I'm really, really BADD!

[Tysyacha]

That's BADD, as in "Blogging Against Disablism Day". Why am I BADD?

 

For starters, because I have a disability. I've had cerebral palsy ever since I was born, and thus have had to deal with the numerous downsides (and very few upsides--go, go accessible parking!) of such a condition. Here on this annual "Blogging Against Disablism Day," I'm going to smash the top 5 stereotypes that some people seem to have about people like me...

 

5. People with disabilities are not intelligent.

 

I may be no Einstein, but I'm at least as smart as your "average Joe" or "average Jane". Yes, there's something different about my body, but that doesn't necessarily mean there is anything wrong with my brain or ability to reason. I absolutely detest it when some people say "That's so retarded" or even "You're such a spaz" or a "schizo". People with disabilities DO have fully-functioning minds, even if they may do rather poorly on that total scam of a diagnostic tool called an "IQ test". Intelligence is measured in many ways.

 

4. People with disabilities are incapable and/or incompetent.

 

Here's another big stereotype that irks the living daylights out of me. I may not be able to do as many physical things as other people can, but I'll be darned if I'll be treated like a baby or a 3-year-old because of it. I've found that the more visible your disability is, the more incompetent some people think you are. For example, some people think I'm less competent than they are because I walk weird and can't climb steps without a handrail, but they think a person who uses a wheelchair is even less competent than I am. Not only is this unfair, but this stereotype is also completely irrational and illogical.

 

3. People with disabilities are "special" and have "special needs."

 

Excuse me while I go throw up...*retch* OK, I'm all better now!!! Seriously, folks, what people mean when they say "special" in this sense is that people with disabilities are NOT special. They mean that people with disabilities should be set apart and segregated from their fellow man in order to get "special education", "special housing", "special transportation", etc. When I was growing up, there was no greater stigma in our school than to be a "special ed kid". Even my own father said that "special ed" was "where all the dumb kids go". I felt sorry for them in a way--they got to learn how to cook and clean and vacuum instead of read Shakespeare, learn cool historical anecdotes, and delve into the wonders of algebra (even if it WAS hard). Special isn't special at all, at least not in the way that ableists (those who stereotype people with disabilities) mean it.

 

2. People with disabilities can't, or at least shouldn't, marry/have kids.

 

We here at LF know that people are people are people are people are people. No one should be denied the right to love and be loved, or to procreate, for any reason. Unfortunately, there's a very common misperception out there that "those kind of people don't have those kinds of feelings", or sexual ones. Apparently, all we need in terms of love is a PARENT, SIBLING, or FRIEND. Wrongo in the Congo!!! Even in 2008, some people still exhibit that kind of foggy thinking. Another thing--all the dating sites, like Match.com et al, never take into account the fact that some of its users might have disabilities (and thus maybe an extra-hard time finding The One). Not all of us look like models, and not all of us WALK like models, either. That doesn't mean we shouldn't have a fair shot at the "dating and mating" game!

 

1. People with disabilities need to be monitored and supervised constantly for their own good. They need to be on some kind of "program" 24/7.

 

This is the one stereotype about people with disabilities that I hate the most. "Give me liberty or give me death," said Patrick Henry, and if I had to live in a "special home" and be monitored and supervised 24/7, I would prefer death. Is having a disability, no matter how severe, a crime? Some people treat it like one. This is the kind of thing that leads to oppression, control, disempowerment, abuse and neglect, and all sorts of evils for "my people." If you were to put me on a "program", what kind would you put me on? As Kathie Snow says on her fabulous Disability is Natural website (http://www.disabilityisnatural.com), "If it's not right for a person without a disability, it's not right for a person with a disability!" That includes group homes, institutions, sheltered workshops, sub-minimum wages, behavior control programs, and other things. Nobody'd want this stuff in their life!!!

 

In conclusion, I applaud and thank all the members of LucasForums for accepting and embracing me as I am, not as others think I should be. *HUG*

[JD-Rom]

[applauds]

HOORAY! GOOD FOR YOU!

