A Secret World: Autism Misunderstood

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 video¹I 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 why people want to work with autistic children. They are so smart and have so much to teach us. It is just that we have not found a way to unlock the keys to their secret world at this point.

 

Carly did not communicate a word until she was 11. Then one day, she ran to a computer and typed one name, hurt. A couple of days later, or I might have gotten the timeline wrong, she ordered help but then was prompted to finish the word, and she added a p. It took time, but with the help of numerous therapists, Carly could find her voice. She now has a blog where readers can follow her story and get updates about Carly and autism². 

 

 

Hollywood Myth

 

Carly’s story inspired me to do further research, and I came across several interesting things. The first of which is a startling number of stereotypes of Austin. These stereotypes about Autism are often perpetuated in mainstream society in popular formats such as the silver screen. A well-known movie was produced in 1988, which had two popular actors and discussed Autism. It was called Rain Man, and it was produced by the Guber-Peters Company³. The movie starred Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise. To give a short synopsis of the movie, Charlie Babbit kidnaps his Autistic brother from a facility after learning that he has been given the majority of the family inheritance. The film portrays Dustin Hoffman’s character “Rain Man” as an Autistic Savant. He can remember numbers extremely well and sticks very near to a schedule. While it is true that some  Autistic people are savants, according to Care2.com, this portion of Autism is highly less prevalent than the movie suggests. Many people with Autism have learning difficulties and need help when it comes to an educational setting⁴.

The Truth About Autism

 

Since I have discussed the Hollywood about Autism above, I feel it is appropriate to outline the basic facts of Autism here. Autism is much like Muscular Dystrophy. Autism does not refer to precisely one disorder; instead, it refers to a group of disorders. Therefore, to be more accurate, there is not a disability known as Autism, rather disabilities along the Autism Spectrum, hence the term Autism Spectrum Disorder. ASDs are not disorders that can be scientifically diagnosed. However, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)⁵, there are seven early signs of Autism. They are no babbling or pointing by age 1, no single words by 16 months or two-word phrases by age 2, no response to name, loss of language or social skills, poor eye contact, excessive lining up of toys or objects, no smiling or social responsiveness. However, if your child does not exhibit these early signs, there are still later disorder indicators. They include impaired social interaction or imagination capabilities and language deficiencies, such as the repetitive use of language. Autistic children also tend to be very ritualistic individuals, but it does not necessarily exhibit this behavior. 

 

Now that the primary signs of Autism have been discussed, it is essential to discuss Autism diagnosis. This is a two-step process in most cases. The first signs of Autism or an ASD are usually detected by a pediatrician or other childhood doctor with light screening methods. If a child is thought to have an ASD, then the second stage of screening can begin. This screening stage is more complex and involves a team of individuals, not just one specific doctor. Although "While you may be concerned about labeling your young child with ASD, the earlier the disorder is diagnosed, the sooner specific interventions may begin. Early intervention can reduce or prevent the more severe disabilities associated with ASD. Early intervention may also improve your child's IQ, language, and everyday functional skills, also called adaptive behavior.”⁶  The team usually includes individuals from numerous disciplines, including psychologists, neurologists, speech pathologists, and/or pediatricians⁵. When individuals are diagnosed with Autism, they are usually broken into three groups: classic Autism, Aspbergers, and Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS). The distinction is usually based on an individual’s language skills. Those with highly developed language skills who exhibit signs of Autism are usually classified as having Aspbergers. It is often true, but not always, when an individual with Aspbergers will specialize in a particular subject. As with all Autistic disorders, individuals with Aspbergers struggle in social situations. Another group can be classified as PDD-NOS. This is used as a “catch-all” label for all children who exhibit some Autistic behaviors, but not enough to fit either the diagnosis of classic Autism or Aspbergers. A final, rare group can be diagnosed as having Childhood Disintegrative Disorder. These children develop normally until somewhere between the ages of three and ten, starting to establish Autistic behaviors. All three of these groups are Autistic, but all three of these groups are also not well understood. There are common stereotypes of Autism that need to be debunked. 

