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Tuesday, May 29, 2007

What Attitudes Can Do to People with Disabilities


[visual description: A picture of a metal ball and chain used to shackle prisoners.]

It comes not from the disability, but from the attitudes toward it.

How do attitudes affect you?

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

A picture speaks a thousand words doesn't it?

Anonymous said...

I know what you mean. Today I found out I can't go on a class trip because they can't manage my wheelchair safely. My mom and dad are going to check out what to do but I hate when stuff like this happens. Even if I get to go, it makes me different. Feeling left out of stuff like this makes my disability suck.

Ruth said...

It's hard when things are handled in a way that you feel excluded, isn't it? I think adults get pretty clumsy sometimes with things like this instead of (you'd think) knowing to plan for access when you're in the class.

Anonymous said...

I just got to work only to be told that our annual lunch out is in a restaurant that's not accessible. I'm told that they'll be happy to look into this for next year but the reservations are already made. I was asked to cover the office while they go but I declined. I suppose it's considered a small thing by some people but in my experience planning things that exclude disabled employees, students, or group members is an ongoing way to keep us different in the group.

Anonymous said...

The main attitudes I see is not caring about if we are included, apathy, and this arrogance that people think being disabled makes us different and could never happen to them. Because they think that way when we ask for change to make our lives better they deny us and tell us we have this entitlement issue but they don't put it in those words. They just say we're wrong to be dissatisfied with what the current situation is and ungrateful. It's a way of telling us to shut up.

Justin

Anonymous said...

People dont like change so they resist doing things differently even simple planning. They cop an attitude that we're being unreasonable expecting it instead of admitting that they'd want it too if they were in a wheelchair or disabled. Everyone wants to be included it's a basic need. I feel like these young people from the war who are getting disabled every day will find lots of problems like we do in being accepted. I hope the press will be around to cover that but I doubt it. They haven't for us.