The Voiceless Minority

One of the biggest misconceptions about disability is that just because one has a disability, one cannot learn. Pieces of legislation in recent history, such as the Individuals with Disabilities Education (IDEA) and the Individualized Education Program (IEP), have mitigated this misconception to a degree but are they enough to break the glass ceiling that society has imposed on disabled individuals as a result of what they have been taught about disabilities in the first place? The term ‘glass ceiling’ is typically used in business settings, and it refers to the final position an individual reaches beyond which they are unable to advance despite having qualifications that make them eligible for higher-level positions. To be clear, this has to do with bias that exists in those environments, not necessarily the policies that are in place. However, for this piece, I will use it about those who have disabilities that have been, or are currently being, educationally stunted by those around ...

People with disabilities are often infantilized even by those closest to them.  I am 37 years old but sometimes I feel like I’m twelve. I am currently reading a book with my girlfriend Samantha who I affectionately refer to as my “little alien.” The book is entitled The Woman In Me by Britney Spears. Spears’ memoir talks about her early life as a performer and how much she enjoyed it but it also talks about the conservatorship she was under for thirteen years. During the conservatorship, every aspect of her life was controlled by others. My situation is not as severe as Ms. Spears's, but I can sort of relate to her on some level.  For those who are new readers of this blog, you may not know that I have a disability known as Cerebral Palsy or CP, or as I like to call it, T-Rex syndrome. I know some people in the disability community will read this and not like the self-deprecating language I use to describe how cerebral palsy affects me physically. Notice how I didn’t say how m...

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...