A Fresh Start

It has been nearly eight months since there has been anything new posted on this blog. A lot has happened in eight months hiatus. I have finished my master's degree program in Teacher Education. However, due to the trials and struggles that have occurred during that process, which can be read about in earlier entries, my focus has drifted away from teaching and advocacy for persons with disabilities.

Most of this blog has been dedicated to advocacy and discussing various issues that people with disabilities encounter. However, the point of view of the author, me, has changed. A lot of the writing in earlier entries came in a time of my life when I was unhappy with the circumstances faced with. I have since re-evaluated The Voiceless Minority. There was a time where I thought about abandoning the project altogether if I'm honest. However, I decided I would resurrect the blog at this time and take it in a slightly new direction. It will still address social issues, but I will also address practical problems.

One of our more critical topics that will be discussed is, "Is it Accessible?" In this series, I will break down all the places I've traveled to or have been. After doing so, I will examine specific criteria to determine whether areas are accessible by paper standards vs. accessible. Apart from the "Is it Accessible?" series, the blog will focus on current events and real-world issues that may or may not be related to disability. This shift in focus is not meant to take away from the foundation of this blog; rather, it is meant to demonstrate that people with disabilities have a highly engaged mind. To undertake this part of the blog, I may, at certain times, ask for issues to investigate from you, the readers. You can find my email to the right of any page, three-fourths of the way down the page, under the links that say, "Contact Me."



Thank you for reading, and I fear nothing and regret less.

It’s Like We Want Our Cake and We Want to Eat it too Without Having to Work For It. Sorry, Life Doesn’t Work That Way!

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 also address much more critical issues. 

First off, I think it is rather funny that people are such in a rush to hear, “It’s a small world after all...” sung to you over and over again that they would be willing to give up more of their hard owned money to a disabled person to use the sympathy that society offers them. I mean, really?! How much would it hurt to learn some patience? I mean, yes, these lines are pretty long...but the ride’s not going anywhere! All they are losing out on is their hard-earned money. If you don’t spend enough money at Disney world or places like that in general, why must you need a reason to shove unnecessary money?

Enough about that, and now down to the nitty-gritty of this blog. I am a disabled individual. I have Cerebral Palsy, and I use a motorized wheelchair. So I am privileged enough to skip the lines at amusement parks, airports, and other places. For a while, most of my life, I thought nothing of it. After this recent scandal, I got to thinking. Was Carlos Mencia, right? Carlos is a Mexican American Comedian who makes fun of every individual shamelessly for those who don't know. I am a huge, standup comedy fan. People sometimes tell me I should be a sit-down comedian.

I try, but my speech issues often get in the way. I still make people laugh hysterically with my lobster jokes, etc. Anyway, back to my point. In one of Mencia’s bits (please see the link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQawDUmcdCQ it is hilarious and politically incorrect but it is fantastic, listen to the disabled kids' response to him), he comments about being behind a handicapped individual as he called them, and thinking to himself but not having the guts to say, why do handicapped people get to skip the lines? He was specifically referring to those who were in motorized wheelchairs or scooters. He did not have any beef with those on sticks or crutches. I thought it was hilarious at the time. I laughed my ass off, and people around me didn’t understand why. Let me explain.

Mencia may have a point. Just because we are disabled, do we deserve special treatment? I mean, to be honest, we are sitting on a chair. Our feet do not hurt from standing in line for hours. Do you know who should get to skip the lines? The 80-year-old grandparents with their grandchildren who can barely stand but do it anyway. Not I who has never stood without help a day in my life. Because oh my goodness, what if my finger gets tired from sitting in a 45-minute line? Now some may argue that they are doing it to make it easier for our caregivers and us. To this point, it might be easier to give caregivers more space on and off rides, but what does this have to do with skipping ahead of the 45 other people that paid the same price I did to get in? This principle can also be seen in other places. 

Just the other day at Wal-Mart, I saw an individual, no lie, steal one of those in-store scooters because they did not feel like walking. To put it politely, this person was significantly overweight. I know they were not disabled because I followed them and watched them get out of the scooter to reach on the top shelf to grab a large container of...wait for it...wait for it...OREOS! ...OREOS! This situation got me thinking also. No one ever calls disabled people out on anything because they are afraid to offend them. Like we are some fragile human being that cannot be told off or corrected. Our non-disabled people, and this is an honest question, so afraid of our difference that they fear being shunned by the rest of their peers if they call us out? For being obnoxious or inappropriate behavior? Let me give you an example. I go to college, as I’ve said before, with a large population of disabled people. A majority of these disabled people do not walk around with chips on their shoulders. However, a large portion does and walk around as if they own the university. They will run non-disabled people off the sidewalk. It’s probably happened to you, and none of the non-disabled people say anything to the disabled person. They can be heard muttering to their friends, though. 

What do all these examples have in common? Disabled people come in two varieties, so I’ve found it. Those individuals that are okay with their individuals and those who are bitter about them and use their disabilities to their advantage, i.e., they will skip the line in Disney World. Still, they will complain if not treated equally in the next minute. If we want to be treated equally and taken seriously as a group, we cannot pick and choose what areas of life we are treated equally. You may see skipping the line at Disney World not as a big issue but in places like this that we forcibly set ourselves apart from others. Either we want to step in line with the rest of society or have no problem outside the community, along with having our impressive entrance to the ride. We can’t have it both ways. It is almost like we cannot reach exceptionally far, but it’s almost like we enjoy the special seating we get in life. If you ask any minority, who has fought for equal rights, they will all tell you they never want special seating. They fought t sit among everyone else. Not apart from them.



Footnotes: 
1.) http://b1027.com/wealthy-hiring-disabled-to-cut-lines-at-disney/

2.) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/14/skipping-lines-at-disney_n_3275836.html