We all know the image of Oliver standing with his empty bowl asking for more porridge because he and the other boys were so hungry and underfed. He was "elected" to go ask for more food, a task that doomed him to censure.
Asking for help when you're disabled can feel like that. Just like the image of the "charity boy" portrayed in Oliver, some people still think assistance to those of us with disabilities makes us "charity cases" . This image does not serve us well.
Many of the agencies designed to help us say they use a consumer model and would be aghast if told they are still treating people with disabilities like charity cases. But they do. I hear from people all over the country every day who report incidents of being treated like a charity case. It doesn't always emanate from the top officials in an organization or agency - although sometimes it does , often in the sense of a tacit agreement to look the other way when others do it.
I've met quite a few social workers, for example, who still adhere to the charity model. I see social workers who completely ignore communications from people with disabilities, ranging from requests for services to complaints about service and then flippantly remark "Oh he (or she) doesn't work and has nothing better to do!" to other professionals. Others make decisions on behalf of clients with disabilities as if the person has been declared incompetent, overreaching in an inappropriate way in order to save their own time and effort.
This results in either poor service to the consumer - or no service at all. I know people with disabilities who prefer not to get services rather than submit to this kind of treatment. It's dehumanizing. And when you're struggling with energy issues to get through the day, dealing with difficult people sometimes feels like too much.
So it may feel to people with disabilities that there is no recourse when this type of treatment happens to them individually. The reality is that employees who treat people this way usually do so across the board. It's not personal - although it can feel that way. As hard as it is to do, it's important to report workers who treat us this way and speak up about it.
If you're dealing with a private company or organization, go up the hierarchy. Talk to the person's manager or boss. If you don't receive any satisfaction, report them just as you would any other business.
If it's a government or public program, you can also go up the hierarchy, but also remember that taxpayers want to know how their money is being spent in these programs. Legislators trying to design programs that do more with less money want to know what services are needed and what programs work and don't work. We are in an atmosphere where change can happen if we speak up.
No one should have to beg for services that provide for one's basic needs or sustenance. We are not charity cases. Don't let the people who are paid to run these programs treat you like that.
2 comments:
I was in a program where every call I made was ignored. It was a nightmare. There was nothing to do but quit even though I needed the services I had to manage without. I wonder how many more people just go away.
Part of the problem is that they don't have enough people with disabilities participating in these programs who know what we need. It's like designing stuff for us without asking us. It wastes time and money because we don't get what we need in the end. That also comes from thinking we'dont know what we need.
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