Say It Isn't So, Mr. President

Actually, I know it is so... Last night on Jay Leno the President of the United States bemoaned his poor bowling skill saying that "it was as if he were in Special Olympics or something."

Sigh.

And sensing there had been a gaffe his staff stated to somebody that the President really respects Special Olympics.

Sigh again...

See, here's the deal Mr. President,

I know it was off hand and unintentional. I know you nearly never make disparaging remarks about races, genders, creeds, sexual orientations or other differences. I know that you support people with disabilities in many, many ways. And you never talk about diversity without including those with disabilities.

And that's the point.

Ableism is so ingrained in our society that even our FRIENDS don't recognize it.

It's not that this was the worst gaffe in the world, and heaven knows it wasn't the worst we've ever heard--nor will it be the last, I'm sure.

It does, however, have more.... cachet... shall we say, coming from the president.

I am only speaking for myself when I say this, I am willing to forgive, but I do have something to ask:

Do something about this that matters.

There are a ton of opportunities this month alone to take a stand that could turn this negative moment into something that makes things better in our culture for people with disabilities.

Leverage this error into opportunity. Please.

Tomorrow is 3/21, World Down Syndrome Day, a day to celebrate Down syndrome, (also know as Trisomy 21.)

Too soon?

That's ok, there's plenty more:

3/31 is Spread the Word to End the Word day--a day to unite to ask for respectful language about disability--specifically to teach about the hurtful effect of "the R-word." It is sponsored by Special Olympics and there are cool t-shirts!

There are bills coming before congress soon with the power to build new possibility for those with disabilities like the Community Choice Act (scheduled for 3/24 last I heard), the CLASS Act... and others.

The president of the AUCD gave testimony before the HELP committee yesterday about the value of the University Centers of Excellence on Disability and the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental (and related) Disabilities programs that they run.

And that's just what I can come up in my bleary early morning state.

Make a statement, not an apology to a program--great though it is--make a statement that brings recognition and respect to people with disabilities.

Help the disability community by turning this stumbling block into a stepping stone (or better yet, a ramp!)

Picture from here.

Ableism, Accessibility and the Inauguration: Doing the Math

When I was in high school I have to admit I was not a great math student. I faced new concepts (and some old ones) with a combination of confusion and intimidation that blocked even the faintest possibility of success. Finally, I stayed after school for extra help (though I held out no hope) and the teacher I worked with turned out to be great. She taught me a principle that made it possible for me to learn math, and that eventually became a foundation for logical thinking.

She told me, “If a principle works, it works for any number.”

Then she would have me do the complex equation with the number 2 or 5 until I understood it. In this way I learned things I had managed to miss completely for years… and I eventually passed the class. (Frankly, my dad probably also told me this 10,000 times, but he was my dad. I didn’t hear it when he said it! Sorry Dad!)

Extrapolator that I am, today I apply this principle way beyond math. When faced with a complex question of ethics I simplify it for myself by applying it to other groups or situations to see if I understand it better. It is not a perfect razor, but sometimes it helps.

So, let’s talk about the inauguration.

Carol Florman,of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies announced to the press early in January that the inauguration would not be accessible, transportation would be shut down and travel would be long and obstructed so those with disabilities, small children and the elderly shouldn’t come…

What other minority should we substitute into this equation? Let’s think about African American’s…

Would it be acceptable to tell African-American citizens that the inauguration would not be safe or appropriate for them so they would be better off staying home? Cilla at Big Noise points out that the Disability Rights movement has many lessons to learn from the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s—what have we learned about exclusion and segregation? Could we tell African-Americans that they would be better off watching the inauguration in a place better-suited for “their kind”?

As much as I love our new President’s disability platform, I find the ableism and inaccessibility that were evident at the inauguration terribly upsetting. It feels as if, in our administration, the right hand doesn’t know what the left is doing…

(And can you tell me, after 20 years of the ADA, why our nation’s capitol is NOT suited for people with disabilities??

And why, when becoming accessible is required do disgruntled folks blame “those people with disabilities” rather than the business-owners and policymakers of the last 20 years who should have taken care of the problem years ago?

Sorry, I digress!)

When I discussed the inaccessibility of the inauguration with folks they told me I was unreasonable… whining even.

I was told there had only been 2 months to plan (don’t inaugurations happen every 4 years??) and that “those people” should content themselves with the TV since many people weren’t going (people who made that choice for themselves, may I point out?)

Then, at the inauguration itself former Vice-President Dick Cheney was using a wheelchair and commentator, Chris Matthews remarked that his wheelchair use was a metaphor for his lowly status in the eyes of Americans….

WHAT????

A wheelchair is a tool used for mobility. It makes no implications whatsoever about the status or capacity of its user. None.

And let’s try our substitution exercise:

Which minority could we put down in that way without consequences? What if something about Cheney reminded the announcer of the GLBTQ community and the announcer used THAT as a metaphor for something negative?? An announcer making that sort of remark would have to apologize—he might even lose his job.

