The Voiceless Minority

So this is not going to be like a regular blog of mine. It is just a quick note to thank you for your support with the blog in general, but specifically for any of you have called to support the CRPD. Remember, the second round of hearings is this Tuesday, November 12 th . They can be seen on CSPAN or the Foreign Relations Committee website. However, once these hearings are over, that does not mean the process is over. The issue will not come to a vote for several months, so I ask for your continued support and ask that you continue to call your senators until the American disability community has more to be remembered for than just the ADA. Here’s to hoping we can pass the CRPD within the year. Thank you again. 

  Today was the first of two hearings on the Convention for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities conducted by the United States Foreign Relations Committee. The hearing went for approximately two and a half hours. Both sides of the issue were equally given time to present their argument. Senator Robert Menendez of New Jersey did a fine job proceeding over the hearings.         My the previous blog laid out my position on the treaty as well as the position of approximately twenty-six prominent disabled organizations in the U.S. As I sat and watched the hearings that were broadcast life on C-Span something struck me. Regardless of where one falls in regards to the treaty, the disabled community can only see the hearings as a positive. Not since 1990 has the disabled community’s needs been put front and center. Twenty + years ago this quiet segment of society was given a voice and a great voice that allowed such platforms like this blog to...

       As the 11-month of the year begins, we also mark the end of a month-long celebration. October was Disability Awareness Month. Disability Awareness Month is designed to acknowledge all forms of disability, everything from emotional and behavioral to mental and physical. My university recently even did an exhibit entitled “Allies for Inclusion: The Ability Exhibit.” This consisted of a variety of stations at which visitors could experience an aspect of being disabled. In October, the events that were held throughout the country demonstrated a great effort in the disability community to bring awareness to an often forgotten minority. However, there is a much greater task at hand.        Rarely do I call my readers to action, but this time I am asking you to read what follows and use your political voice to make a difference. On November 5 th  and 12 th,  your voice can be heard. The U.S. Senate Committ...

 So a couple of days ago, a friend of mine sent me a group message on Facebook. Usually, I ignore group messages, and I don't know why, but I do. This time I checked it out, though, because this friend does not usually send group messages. Upon further review of the message, I clicked on an article, which was very disturbing. This blog piece is less applaud and more a letter to the subject of that article.         Most of us in this U.S. love sports, and one of the most popular sports in our country, is the NFL. For my unfamiliar world readers, that stands for the National Football League. Football players in America have undergone many changes throughout the decades. When the game started, there was not as much fanfare surrounding it as there is now. Players got "real" jobs in the off-season and did not forget that they played a game for a living.               Howeve...

So I've written a lot about disability issues, and while that is my main focus for this blog, I thought I would expand it a little bit. To show you (the reader) that while I, as a disabled person, am very aware of issues that concern the disabled community, I am more than just a disabled person. Therefore, this blog post is going to talk about something relevant to all of us as Americans--the recent Government shutdown        Now I realize that you guys are probably sick about hearing about this from talking heads related to media on both sides. Because of the advent of cable T.V., the news media doesn't work hard, but they repeat the same thing over and over again. They treat us like Five Second Tom from Fifty First Dates.  Five Second Tom is an individual that we meet in the care facility with a five-second memory and re-introduces himself every five seconds. The media treats us, the American people, as if we don't comprehend what they t...

It falls again. It's been a while since I've written because I'm back in school, and that comes with the Fall and along with another great American past time, that being NFL. The National Football League is one of the most talked-about things in American life. Sports, in general, play a significant role in American culture. The sports phenomena units people that frequently have very little in common. There is a spirit about competition in the sports arena that is hard to find anywhere else. However, usually, one group of individuals who are not associated with sports or at least disability in sports doesn't come to mind simultaneously in most people's minds. The disabled are not that different from anyone else, though, when it comes to their love of sports.        Anyone who knows me will tell you that I am an avid New York Giants fan, and I often yell at the T.V. when they screw up (which happens to be a lot this season). I am also a die-ha...

       As human beings, we have an inherent desire to achieve independence, and it is only through social contracts in societal constraints that we enter into communities with others. This is a very simplistic way to put human beings’ desire for independence into words. However, it often right that this desire often comes with conflict relating to society and everyday constraints. Some groups face different conditions. Like for example, the restrictions placed on the disabled community are more prominent.         When it comes to disability, I have a unique perspective. I’m a twenty-seven-year-old male who relies on others for most of my physical needs to be met. When I say that I rely on personal care, I include such tasks as showering, eating, dressing, and even moving from a supine position in bed to a functional upright position in my wheelchair. Those in the aide care profession are crucial to my life,...