The Voiceless Minority

Disabled and can’t work? Call xxx-xxx-and-we-will-get-the money-you-deserve-at-no-fee-unless-we-win-your-case. I saw this ad for a law firm that will remain nameless late last night as I was browsing my Cable, and it raised an interesting question in my mind. Are these ads another way to perpetuate stereotypes of disability? I was not convinced one way or another until this morning I saw one of those ads that claimed the following: “Does your child has a birth injury?” And then listed several, including my disability. The ad went on to say that the disabilities entitled the persons concerned to large sums of money. Then they guaranteed that they would help advocate for that money. After seeing both of these ads, it raised a profoundly disturbing question. Why do we perceive disability as so weak? This goes back to my terminology debates. In my opinion, but quite simply, I believe we perceive disability as a weakness rather than an obstacle. This is by the way we address it.  ...

  So, it's been about a week or so since I last posted.  Since then, I've gotten older.  I had my 27 th  birthday, which was a quiet one this year.  One of the more unexpected gifts that I got was a  Voiceless Minority  T-shirt. It looks pretty awesome.  I will soon post pictures, thanks to my family for getting it for me.  Speaking of family, it due to recent conversations that family and disability will be the subject of this post.              I am not a psychologist, even though I took a few classes here and there.  However, I do believe it is human nature to want offspring. Our lives are only a blip on the cosmic radar.  It is through offspring that one leaves impressions and legacies behind.  This blog will not discuss how there is an overwhelming number of disabled children in America that need to be adopted, even ...

   So usually, I don’t follow up blog after blog. My typical average is about two a week. I am willing to give you guys enough time to process the blog because I am not writing about the latest fashion trend or celebrity gossip but essential issues that matter. However, today I can’t help but note one.  A friend of mine tagged me in a link on Facebook. Curiously, I clicked on the link, and it was a link to a news website. The article, which was published by the site RT.com, told a sad story. It was similar to the story I wrote about earlier in this blog concerning the little boy being excluded from a photo. This story, though, hit me close to home.        I hold two degrees, one of which is in History. A lot of History can be seen in museums. Museums are one of the few public attractions that people can enjoy for little to no cost while also learning something in the process. The R.T. article told a heart-breaking story o...

"I appreciate that I do, but I just want to go out for the right parts and not waste anyone's time." –Teal Sherer from My Gimpy Life        As some of you know, I have a degree in Theater and have recently become an aspiring screenwriter. So I thought, is there any way to connect what I want to do to live my blog? Then I remembered the above quote from a great show, "My Gimpy Life." Those of you who haven't heard of the show or checked out my Facebook page where I promote it constantly, let me give you a brief synopsis.        In the show, Teal is a disabled actress, and the show chronicles her life activities over five episodes. While the show does talk a lot about her trying to audition for parts, it also mentions critical disability issues such as accessibility, the able-bodied community's perception of disabilities in general, and some awkward situations people with disabilities can be placed in. Right now, t...

So yesterday was officially 3 months that the blog has been up. The Facebook page has only been up a few days but at the end of yesterday, we had 887 page views on the actual blog and 54 likes on the Facebook page reaching an outstanding 607 people. It is amazing what 3 months of my writing have produced. I have had help from so many people. Emily Ekstrand, Kelsey Waltz, and Haley Larson. I’ve also had help from a great T.V. show called My Gimpy Life  . It is this show and certain life events that inspired me to start writing again. Here’s to more success for the Voiceless Minority as we move forward! However, with all that success and cause for celebration, there are still many issues that need to be addressed.        As I have written before, the Americans With Disabilities Act was signed into law in the summer of 1990. I will not rehash it again what exactly the act covered (if you would like information on that either visit “ada.gov” or m...

So, it's been nearly a week since the last time I posted here.  This is not to say that there haven't been things bubbling around in my mind, just that I've been a little busy.  Since the last time I wrote, I've been busy promoting the blog by creating a Facebook page.  You can now show your support for the blog and disability advocacy in general by visiting  The Voiceless Minority  on Facebook.  I've also been busy continuing to write my first full-length screenplay.  Now, however, it is time to get back to the meat of things.         I've written extensively about several different issues, including how disabled people desire to be treated equally but still use the "Disney World" principle, as I like to call it, cut lines, etc.  While I've said that, in most cases, disabled people do want equality and strive for it legitimately, it does not mean that they are always support...