 

There are several common misconceptions when it comes to ASD. The most common misconception is that people who are autistic have trouble making friends. This, however, is far from the truth. Autistic people may struggle in certain social situations, but that does not limit them from maintaining friendships and other relationships with their peers. What often limits this is a misunderstanding of difference. Autistic people are just like you and me except that they express themselves in different ways. If we want to change the way people view Autism, we must increase autism awareness and knowledge⁷.

Another common misconception is that autistic people lack empathy; however, this is far from the truth, intact the extreme opposite is often true. Many people with Autism often feel too much empathy and get overwhelmed by the people around them. Perhaps the empathy problem can be better understood if the people who interact with autistic individuals are more patient and change how they present stimuli to autistic people.

Communication in today's society is crucial; if one does not know how to communicate, their ideas can be lost on those around them; however, verbal communication is not the only way contact occurs. A large portion of communication comes from body language and other methods. This principle also applies to the autistic community. If people wish to understand Autism as a whole better, they must realize that traditional communication methods are not always possible or feasible. For example, some individuals with Autism remain non-verbal or a large portion of their lives, i.e., Carly; however, this does not mean they have nothing to say; they are human with wants, feelings, desires, and dreams. Autism, just like disability, in general, is given a negative reputation by society simply because people do not know how to unlock the secret world of Autism. in other words, I believe that Autism is not a disability. Instead, it is a reflection of society's inability to think outside the box. Autistic people may be some of the smartest individuals gods created, and it may be a society behind in the times⁷. 

 

Autism is highly prevalent in the U.S. however; it is not only an American problem. The following graph shows that Autism is a growing problem worldwide and needs to be better understood as a whole. Such organizations as Autism Speaks⁹ and others do a great job of promoting Autism research and Autism awareness. Still, through word of mouth and further knowledge, the world of Autism will one day no longer be a mystery.

 

 

 

COUNTRY China	NUMBER 1,100,000	DATA SOURCE Peking Health Science Center (estimate based on official 2005 rate of 1.1 in 1000 children affected)
India	2,000,000	Action for Autism India (based on an estimated rate of 1 in 250)
United States	1,500,000	U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ADDME Study 2007 and Autism Society of America
United Kingdom	650,000	National Autistic Society 2006 (based on the rate of 1 in 100)
Mexico	150,000	Based on estimates by the Ministry of Health of 2 to 6 per 1000
Philippines	500,000	Autism Society of the Philippines
Thailand	180,000	An estimate of the Minister of Mental Health 8

 

 

 

Footnotes 

1.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oa3X4ASf0wA
2. http://carlyvoice.com/home/ 
3. imdb.com
4. Care2.com
5. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/autism/detail_autism.htm
6. http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/a-parents-guide-to-autism-spectrum-disorder/what-is-autism-spectrum-disorder-asd.shtml 
7. http://www.care2.com/causes/dubunking-7-common-myths-about-autism.html#lxzz2SjFo0bOY

Eight .https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oa3X4ASf0wA9. autismspeaks.org 

 

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

Supposed Hero: Not Really, I’m Just Rolling with the Punches--Literally Rolling

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 when I respond that way to that particular question, he gave the following reply, “Then what brings you up here?” I said, “School.” We then discussed how the Edinboro University of Pennsylvania is one of two schools left in the country that provides personal care 24/7 in some capacity. I explained that I don’t use personal care services anymore because I live off-campus, but they help. 

Dan then asked me what I was going to school for. When I told him that I was getting my Master’s Degree, he started a familiar path. He said, “You are so great for what you’ve gone through” compliment. I know that this is not meant to be patronizing and that many non-disabled people could not imagine being in a disabled person’s shoes, but it gets frustrating after a while. For those who are not understanding, I am not downplaying what I’ve done or achieved. I am merely downplaying the role that my disability has played in it. To put it another way, people compliment persons with disabilities for everyday acts like they have done something extraordinary. That would be the same as me going up to a person and approving every time they tied their shoes properly, which some of my friends still have trouble with. 

