DISABLED
IN
AMERICA
Rob Crawford 2009

Did you know that October is
Disability Awareness Month ?*
* So, what should I be aware of?

In spite of significant political changes providing
people with disabilities greater independence and
opportunities for greater participation in American
society…

Changes in public attitude about disability
have followed at a slow pace in response.

Disability plays a role in how people
view & treat each other in society.

American culture places high value on self-control,
free will, individual responsibility & expects one to
exert self-control over their behavior.

American culture is driven by always
being
BEST
SUCCESSFUL
WINNER
RIGHT

SO, MAYBE THIS EXPLAINS OUR DIFFICULTY IN
ASKING FOR DIRECTIONS OR HELP?!

These values coupled with ignorance have led to a
public view of disability as a sign of character flaw-
whether of the person or of the family.
Photo courtesy of DRSPAM @ FLICKR

Erroneous views create prejudicial attitudes,
which often result in exclusion of the
individual by the community (or even by the
family).

The stigma of disability
Stigma defined:
“Being characterized as deviant, flawed,
limited, undesirable, or not measuring up in
some way.”

Major contributors to stigma
GUILT
BIAS

A stigma becomes attached to the individual
or the entire family, while at the same time
elevating temporarily able-bodied persons*
allowing them to justify rejecting, neglecting,
or even eliminating the disabled.
* at least in their own mind

What are
some core
societal beliefs
about
disability?

SINFUL &
CURSED

Based as they are on misinformation,
these attitudes about
disability and the disabled reflect
fear, embarrassment, guilt, anger,
prejudice, or lack of caring.

SICKNESS

These lead to equating disability with
something negative or wrong—a
valuation which easily attaches to the
individual.

BROKEN

So that the disabled person is seen as
negative, diseased, incomplete, unworthy
of living, or someone to be ignored or
discarded.

IS BEING
DIFFERENT
THAN YOU
MEAN
I AM
DISPOSABLE?

C’mon,
Tell me what
IS BEING you really
think!
DIFFERENT
THAN YOU
MEAN
I AM
DISPOSABLE?

This is not to suggest a nationwide
effort of “disability profiling”

You are not allowed
to be disabled, do
you understand me
maggot?
Photo courtesy of BxMafiaX/R_LEE_ERMY.jpg

But Americans with Disabilities
are not considered a minority
class or part of a recognized
community

They can
too
easily
become
“The
Other”

A principal element of subjugation of a minority
group is the assumption of biological inferiority by
the majority.

While other minority groups have succeeded in
invalidating this theory

The physical, mental & behavioral
differences of people with disabilities
have perpetuated the perception of
subordinate status.

For Americans with disabilities
disrespect is common, tolerance of it
varies, true understanding and
acceptance are uncommon outside of
personal or family experience

We also have our own identity issues.
For example, some of us don’t acknowledge
or identify themselves as disabled.
They view themselves as a separate culture.

Others “declare” their status in a political manner
and refer to themselves as disabled persons.
In this view, it is the environment and society that
create the condition of disability.
To change this external limitation is to confront
that system of control- similar to the Women’s
Rights, La Raza, and Black Power movements

The largest segment of this group look at
themselves as a person with a disability.
This “person first” language stresses the
individual value & humanity of each individual
who happens to also have a condition/s
creating functional limitations in certain
environments and situations.

Disability stereotypes and public mythology
notwithstanding,
in nearly all situations, for real people living with
disability it is not something you overcome, change,
or cure….
it is managed by many coping and compensatory
strategies.

Consider the balancing act necessary
to be a part of the community rather
than be apart from it.

THE “SIMPLEST” TASKS PRESENT BARRIERS*
*This is some of that disability awareness stuff

THE “SIMPLEST” TASKS PRESENT BARRIERS
How do you dial the phone
if you don’t have hands?

THE “SIMPLEST” TASKS PRESENT BARRIERS
How do you dial the phone
if you don’t have hands?
Reach the phone w/
Muscular Dystrophy &
are in a wheel chair?

THE “SIMPLEST” TASKS PRESENT BARRIERS
How do you dial the phone
if you don’t have hands?
Reach the phone w/
Muscular Dystrophy & are
in a wheel chair?
Quickly & accurately
process the instructions if
dyslexic?

THE “SIMPLEST” TASKS PRESENT BARRIERS
How do you dial the phone
if you don’t have hands?
Reach the phone w/
Muscular Dystrophy & are
in a wheel chair?
Quickly & accurately
process the instructions
if dyslexic?
Touch the germ-infested
phone if you have
obsessive compulsive
issues?

To be Disabled in America is a challenge for most
people.

We are not superheroes for finding ways
to do what other people take for granted

We have just learned how “to
play hurt”

A few other things to know about us…

Item: If disability were a country

Item: If disability were a country
It would be the 3rd largest behind China and
India with 750 million people

Item: If disability were a state in the US

Item: If disability were a state in the US
It would be the largest in the country
with 56 million residents

Item: If disability were a brand

Item: If disability were a brand
It would be a consumer segment of $250 Billion dollars

Item: If disability were a political
party

Item: If disability were a political
party
With an estimated
37.5 million eligible
voters, disability rights
is an emerging brand of
identity politics.

So… Red or Blue, we’re pretty much
nationwide.

And whatever our differences may be about the
nature and experience of being disabled in America

There is growing
recognition that our
values and desires for
quality of life and fair
treatment are unifying
forces for change

Photo courtesy of DRSPAM @ FLICKR

Where we are viewed as whole human beings,
not human beings with holes in them

We invite you to help build a world that will solve
for others what we have struggled with so much
ourselves

Find a way to get
involved and
contribute to the
national dialogue
about being Disabled
in America
Rob Crawford
Email: lifedevelopmentinstitute@gmail.com
Images from Istock Photo and Microsoft Clipart except where noted