The Voiceless Minority

Today I was looking to expand the blog’s reach. To do so, I  I was trying to find an old video I posted on Facebook about Autism. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find it; however, I did stumble upon Carly. Carly is a girl with Autism. She inspired me to research the disorder more accurately, should I say the spectrum of disorders. I have friends with Aspergers, a high functioning form of Autism, but like many others, I had preconceived notions about Autism before begetting my research. Let me start by explaining a little bit about Carly’s story.   Carly   The video 1 I found might be old, but in the video, ABC news covers a story about a 14-year-old girl with Autism in Toronto, Canada. Her name is Carly. When I clicked on the video, I thought that she would be your typical kid with Autism. Boy, was I wrong? This girl is amazing. At first, my suspicions were confirmed, but as I watched further, something happened; she opened my eyes to a whole new world. Now I understand w...

A disturbing trend inspired me to write this blog.  Please note:  This blog may offend some of my disabled community, but that is  not  my goal! The goal is to express the idea that we are a minority that claims to be treated equally, but we cut corners more often than not. Because we cut corners, two things have occurred. People view us with unnecessary sympathy, and people end up taking advantage of disabilities.  Let me first explain how this blog idea came to mind. I watched  The Tonight Show  earlier this week. Jay Leno mentioned the following in this monologue; Recently, out of Florida, black market disabled people have been hired to help people skip lines. Initially, I thought it was a story that Jay was making up for a good laugh because it got one. However, upon further research, I found it to be true. Several articles have been written about the issue. Two of which are going to be footnoted below. This blog will address that, but it will al...

So this blog will have no footnotes, no scholarly research. It comes about as a result of the conversation I had today. While enjoying the sunny weather, let me first say that even in Edinboro, Pennsylvania, sunny days are rare in the summer. It is nearly the latter half of May, and we just had snow a couple of weeks ago. So when it is sunny out, I must take the opportunity to enjoy the weather. I was doing so earlier today when a not very unique occurrence happened.  I met this gentleman named Dan. He was fishing for bluegill in a very muddy Edinboro lake. He was overall a nice gentleman, and we chatted about the outdoors and hunting, feeling in particular. Then we got more into detail about what people do. He asked me where I live, and I told him that I live in an apartment building right up to the street. He then asked me if I was from the area. I responded with, “Hell no! I hate cold weather! I’m originally from Florida but grew up in North Carolina and Maryland.” As most do ...

Yesterday was 4/29/3013, just another day for most, but for a select group of people, that day meant the world to them. When we are children, we often let our imaginations run wild. We sometimes play games where genies grant us wishes from a lamp; in fact, Aladdin's popular Disney movie is based around this concept. However, life is a different struggle for those with terminal diseases. Those with terminal illnesses often do not get the same experiences as the rest of us. When they should be going to a high school football game, homecoming, or a prom, they can often be found, instead, in hospital rooms, battling for their lives. One organization decided to change that. One Kid's Wish They say that if you put your mind to it, you can do anything you want. For Christopher Greicius, there were many obstacles in his way, but he had a great imagination. Every day, the 7-year-old dreamed of being a police officer. His wish was only granted for one day, but it would help inspire a...

According to my friends, I am a twenty-six-year-old male who is funny, charming, and intelligent. Apart from these traits, I do have one that makes me stand out from the crowd. I have a disability. It is known as cerebral palsy. This is not a life-threatening disability, but it does limit my movements and other activities in my life. I am currently going for a master’s degree in education and hold two bachelor’s degrees, one in history and one in the theater. By many people’s standards, I would be considered well on my way. However, there are still obstacles I must overcome. As I’ve stated before, in 1990, a piece of legislation was introduced known as the Americans with Disabilities Act. This Act attempted to eliminate as many barriers to inclusion in society for people with disabilities as possible. It specifically focused on five areas, which included making it easier for people to seek public education, making it easier for people to get into public buildings, improving communi...

Today, as I was preparing to write my next post for this blog, I was bouncing around with my head topics. I thought my next blog would be about the social security problem (i.e., How social security is designed to keep individuals with disabilities on it, rather than intended as an incentive to assist them in better their lives.) While this is an important issue and one that I will discuss later, I came across an article that I feel is my duty as a blogger for disability rights.  An article by a lady named Sunny Taylor titled  The Right Not to Work: Power and Disability . In the article, Miss Taylor indicates that she is an individual who has arthrogryposis multiplex congenital. According to Web MD 1 , "Arthrogryposis is a general or descriptive term for the development of nonprogressive contractures affecting one or more areas of the body. A contracture is a condition in which a joint becomes permanently fixed in a bent (flexed) or straightened (extended) position, com...