The compliment is well-intended, but the able-bodied community does not realize that most disabled people do not see disabilities as a disability. They see it as a label that they must overcome. There are hundreds, perhaps even thousands of disabled people that can contribute to society. Fewer are given a chance. Those of us who are granted the equal great opportunity wanted to be that--an equal opportunity. Our accomplishments are made no more significant by the fact that we have a disability. People who may read this may disagree. They might say that I or persons in my situation have greater obstacles to work over everyday pieces. Is my argument, don’t we all? In this case, a basketball player friend of mine will call Lucy an outstanding basketball player. She has just received a contract to play overseas. Which I am very proud of her for. However, many pressure and no varieties put on this individual because she’s tall and overcame cancer. This individual, who is a great person, does not see her overcoming cancer as something special. She sees it as a blessing, and it has given her perspective and has it be her obstacle. It is no different than the single mom going to school with four kids who work for me as an attendant. She has barriers, as well. However, when you are disabled, they no longer become obstacles. They are significant hurdles. My ability to overcome them is no different than my friend Lucy’s or my friend, who works for me. Those of us who are given obstacles in life is given them because we are strong enough to overcome them, and we are meant to overcome them because we are told to test ourselves. Perhaps for something more significant and not to be praised as if we are better than everyone else. 

My point in closing is that everyone has obstacles, whether financially, physically, mentally, spiritually, or other types of hardships. I hope this blog does not sound arrogant or ungrateful because that is my not intention at all. It is merely to show that just because disabled people’s obstacles are sometimes visible, it does not make them any greater or less than anyone else’s obstacles. Blocks are put in place to make us who we are meant to be and not make us stand out as something extraordinary. If we do, that should be by our own doing and not by an obstacle put in front of us. We have no control over. 

World Wish Day

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 an organization that would change countless individuals' and families' lives. On April 29, 1980, Chris was made into an honorary police officer. Sadly, he passed away the following day. However, in his seven years of life, he has made a more considerable impact than most adults do¹. Chris would help launch the world's largest wish-granting organization. To this day, the Make-A-Wish organization has granted more than 250,000 wishes worldwide. The organization is active in more than 50 countries—one of its key partners in the WWE.

Not Such a Fake Impact 


I will admit, I do watch professional wrestling. It is my man, soap. A lot of people knock it because it is pretty scripted. I like to consider it "athletic acting."  Last night, WWE did something that reinforces why they are such a good organization. The babyface (Top good guy) John Cena was part of a special ceremony coordinating with the Make-A-Wish Foundation and World Wish Day. Since 1982, WWE, formally the WWF, has helped grant 5,000 wishes. This, in itself, is a staggering number. However, even more staggering is that John Cena, himself, has personally granted 300 wishes. He is not a character that I like; however, I respect him and his work ethic, along with his charitable efforts. To find out more about what the WWE is doing and what you can do to help, please visit the link below². However, I am not writing this blog to be shameless to promote a television show I watch. I am writing this blog for three reasons. 1: To highlight a day of national celebration. 2: To highlight an organization's great charitable work on behalf of kids with life-threatening illnesses, some of which include that illness under the Muscular Dystrophy umbrella. 3: To highlight an essential issue in the disabled community. 

The Debate: For or Not For Jerry's Kids

When I was growing up, I was not surrounded by many other people with disabilities. However, I knew I was different. I knew I had a disability, but I did not realize that there were other kids with disabilities who had it worse than me until one year on Labor Day, I turned on the T.V. and started watching this funny little man talk about kids who needed help. A lot of them were in chairs, so I thought to myself, "Oh, that boy is like me." I showed the telethon to my mom and asked her what it was for. She said. "It's the annual Labor Day telethon for the MDA." The MDA is an organization devoted to curing nearly 40 different diseases that fall under the umbrella of Muscular Dystrophy. Those unfamiliar with the disabled community may not understand when I make the following statement:  Some within the disabled community are not too fond of the MDA. How is this possible? A lot of people with MD do not agree with the way the organization spends the money. One gentleman by the name of Rory M. once said to me, "If they would spend more of your dollar on research and less on lavish corporate headquarters, we might have a cure by now." I have no problem with the organization, myself, and seeing as how I do not have an MD; I feel it is inappropriate for me to take sides in this argument. While the debate may continue over organizations like the MDA, the Make-A-Wish Foundation is different.  

