Hey boys and girls,
So I am posting in an alcohol induced stupor, fyi,
so excuse any ramblings or misspellin; if you were under the impression that
this was a politically correct blog where I pretend to be a perfect angel of a
disabled American than well...we haven't been reading closely have we? The fact is
that I drink, curse, scream, socially smoke, and generally act in ways my grandmother would rather wish I not because in all seriousness society has never much wanted me so I find little room for thier regulations. Any
who...to the point.
In the last several weeks I have read a mulitude of
articles involving the disabled that have bothered me deeply. The first, to sum
up, is a recent occurrence in my home state of Alabama where teachers could be
heard taunting a student with Cerebral Palsy (Disabled
Boy Taunted). For those playing at home, but not reading the intro, that is
what I have. In this article it explains how several teachers not only
neglected to instruct this student but went so far as to taunt him and called him 'disgusting'
nermerous times to his face. Cerebral Palsy is a neurological disorder described in
several websites, if you bother to look, but for the sake of this post the
important difference is this; cerebral palsy does not affect mental functions
but motor function (Cerebral Palsy)
meaning that this child was mentally and
emotionally capable to understanding what the teachers said. Unfortunately he was wholly unable to express
his unhappiness. Imagine, if you will, that you are unable to sit up or speak
properly. You find yourself hard pressed to write, eat, drink, or even
communicate without assistance but you are as intellectually capable as you are
now. Now imagine that you are neglected and taunted daily but are either too
embarrassed or unable to tell someone and so must endure this perpetually,
hoping that your 'care takers' will either grow bored or develop a conscious.
You might, likely not, have some idea of what this child endured for what I can
only hope was a short period of time. (Many schools have a specific 'special
needs class' so in reality this child could have had the same teachers for
years.)
Now many of you are likely scoffing at the idea of
such cruelty. How could anyone be so mean to a special needs child? YOU would
never treat a child like that right? Well thus is the issue. To millions around
the world the child was not a child but a 'special needs child'. Jose, the
boy's name for those who didn't bother reading, was not viewed as a future
valuable member of society but as a burden. Society doesn't really care if he
was mistreated or even abused, America is just mad because it makes us look
bad. Even the friend of mine who posted the article was not so much worried
over the abuse as he was how it made his society look, stating "Stay
classy, Alabama... We made international news again". Who the fuck cares
about Alabama? This boy was mistreated for what I can only guess was years and
your only worry is how it makes you look as an Alabama resident? (His name is
purposefully left out because he is, in reality, a good person and to make
others think otherwise would be unfair. Sorry lovely.)
As much as this may make my friend seem bad it is
really a view of our society. Proof? My
Autistic Son's Life: Not Less Valuable. In this article the mother of a boy
with Down Syndrome responds to the country’s reaction after a friend murders
her own son, also with Down Syndrome, and then commits suicide only to be
sympathized with for her 'burden'. WHAT? A woman murders her child due to
postpartum depression and America is up-in-arms but a woman shoots her disabled
son having no other mental issues and suddenly it is understandable? Shannon
Des Roches Rosa was not reaching to say that society devalues the lives of the
disabled. Even as a child I was viewed as less important than my classmates and
so was given less attention, assistance, and even love. I was considered a burden
on my parents and humanity by teachers, peers, and on occasion my family
because of my disability. I have had to fight for every accomplishment I have ever
had and every ounce of scholastic attention I was given because everyone,
EVERYONE, saw me as less valuable than my healthy peer. Even now my closest
friends assume I am incapable of even simple tasks and playfully tease me about
my inability to do certain tasks, having very little to say about my capability
other than my physical looks, which I am told are pleasant. The reality is that
if society viewed me as valuable they would have more to say than 'nice tits...I
bet you give a good hand job.' (I have heard that word for word)
So, I am sure many of you are doing the usual 'no
not me'. Of course YOU couldn't be this horrible. There is no way you, with your
non-aching arthritic hand and piercingly painful back, could ever add to the
constant degradation of the disabled. Obviously you didn't understand
EVERYONE...google it. Have you ever been somewhere, say a restaurant, and seen
an obviously disabled person roll/walk in. They fight the door, order food,
carefully take their tray, struggle at the drink machine and all the while you
do your best to not look at them. Yes..NOT look at them. Secretly you say it is
because you don't want to stare but in reality you look away because you really
wish they weren't there. You shift uncomfortable because you feel you should
help, or at least offer, but if they accept you would have to get up and
interact. *Cue dramatic music* It is...inconvenient. The fact is your life
would be easier if that disabled person wasn't around, if I wasn't around. So I
guess what I am saying is that I cannot think of a single 'healthy' person who
has never devalued the life of a disabled person, even myself. That is right; I
am guilty of the same offenses that I charge you with. As a disabled woman I have watched a
wheelchair bound person fight a door dumb struck and not knowing what to do. Do
I off to help? Would that be offensive? Perhaps I should go to another
door....I don't want to disturb them after all. As a disabled person I don't
have some magic text book with the answers in the back. I can’t tell you what
to do or what we all think because believe it or not the disabled are not
secretly telepathic. We are not hive minded like some bad remake of Indiana
Jones. I have my views, opinions, and hang-ups just as anyone else because when
I go to sleep I do so as a human being, no more or less valuable than anyone
else.
Peace and Biscuits y’all
Nest
