Make the World a less Disabling Place
In the past disabled people were shunned and marginalized by society. It was often the case that disability people were made to feel ashamed of their inability to walk, talk, hear etc. Religion has played its role in making the disabled look as if they are cursed from above, or by some grievous act in a previous life. This long history of marginalization has left the disabled around the world reluctant to stand up for their rights.
This has been changing over the last 50 years. Now disabled people have been organizing themselves from Beijing to London and from Buenos Aires to Anchorage. These groups look not only to galvanize the disabled in an area into a self-help group, but also to fight for their rights in a society dominated by the able-bodied.
Part of the problem has been that disabled people have been lumped together as a group and termed a ‘problem’ that society has to deal with; that society has to ‘cure’. It is this attitude that has often stood in the way of disabled people being recognized as individuals with equal rights under the law. Even charities, liberals and sympathetic elements in the able bodied world have fallen prey to this mentality to look past the individual with ‘special needs’ and to promote pity for the ‘disabled’ as a unit.
What is needed is for the particular societies and communities to listen to what the disabled have to say. to communicate effectively with the disabled to find out what they want, and what the disabled perceive as being needed so that their human rights can be upheld.
From a philosophical point of view those with abilities have built the world to fit their bodies and minds. Roads, cars, buildings, computers, telephones, in short everything has been built to assist those without abilities. This world assists them and has been termed the ‘normal world’. Any deviations from this constructed norm are considered to be for ‘special needs’. Welfare and care for the disabled help to reinforce this normative standard ? it is not normal what the disabled want, they require things and services outside the social construct of the norm; what they need are ‘special’ services and goods. It is this mentality that makes the disabled feel beholden to the able-bodied, rather than feeling that they have a right to change perceptions of the norm and they have a right to assistive devices that are suitable for them. Just as the able-bodied have cars and computers that assist them, so those who cannot see or those who cannot walk should have assistive devices appropriate to their physical conditions.
It is time that the disabled stopped being defined by the able-bodied. Even the UN is guilty of doing this with the WHO’s International Classification of Impairments, Activities and Participation. Instead the disabled must band together to choose how they will be called and to set their own agenda of participation.
At the same time the disabled need to organize into union structures to use their combined voice to fight for their human rights and to take control of National Health services so that they get the assistance and medical care that is appropriate for them. It is wrong to talk of ‘curing’ the disabled. Rather what is needed is the empowerment of the disabled.
The struggle of the disabled is as much about changing semantics, cultural perceptions and legal definitions as it about health issues. It is for this reason that the www.mdad.org is about challenging the normative associations made by laymen and professionals. Below are articles that probe at prejudice, damaging assumptions, degrading labels and the dispiriting effect of pity. All minority groups suffer in a society where their voice is silenced and they are told to conform to socially constructed attitudes that are inherently demeaning.
Mdad, The World Games, And Vaporizers
The most recent World Games of the Special Olympics took place last year in Athens, Greece. The country of Greece banded together to support the Games despite their government’s economic troubles. Although the World Games is the largest event of its kind, there are many similar competitions taking place every day throughout the world. As an organization, Mdad stands in favor of the games, since it is our goal to “make the world a less disabling place.”
On a related note, the Mdad organization is about challenging some of the normative assumptions made by society. One area in which we are progressive is the currrent movement to decriminalize the use of marijuana. It may be surprising to learn, but current 16 out of 50 states (plus the District of Columbia) have laws that allow the medical use of marijuana. In these states, if you have a doctor’s prescription you can legally obtain the substance. One of the best ways to use it (supported by the Mdad organization) is to use a vaporizer. They aren’t especially well known as products like the Volcano have only been around for less than ten years. We recommend doing your research to find the best vaporizer before deciding which is best for your disability.
Medical marijuana certainly helps some people with disabilities. It is well-known that the substance has analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties. As stated in the previous post, the disabled need to start taking action to pre-emptively control the public discourse about their condition. What we need is to embrace the legalize movement by making our stories known. We can make some compelling arguments to influence our legislators and affect the debate. As the Mdad becomes bigger, we expect to continue posting on a variety of different topics to help people communicate effectively with the disabled. In particular, I’d like to do some research about UN policies regarding the disabled.
Inherent Bias in Farming Communities
There is certainly an inherent bias, which I believe builds generation after generation, in farming communities. Think about it for a second the next time you buy a bottle of wine, or a wine gift basket, who are the owners of those businesses? Who are the seasonal workers?
Most importantly, how do those roles (which rarely if ever change) change beliefs and customs over time? What happens if someone from the workers group attends college and then comes back to own a winery? What type of prejudice are they likely to see?
Personally, I hate all prejudice and all labels. The sad thing about many of these farming communities is that there are generations of people who have worked incredibly hard and helped to create massive profits, but haven’t benefitted at all from any of it!