And the fact that these glaring gaffes are either invisible or seem perfectly reasonable to most people in 2009 is utterly appalling. This is the living breathing definition of ableism among us.

So, the inauguration is in the past. What now?

Join the folks at the AAPD in demanding an apology from TV announcers who make ableist remarks. Thought while speaking is required. Ableism is as demeaning as any other ism and must end.

Write to Obama’s administration and ask them to gather their inauguration committee and some folks versed in Universal Design and use this fresh inauguration experience to design accessible events NOW. So we never have to have this conversation again.

We can do better than this, I'm just sayin'.

Gary Pressley has some thoughts on this subject as well. See here, here and here.

Inaugural Excitement

Well, I have missed blogging this week. I have been taking part in a training and it threw me off. It was an excellent program and I learned tons, but it totally wore me out! I would get home, eat, sit down to write and fall asleep. Twice this week one of my kids lifted my laptop off of my sleeping self and replaced it with a blanket... (and of course I panicked when I awoke and thought I'd dropped the computer.)

And so much has happened!



Did you see the inauguration? What an amazing event.

And on day 2 President Obama addressed disability issues!!!! Autism, but not just autism... BEAUTIFUL!

We are not invisible.

Now, I know some activists are thinking that they can finally take a nap--we have arrived. A lot of the moms I know are sighing in relief, dying to return to hearth and home and leave political involvement to the professionals...

This, of course, is a HUGE mistake. In fact, our potential for complacency makes me almost GLAD that the inauguration was inaccessible. That was a pretty glaring exclusion--they even wrote it in the papers, for the sake of Pete--whoever he is!

I don't see this week's events as a signal of our arrival. I see this time of recognition as an OPPORTUNITY. An opportunity that will be lost forever if we sleep through it.

What are we going to do with this new visibility??? How are we going to leverage this moment to improve the lives of our communities--including our citizens with disabilities? How are we going to extend this moment to encompass the year, this generation and the future?

I believe, as I have written before, that presence leads to credence, and credence leads to influence...

Active and creative advocacy applied NOW has unlimited potential to change the world. So, what are your awesome ideas????

Impossible?

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."



Well, we got it right.

Once.

But the first time opens the pathway making the next time easier, more likely, less painful.

And once again we have firm evidence that the "we could nevers" and the "that's impossibles" and the "that's unrealistics" are NOT real barriers. They are only barriers as long as we allow them to be. (Do read my post about being unrealistic--it's one of my favorites!)

We know it. We live in an age of amazing breakthroughs on every front. How can we look at anything and call it impossible?? We can't.

We can say we don't know how (yet).... we can say we don't want to... but we cannot say "that's impossible" in 2009 and retain any credibility.

I believe Barack Obama in yesterday's speech in front of the Lincoln Memorial extended Martin Luther King's Dream beyond skin color, mentioning disability by name (once again--and yes, I am counting!)

So...

Access to
-Education
-Employment
-Healthcare
-Community events and activities (and inaugurations!)
-Citizenship (ie: membership, belonging, contributing)
-Economic opportunity
-ETC.....

Challenging? Sure. Difficult? Sometimes. Stressful? At times.

Possible? Once we decide to do it.

Necessary? If our country is going to live up to the mission and vision our Founding Fathers laid before us, yes indeed.

When my son was 6 or 7 he was a science-fiend. He was particularly fascinated with the rain forests and with life under the ocean. One day there was an announcement of some amazing discoveries in both places... My son wept. He was so sure there would be nothing left for him to discover when he grew up.

Well, the good news, for him and for us, is that there is PLENTY for us to do. Our gifts are needed. There is plenty of room for growth, for expansion, for us to reach together to create new opportunities and to grow as communities and as a country.

And as my friend Kathy told me on the worst, rainiest, muddiest, coldest, dankest church camping trip ever, "The worse the weather and the harder the task, the greater the teambuilding."

So, in summary: There is much to do. Nothing is impossible. Your gifts are essential. We are going to be friends.

Works for me! How about you?

For more on MLK and disability see:
Gary Presley
Big Noise
Wheelie Catholic
Pipecleaner Dreams
Wheelchair Dancer

Pictures from here and here. Please note that both of these speeches happened at the Lincoln Memorial. And the quote is from here.
Special Needs Truth 2008 (not MLK, just a wow!)

Obama and Accessibility: A Disturbing Trend

While the Obama campaign was the first to articulate a disability platform (Obama had one from April, the McCain campaign added theirs in October) when it comes to accessibility, the welcome mat for the disability community has not been out...

The Obama campaign stated to Bad Cripple way back in the spring that "they were doing the best they could on accessibility." Sadly, this did not mean they were ensuring that campaign sites were accessible--it meant that sites might or might not be accessible, and that was ok with the campaign.