The Make-A-Wish foundation brings joy to countless kids each year. This group seems to have risen above the internal politics and debate of the disabled community to remind us that we should not quarrel over the little nuances of disability but to make each other's lives better, regardless if we do or do not have a disability. 

John Cena surprises Nick for World Wish Day

Make-A-Wish President & CEO


Footnotes:
1.http://neny.wish.org/about-us/history/
2.Make-A-Wish and WWE

Everyday Trials

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 communication opportunities, improving access to the job market for people with disabilities, and the broad-sweeping term “miscellaneous provisions” ¹. Because of this Act, life for persons with disabilities has improved tremendously. However, federal legislation cannot influence one aspect of life, that of social interaction and acceptance.

From an early age, a child is interested. Babies explore their environment, testing and prodding the world they have been born into. Humans are not born with any preconceived notions about one another; I believe that they develop them based on the environment and society they are raised in. In my twenty-six years in this great country, I have never been judged by a five-year-old. It is more often their parents that do the judging. The five-year-old is merely curious when he or she may ask their parents, “Mommy or Daddy, why is that person in a wheelchair? What is wrong with them?” These questions do not bother me. The parents respond that baffle me. Several months ago, I was at a local mall when the same situation occurred, and I distinctly could hear a parent react to the same question with the following, “Honey, be quiet. Don’t ask that. That’s rude.” Is it rude? Or, as my friend said to me and as I truly believe, have we as a society become so comfortable walking on eggshells that we are afraid to ask questions because we might offend someone?

In my head, I would much prefer the parent’s response to the child’s question to have gone as follows, “I don’t know, why don’t you go ask him?” The ability to question is what makes us human. It is how we learn. But we are taught from such a young age not to question and not know that bias and fear of difference are ingrained in us by the time we develop into young people and adults. This thought can be seen on my college campus.

I currently go to a school in the Northwestern part of PA, and it is a reasonably good school. But, it is here where the idea that society has become so politically correct that it would rather be ignorant than knowledgeable has been reinforced. There are three key areas which disturb me. The first of which can occur when I am merely rolling around on campus with friends. It’s gotten to the point where we make a game out of counting how many people stare at us. Let me explain first by saying, typically, I hang around with females. Not due to any other reason, except I tend to get along with them better. Most of my friends are “friends.” There are only two or three that I would like to date, but somehow everyone who sees me with any of my friends either looks at us like, “Aww, I feel so bad for that young man and what an incredible person that girl is for helping him.” Or “I wonder, are they dating?” Forgive me for being so blunt. It got so wrong when my friend and I counted thirty people staring at us in two hours. Maybe I missed the memo, and maybe staring is the new en-vogue thing, but I don’t recall staring at every other person I roll by as if they were something I have seen before.  

