folks being segregated, made invisible, and devalued. It has impacted how we view developmental disability and the way we think of difference - we have all been taught implicitly by this history that people who are intellectually or developmentally different do not belong among us because they're dangerous, completely incompetent and lack any ability to contribute to society.”

While I was away last week, CNN covered the story of one man’s search for his sister. Jeff Daly made a documentary, “Where’s Molly?” in which he talks candidly about what it was like to be a 6 year old and have his sister sent away, rarely spoken of and advised to be forgotten. CNN shows a clip of the documentary and has an excellent article on Jeff’s and Molly’s experiences.

Kay’s words above are in a CNN blog that she wrote on this topic. She writes about he challenges of accurate diagnosis and the even greater challenges of predicting potential.

More from Kay on how the line between “us” and “them” is not so solid and clear cut:

“I think the main thing that nondisabled people don't necessarily know or understand is that developmentally disabled people are not this separate category of human beings. People tend to think, "We can do things. They cannot." And there's no line like that dividing all of us. There are shades of ability, varying talents that surface in surprising places. This is true for physical disabilities as well. Most of us, in the course of our lives, discover we have abilities or affinities for some things and lack talent elsewhere, so this idea that a certain class of people lack value or the ability to contribute inevitably underestimates and wastes a lot of human potential.”

I think it’s important that Jeff and Molly Daly’s story be heard. We cannot move forward until we acknowledge where we have come from. Jeff Daly is now working to reunite families affected by this tragedy. There is a national registry, called The National Find Families Registry, to help families affected by institutionalization to find each other.

Thanks to Elizabeth Cohen and Jennifer Pifer of CNN for bringing this important issue to the public’s attention. So often, it feels like the media’s stories about disabilities are superficial and artificial, “feel good” stories that are designed to entertain or “inspire” those without disabilities; stories that maintain difference, segregation, and the status quo. This is a real story with important ramifications, things to contemplate and learn, and also with actions to be taken.

Lastly, I have to say how much I admire Kay Olson’s style of advocacy. Her approach is thoughtful, reflective and encourages open dialogue. She is thought provoking and assertive without being hurtful or condescending. Kay is the quintessential advocate. I learn a lot from you, Kay - Thanks!

Disability Stories and The Media

Yesterday, I heard on the radio two short pieces about young adults with disabilities.

The first, "Student with Cerebral Palsy to Graduate,” was on NPR's Morning Edition. A guest professor who had taught a class at the University of Delaware shared his experience of meeting a student and his mother.

After listening to this story, I felt compelled to write to NPR. I wrote,

“I am 21 years old and, like Sumner Spence, have cerebral palsy. I am so tired of the media’s portrayal of persons with disabilities and their families as either pitiful or inspirational. Both pity and inspiration are two sides of the same coin – the stereotype that people with disabilities are inferior beings; so either feel sorry for us or be inspired when we don’t match imposed boundaries and labels.

Why should a university professor be surprised that a university student would offer “sharp observations” and ask “smart questions?” Because of a wheelchair or weak hands? Not only do students with disabilities have experiences common to all students, we also have a wealth of perspectives shaped by living with our disabilities – perspectives that those who are able-bodied cannot possibly have, perspectives that can add to the diversity of intellectual discussions.”

This story was by no means as bad as those "feel good" sports stories where the kid with a disability is allowed to score a touchdown or make a basket. But I wrote the letter because people with disabilities cannot be respected as full members of humanity until society drops the inspiration/pity stereotype.

Last night, I heard the piece, "The Dog That Changed Her Owner's Life," on BBC Outlook. Hannah Baker, a 21-year-old woman who at one time could barely leave her house because of a seizure disorder, told how her life was changed by a service dog. I really liked how this interview was conducted, because Hannah shared her life experiences in her own words and the interviewer asked deep, thoughtful questions, seeking to understand the whole picture. Most importantly, there were no underlying messages of inferiority or pity or inspiration given to the listener. It was a fascinating story and the young woman’s disability was one part of it.

More media news

This afternoon, the thoughts of two more of our bloggers can be heard.

Ruth Harrigan, Wheelie Catholic, can be heard this afternoon on the Catholic Channel (Channel 159) of Sirius radio at 5 pm EST today.

Steve Kuusisto, Planet of the Blind, will be reading excerpts from his book, Eavesdropping, on NPR's All Things Considered this afternoon.

UPDATE: Here's the link to Steve's reading. Unfortunately, Sirius requires a paid subscription to listen to Ruth's interview.

Life Lessons

If you haven’t seen this video, take a look. It was made by Amanda, author of the blog Ballastexistenz. Here’s her description of her video, In My Language,

“The first part is in my 'native language', and then the second part provides a translation, or at least an explanation. This is not a look-at-the-autie gawking freakshow as much as it is a statement about what gets considered thought, intelligence, personhood, language, and communication, and what does not.”

The video is 8 minutes long – watch the whole thing.




Amanda’s video caught the attention of CNN, and last night she was interviewed by Dr. Sanjay Gupta. (UPDATE: Here's the link to Part 1 of the interview.) More of her story will be featured again this evening on Anderson Cooper 360. (And here's Part 2)

Here are a few of Dr. Gupta’s reflections after their interview,

“She taught me a lot over the day that I spent with her."

“To an outside observer, the behaviors would seem eccentric, even bizarre. Because Amanda was able to explain them, they all of a sudden made sense.”

“It really started me wondering about autism. Amanda is obviously a smart woman who is fully aware of her diagnosis of low-functioning autism, and quite frankly mocks it. She told me that because she doesn't communicate with conventional spoken word, she is written off, discarded … Nothing could be further from the truth. As I sat with her in her apartment, I couldn't help but wonder how many more people like Amanda are out there, hidden, but reachable, if we just tried harder.”

Thank you, Amanda, for sharing so generously of yourself.

I think there are many people living outside the media-covered wealthy, “beautiful” society whose life experiences are not heard, not appreciated, not valued. What I am learning and I find intriguing is that it is very liberating to not be caught up in trying to be defined by society. Because of my cerebral palsy, I am already perceived as “different”, so I am more easily able to see that there is no obligation to conform. I have the freedom to pursue my values without the burden of conformity. I think this is a common realization among the people that I have met with disabilities and among the bloggers I read. Look at the bloggers on my blogroll. You don’t find them lamenting their inability to be live some other life, wallowing in self-pity, living the popular movie-represented life of disability. Instead, one finds ordinary people living their lives, embracing their individuality. Stephen Kuusisto recognizes this truth in his life, “I suppose I'm lucky: I don't live with the tyranny of celebrity photographs in my interior life.”

Kay Olson at the Gimp Parade, quotes Susan Wendell, author of The Rejected Body: Feminist Philosophical Reflections on Disability,

“Not only do physically disabled people have experiences which are not available to the able-bodied, they are in a better position to transcend cultural mythologies about the body, because they cannot do things the able-bodied feel they must do in order to be happy, 'normal,' and sane....If disabled people were truly heard, an explosion of knowledge of the human body and psyche would take place.”

When we really understand this message, we can transform our society out of conformity and into one that respects and values each and every person.

CNN tonight

Paula Zahn Now on CNN will discuss the Ashley Treatment. They seem to be looking to include the points of view of the bloggers in the disability community.