Personal

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