With that attitude it is little wonder that my friend Roving Activist had this experience back on December 30. An Obama Transition Team meeting on Healthcare Reform that is NOT accessible??? How can this be? Now the building should certainly be compliant with the ADA (and apparently has changes underway to rectify that), but checking to see that venues are accessible should also be the responsibility of Obama's people...

And now Planet of the Blind shares that ABC in VA is reporting that people with disabilities are actively being discouraged from attending the innauguration.

What if this were happening to any other minority?? Of course, it has in the past, but I mean now, in 2009?

I understand that they feel that this is a safety issue, but this is a safety issue because they have a lack-of-planning issue.

And they feel it is fine that they haven't planned proactively to for the inclusion of people with disabilities. After all, they aren't turning people away because they don't LIKE them... Some of their best friends have disabilities, I'm sure....

Psssst,note to Obama and team: Failing to plan is planning to fail--and when you're not including, you're excluding. (And don't tell me it's too hard, we KNOW you can overcome obstacles!)

Wheelie Catholic also has some things to say about this issue.

I sincerely hope that this is not what we can expect for the next 4 years.

Picture from here.

Sarah Palin, Election '08 and More

My mind is reeling—it’s the first week of school, there’s going to be this election soon (have you heard?), my own busy-ness is swallowing time AND I have a thousand things I want to say!!!! Where do I start????

Sarah Palin: OK, she gives a good speech, but so do I… not enough. She has a baby with a disability—I do think this candidacy offers some lovely exposure for disability issues, but to influence my vote I would need to know her views on the value and citizenship/membership in our society of adults with disabilities. Babies, as challenging as new diagnoses and medical concerns may be, are the easy part.

What does “friend and advocate” really mean to the 22 year old guy who is being denied community choices who must move to a nursing home or institution—at 1/3 higher cost to the taxpayer and 99% less quality of life for him? What does it mean to the 75% unemployment rate for people with disabilities? To folks who need healthcare?

McCain: Have you seen or heard anything different from McCain’s folks about disability since Palin has stepped on board? They still don’t have their disability stance on their website—now they have Sarah Palin and Madeleine Will on their team. What is holding them back??

I fear they are beholden to others who are not in favor of a real disability policy… and I can’t see how election will improve that. I hope they show me otherwise.

I think Obama chose Biden because of his experience, I think McCain didn’t feel he needed anyone’s experience, he needed their appeal. I would like to see how he intends to respond to Palin’s influence because if he doesn’t, she is incidental at best.

Issues: I don’t vote on abortion alone. I don’t vote on $$ alone either. There is a cost for living in a great place. Freedom ain’t free as the saying goes. Since money is going to be spent there must be value—for the people in our communities. Show me value.

Life on the Spectrum: The book Crucial Conversations calls either/or thinking a “sucker’s choice” and says never fall for it. I tell people in advocacy talks that all or nothing circumstances don’t exist.
• We do not have to have exactly the healthcare system we have now OR something completely awful—those are NOT the only two choices.
• We do not have to accept inaccessibility OR fall into economic rack and ruin.
• We do not have to be all in-Iraq OR all out-of-Iraq.
There is actually no issue that I have heard discussed that is the all or nothing situation that is portrayed. Every issue offers a spectrum of options and choices.

Characterizations: What is up with jumping from discussing issues to personal insults?? Several discussions I have heard or read begin with people saying why they like their idea for solving one of the world’s problems, which is good. Somewhere in the mix somebody derails and says “Oh, that’s because you don’t believe in personal responsibility.” Or, “Oh that’s because you’re a rigid conservative.”

Somehow a person who hears something they don’t like thinks name-calling exempts them from having to listen, maybe? Or, in the case of talk-show hosts, if you’re not getting enough oomph from your points, driving up the drama keeps the listeners, maybe??

Ugly, either way.

Damage: I am beginning to think that elections can be as damaging to the fabric of society as any war, environmental issue, moral dilemma, economic concern, natural disaster or homeland security issue could ever be.

I am wondering what Solomon, in the Old Testament would have done if the two moms fighting over the baby had both said to go ahead and split him.

• Polarizing rhetoric divides us against each other.
• Characterizations poison our relationships making us less able to work together.
• All or nothing positioning makes applying our American creativity and know-how to problems impossible.
I want to know which candidate has the best post-election healing plan—we are going to need it.

Negativity: Remember the bell curve. I mentioned this in a comment a bit ago, but I think it bears repeating. Al Condeluci, in his talk about inclusion, points out that all the world is a bell curve: 20% positive gate-keepers, 20% negative gate-keepers and the 60% in between “waiting to be seduced.”

The folks engaging in these issues on line and on TV are from the 2 ends. If the positive folks drop out due to the nastiness, the only voices the 60% with potential will hear are the negative ones. Hang tough, believers—you matter.

Picture from here.