Differently Abled

This week, we are fortunate to have a guest blogger – Tim Vermande!  I would like to publicly thank him for his work and for being willing to share his experiences.  Once, when I was in high school, I was chosen to participate in a social experiment in which I was “blind” for a day.  I noticed immediately how many times my teachers asked if we could all “see” the examples on the board.  In between periods, it felt noisy, rushed and frankly a little scary as I tried to navigate my way through crowds of students trying to get to their next class.  It made me realize how much I take for granted, and it made me angry at how often others are denied rights or experiences simply because of ignorance and greed.  Which is why I’m so grateful to Tim, and happy that all of you will begin to think about these issues.  So without further ado….

Recently, CBS reported on perceived problem of “drive-by” ADA lawsuits. You can view this report at http://www.cbsnews.com/news/60-minutes-americans-with-disabilities-act-lawsuits-anderson-cooper/.

One thing that struck me in viewing this report is that was very “ableist.” This is a term that isn’t familiar to a lot of people. Ableism refers to a view, which may be subconscious, that “normal” is a standard for how the world works, and those outside of normal have “special needs.” If you’ve been in my World Civilization class, you may remember that when we cover the 1960’s, I talk about the interest in defining “normal” through testing (IQ tests, standardized tests in school, and the like) and a branch of pseudo-science known as eugenics. It also includes standards today of “perfect” bodies in the media, as well as expectations that lead to the “make-up tax” that hits women in many professions as they strive to meet an appearance standard.

While I enjoy this section, especially the responses such as “being normal is boring,” it’s a challenge to live in a world where plans and decisions are made without considering their impact on persons who live with one or more disabilities. It may be the exception that someone might set out to exclude people, but unconscious ableism causes well-intentioned people to make decisions that do cause exclusion.

My immediate response to reports such as this is to suggest that reporters and others should try a day in a wheelchair. One of the people in the CBS report who was interviewed was upset about repeated lawsuits over his parking. He complained that the space was within a few inches of the specification. When you’re getting into or out of a van, a few inches make quite a difference. Likewise, when a restroom door is an inch too narrow, you can’t get in. That’s a form of discrimination.

How would you feel if you couldn’t get into the restroom? Or into a place to eat? The ADA has been the law for 25+ years. Maybe, to think about my quiz question on the effects of laws, you could tell the police that the speed limit hasn’t been the law for long enough to follow it. How well do you think that would that work? There are lots of times where I’ve mentioned something that’s wrong about a place, and months later, it’s still wrong. How many warnings are you likely to get before a ticket? This is why lawsuits arise.

As my friend Lawrence Carter-Long states, “There is nothing special about a need other people get to take for granted. Denying someone something that other people get by default is discrimination. That's also what we should call it.”

To go further into today’s world, charter schools received public funding through vouchers. This is about to become more widespread. But charter schools don’t have to follow the ADA and other requirements for educating students with disabilities—even mobility-only impairments. How do you feel about this? As an alternative, can you share a time where you have experienced or witnessed discrimination?