 

 

It's usually confusion that makes the stereotypes. People should know that most disorders being stereotyped in the media are VERY SPECIFIC, and even then, they're exagerrated, like Schizophrenia (spelling?) and that kind of autism that makes people mentally challenged. I myself am in a school that ALSO (not just) accepts people with disorders for education. Some of the people here in my class may involuntarily walk to the bathroom during class and wander around the halls, but they're not bad people, and I don't mind them.

 

 

BTW, what does Cerebral Palsy do, in layman's terms? The Wikipedia article is just confusing.

[Boba Rhett]

As always, very well spoken. I'm glad you're a member of this community, Tysyacha.

 

I think you'd find that many here have disabilities of one kind or another.

[El Sitherino]

I have many disabilities and disorders, ranging from depressions to mental impariments. I personally think anyone that uses these covers as a mask to over-exaggerate any negative feelings is a moron and a retard, emotionally. There are many other things in this world to get your undies in a bunch about, comments like 'this is so retarded', is not one of them.

 

I also scored a 186 on my IQ test while intoxicated. I think many people are well aware that IQ merely measures potential for intellectual level and not the actual intelligence of a person.

[Ghost Down]

@Sith

 

I scored 84 on my IQ test, while not under the influence of drugs or alcohol

 

But anyway, I got a disability to. I once cut my tendons in my right hand and now 2 of my fingers are partially disabled.

[Jae Onasi]

This might get moved to Kavar's depending on how the discussion goes--just a heads up on that.

 

There are tons of stereotypes, to be sure. I usually assume someone who has an obvious disability is as normal as the rest of us mentally unless they prove themselves otherwise.

[Astrotoy7]

aww, I though this was a thread about the old skool Hip Hop Classic by LL Cool J called I'M BADD. It is so old-skooley awesome. Obligatory music video with LL minus shirt included

 

I don't have too much to add about those living with disabilities, Im a health worker, so work with disabled people everyday... talking shop here, where there not many *really* listen or care is a bit of a waste of time I feel.

 

One thing I can chip in is that a disability goes beyond physical impairment, and can include emotional, social perceived or experiential dysfunction or their sequelae. In fact, we are *all* disabled in some way or another. Most people develop coping strategies to maintain a functional capacity for daily living, those that dont are encouraged to discuss it with people they know/trust, or look into it with a suitably trained person, though not necessarily a shrink

 

mtfbwya

[EnderWiggin]

As always, very well spoken. I'm glad you're a member of this community, Tysyacha.

 

QFE.

 

I agree. That was well said.

 

I went to school with a kid with cerebral palsy for a while.

He was one of the coolest, most optimistic kids I've ever met.

 

_EW_

[Jae Onasi]

I was engaged to a guy for awhile who had CP. There were some things he couldn't do because of physical limitations, but we adapted (and those of you thinking naughty thoughts right now, get your dirty little minds out of the gutter... ). Otherwise, there wasn't a whole lot different between us and other couples. Our break-up had nothing to do with his health issues and we're still friends, actually.

[EnderWiggin]

There were some things he couldn't do because of physical limitations, but we adapted (and those of you thinking naughty thoughts right now, get your dirty little minds out of the gutter... ).

 

Waaaaaay too late for that.

 

_EW_

[Tommycat]

BTW, what does Cerebral Palsy do, in layman's terms? The Wikipedia article is just confusing.

The easiest way to explain it is that CP is a cross wiring of circuits. Your brain says raise your arm, and your nerves tell the wrong muscles to contract. There are multiple stages of CP. It can range from mild to severe. On the mild side, a person could conceivably retrain their minds to work with it, and you might not even know they had it(aside from the raised arm while walking). On the more severe side of it, it can be life threatening.

 

My son has a more severe form of CP. It hasn't stopped him from being one of the most well known and liked kids at all the shows. Seems everyone knows him haha...