![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
capri0mni1. I like your default icon! Did you paint/draw it?
Yes! I did! I drew it as part of NaArMaMo (LiveJournal Comm)! You should join! it's fun!
2. Favorite food or drink (or both)?
Anything with chocolate. Or ginger. Or chocolate and ginger.
3. [This one may be a tad personal, so feel free to ask for another question if it is!] What do you think are the most important issues facing people with disabilities today, and why?
Yikes. Not so much personal, as big... [And this is the official "in my world" caveat. The Disabled in China, or the Ukraine, or Ghana may disagree] Okay -- It's either:
Actually, now that I think of it, both these things are symptoms of the same issue: Disabled people are recognized as members of their family, but not members of any community wider than that -- we don't exist (as a social entity) outside the closed doors of our private houses.
And why is that important? Because "disability" is a human condition -- not a special condition.
4. One or two books that you think more people should read? Spell of the Sensuous: Perception and Language in the More-Than-Human World By David Abram (nonfiction) and Sister Water by Nancy Willard (fiction -- I got the hardcover edition, back before it had that second part of the title in parentheses...)
5. Pet peeve(s)? You mean, other than #3? The misuse of who and whom -- especially by narrators of the news and TV commercials. And the fact that I can't get away from crime or medicine procedurals on my television -- surely, there are other interesting types of stories to tell (and no, "reality television" is not an option).
[ETA: Oh, yeah -- almost forgot -- if you want questions, leave a reply!]
Yes! I did! I drew it as part of NaArMaMo (LiveJournal Comm)! You should join! it's fun!
2. Favorite food or drink (or both)?
Anything with chocolate. Or ginger. Or chocolate and ginger.
3. [This one may be a tad personal, so feel free to ask for another question if it is!] What do you think are the most important issues facing people with disabilities today, and why?
Yikes. Not so much personal, as big... [And this is the official "in my world" caveat. The Disabled in China, or the Ukraine, or Ghana may disagree] Okay -- It's either:
- that People with Disabilities become invisible (according to beaurocracies) between the ages of 18 and 65 -- or whatever the legal years between adulthood and elder-hood in your country are -- Lots of information and professional help, and glossy brochures, offered to parents of disabled children. Lots of attention in the news media and by politicians for those over 65 (but then, the folks are classed as "seniors" -- not the "Disabled", so Disability still has no political clout as a social identity, even though we're 20% of the overall population, according to the US Census Beaurough -- and the British equivalent, if I'm not mistaken)
or: - Visitability: a movement and philosophy that says every new house built should meet minimum requirements for accessibility for the Disabled -- not just the disabled person's own home, which is what happens now.
So, for example, my front door is the only door in my neighboorhood that I can knock on. My own doorbell is the only bell I can ring. So I can't visit the neighbors to borrow the proverbial cup of sugar, or leave a pot of chicken soup on the stoop, if I hear they're feeling poorly. or get invited to a dinner party, or anything else.
Actually, now that I think of it, both these things are symptoms of the same issue: Disabled people are recognized as members of their family, but not members of any community wider than that -- we don't exist (as a social entity) outside the closed doors of our private houses.
And why is that important? Because "disability" is a human condition -- not a special condition.
4. One or two books that you think more people should read? Spell of the Sensuous: Perception and Language in the More-Than-Human World By David Abram (nonfiction) and Sister Water by Nancy Willard (fiction -- I got the hardcover edition, back before it had that second part of the title in parentheses...)
5. Pet peeve(s)? You mean, other than #3? The misuse of who and whom -- especially by narrators of the news and TV commercials. And the fact that I can't get away from crime or medicine procedurals on my television -- surely, there are other interesting types of stories to tell (and no, "reality television" is not an option).
[ETA: Oh, yeah -- almost forgot -- if you want questions, leave a reply!]
no subject
Date: 2011-06-17 09:47 am (UTC)That's a very interesting observation, thank you for that. I think that can be applied to mental illnesses and conditions, too: the whole, "leave your problems at home, we don't want to see it" mentality that forces people to put on the happy face or face further ostracisation from their social circles (if they have any).
no subject
Date: 2011-06-17 06:09 pm (UTC)So, according to this belief, the number one priority is to hide the "marked" people at all costs. So people with visible disabilities are shamed if they don't seek a cure (and 'cure' is defined as eliminating the visible symptoms, even if the visible symptoms have nothing to do with actual health). And people with invisible disabilities are shamed if they do seek a cure -- or even treatment.
And why, twenty-one years after the passage of the ADA, providing employment for the disabled (at less than minimum wage) is treated like a fucking charity instead of the Law!* And how the only teeth the ADA has is that it "allows" individuals to sue on an individual basis. Which, you know, really creates a warm and fuzzy relationship with established businesses and institutions in the community, and is so easy to do if you have limited spoons and are subsisting on less than $700 a month from Social Security...
Which is why I've decided to adopt the monster as the emblem of my self-identity. Yeah -- I'm a warning that something has got to change in this society -- you better believe it!!
*The regional charity for employing people with Disabilities around here is Eggleston Services, which trains people in one of three main areas: hospital laundrymats, putting labels on pill bottles, and document shredding... Of course, they wouldn't think of providing training for jobs where workers would have the burden of interacting with the public.
no subject
Date: 2011-06-18 06:58 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-06-18 07:16 am (UTC)Packing raw eggs into cartons on an assembly line.
Oh, yeah, for me, with my CP that screws up my balance (and my sense of rhythm and timing) and makes my hands go spastic and drop things when I'm startled. ... That'd be a job that's perfect for me!
...Plus, I lived outside the region with the state-provided accessible transportation, and even at a 49-hour week, I would be losing money to pay the taxi every day to get to said factory job.
And that was her best offer...
no subject
Date: 2011-06-17 10:17 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-06-18 06:59 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-06-18 07:06 am (UTC)