The second thing that bothers me has to do with communicating with people daily. Most of the people I interact with can tell that I'm reasonably intelligent within the first few minutes of our conversation. I do not go around quoting the dictionary, but I do have a large vocabulary. I say most can tell that I'm reasonably intelligent. The people that make me want to pull my hair out are those people that make me feel as if I am mentally challenged just because I am in a chair. My favorite example of this occurs nearly every time I go out to a restaurant. Let me set the scene: I sit there with a group of friends or my family holding a conversation and looking over what I want to eat when the waiter or waitress comes by to take everyone's order. They will go around the table, and when it is my turn, they tend to look at the person next to me for my order instead of me. If that does not happen, they tend to raise their voice and say the following, “well, what would you like, dear” (in a booming voice). I am not deaf. I do have terrible vision and, by my admission, am a really bad driver and run into more objects than I care to admit, but not being able to hear is not a flaw of mine. Indeed, some say that I hear way too well. When someone speaks at me like I am completely deaf, I am often tempted to respond with a snotty unsuspected comment. I’ve only done this once or twice, but let’s say it catches them off guard. Every time one of these exchanges occurs, I am baffled and more and more frustrated with society. Just because someone has a physical disability does not mean they are deaf and mentally deficient. The above two examples are annoying and frustrating when you are disabled; however, they pale compared to my third pet peeve.

I am sure others can relate to me when I say that family and love are human desires regardless of physical appearance or ability. I, as a disabled individual, am no different. I am twenty-six, pretty successful academically and intellectually, making people laugh, and I have a decent personality. The one thing I don’t have is someone to look past my disability and love me for me. Some who may read this might say not everyone in their twenties finds someone, and with that, I fully agree; however, it is magnified ten-fold when you are in a wheelchair or have a disability. Not only does it seem one gets snubbed on the relationship front, but also many of the most common social interactions, the able-bodied community, from my perspective, does not know how to or feel comfortable with integrating the disabled community. A key example will be if I ask someone to go and do something. They will often give me a cursory sure, we definitely should, but then inevitably, they will blow me off for some reason or another. Don’t get me wrong. I understand that this is a problem related to my generation and the able-bodied community interaction with disabled individuals. But I am sure if you ask other individuals with disabilities, you will find that it tends to happen a great deal more frequently to individuals with disabilities than their able-bodied counterparts.

In the same vein, whenever an individual happens to catch my eye on a romantic level, more often than not, I am rejected and not for your typical reasons. The most common sense I get is, “you’re a great guy, but I can’t date you because you’re in a wheelchair.” Not only is that reason baffling to me, but it is also infuriating. I can’t tell you how many girls I played an emotional therapist or boyfriend in my life. Still, as soon as I want actually to pursue something on a romantic level, they finally realize, “Oh, wait for a second, he’s in a chair.”

All my rantings may have come off as complaining. However, I hope they haven’t because my purpose in writing this article is to bring to light an issue that many people are aware of but choose to ignore or make light of. Society in the twenty-first century is no different than it was in earlier times. Yes, we are now not dealing with bus boycotts or million man marchers, but it is clear that we are still fighting a silent battle. The disabled community and people who are outside your typical WASP America, in general, are fighting a war against difference. The disabled community’s voice was heard loud and clear in 1990, but it is about time our voice was heard once again.  

 

Footnotes: 

1. http://www.bu.edu/cpr/reasaccom/whatlaws-adaact.html

 

I Was Not Born With a Label; Society Gave Me One

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 MD¹, "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, completely or partially restricting the movement of the affected joint."  

When my friend first told me about this article, we got into an argument about how I thought Miss Taylor was incorrect in her view. I said that everybody should be a contributing member of society. However, as I read the article further, I see that while I may disagree with Miss Taylor on one level, I agree with her. (Miss Taylor, if I am mistaken about the point of your article, let me know) I believe she made a good point when she said Disability is more of a social term than an actual name. Miss Taylor puts it more eloquently than I can. If one uses the term disability over the term impairment, it implies something they cannot overcome or workaround. It is a term that immediately subjugates them and reduces them to a lower level of being. That term does not take into account an individual's intelligence or worth to society. This is an ingrained term, and perhaps it can explain why many disabled people have such a negative view about not only their disability but what they can do with it. 

Instead of me summarizing Miss Taylor's article, I have posted it below to draw your conclusions. We need more individuals like myself and Sunny Taylor to begin to discuss the change necessary in society and the disability rights movement overall.  

The Right Not to Work: Power and Disability Article


Footnotes:
1. http://children.webmd.com/arthrogryposis-multiplex-congenita.