Disability prejudice

[Zombie]

I read this blog and it made me think about my own prejudices

 

http://pinkagendist....mpics/#comments

 

Why would I want to watch guys in wheelchairs playing basketball? But like many, I've been watching the London Paralympics and been engrossed by the events. If you haven't watched the guys in wheelchairs playing basketball you've still got time to catch the Men's semis today

US v Australia 19:00 [bST]

UK v Canada 21:15 [bST]

 

And the Women's semis tomorrow

UK v Mexico

Canada v China

 

It is as exciting, competitive and action packed as any able bodied team sport. And that's just one of a whole feast of individual and team events

 

And tonight we also get to see 19 yo Jonnie Peacock run against Oscar Pistorius and the other finalists in the Men's T44 100m race. Go Jonnie, go!!

 

 

[joann414]

What a great article. Thanks for sharing. All of us are gulty of this at one time or another in our "normal" lives, being uncomfortable, and not even want to be around someone whom I now consider one of the special people. It just takes us awhile to realise that although they have their problems, physical, or mental, they still have feelings the same as us and want to be treated accordingly.

[W_L]

Thanks for the support

 

As a one eyed guy, I've grown up with disabled people and know how it feels to be looked down upon (so to speak) by "normal" kids. While i can carry and use my blindman's cane, i hate being able to see people jeer at you and make funny faces as they offer you a seat. If i was fully blind i wouldn't know what prejudice looks like, but having partial full sight curses me to see it.

 

I avoid my cane as much as the plague.

Edited September 6, 2012 by W_L

[hh5]

As far as I heard in the Special Olympics ... every one is a winner ... not sure about paralympics

 

I've seen a scene where a regular guy was prejudice about it and was challenged to play basketball using a wheelchair ... its not easy at all

 

Ever ran a mile against a blind man and lost? Its funny ... but what if the regularly guy has a health problem ... then it was a fair race

[Zombie]

Well done Jonnie Peacock, winner of the T44 men's paralympics 100m tonight in 10.9 secs!!

 

 

Nice that Oscar Pistorius embraced him immediately afterwards and was genuinely happy for him

 

[joann414]

Wow, this is great. This young man is to be commended. thanks for sharing

[hh5]

wow could he qualify for the Olympics or is there a risk compare to Pistorius?

[Ysmene]

Wow... this is a hard one for me. I grew up taking lessons in dancing (tap, jazz, acrobatics, ballet.) I even used to teach for awhile

 

But I got diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis a few years back and it's pretty bad. Most people in my condition would be in a wheelchair by now but since I grew up dancing, it's been harder for this disease to kick me down the rabbit hole.

 

On bad days though, I need the help of a walker. I'm only 47! It's so embarrassing and everybody stares at me. On good days, I walk like I'm a little drunk and that's more than just embarrassing. I once actually got harassed by a cop.

 

Most days now I just spend in my house and I practice walking here. Getting a chronic condition like this sure sorts out your friends real quick. I don't have many anymore but I cherish the three I have left.

 

Thanks for this post on disability and prejudice. More people need to get over their prejudice.

[Houdinii]

I gotta say I agree with W_L on the issue. I only have about 20% visibility in one eye, and it's just enough to make out the looks people give me. I too refuse to use a cane unless I'm in a busy city. 90% of the time I can see well enough to at least keep me from getting creamed by a car, but when people pay to much attention to the fact I can't see, I get a lil mad. As it is, I'm a talented chef, an in depth computer science major, a kick ass guitar player, and an all-state hockey jock (Vision was better then, but not perfect), so I did more than many people do in their entire lives, but they try and pity me. Every once in a while they even laugh, say if I walk into a wall or something... I'm blind not deaf A-holes

[hh5]

I think in our world ... we like to view what popular n disgard whats unpopular and promote whats popular

 

We concentrate on those that has the power to spend money on the economy and only accept the perfect embodied human

 

The old, the special, and the disabled ...

we view them as a burden and to have sympathy rather than accepting them as part of our popular culture

This is what politics taught us because its their secret voting weapons during an election year

We never allowed them to exist as equals ...

because they slow down the able body ... they cost more in health care n public walkways

 

In this inequality in our popular culture ... we force them to form special interest groups that needs constant lobbying in the gov't

business charges more for servicing the unpopular than the popular not just because there is a cost but there exist an opportunity to tap into the new territory of making more profits before regulation kicks in to curb tail abuse

 

the question is will we find ourselves in the Logan's Run era? Soylent Green? Max Head Room?

The movies that shows warned us about the future we will face ...

we were warned 30 years ago ...

will we one day mandate that any one that is not able bodied n cost efficient be destroyed?

 

Perhaps a bit of the light of change happen in our 2012 olympics ... perhaps one day we include paralympics as part of the olympics rather than an after event for lessor popular culture?

 

There was extreme worry that prothetics would allow an advantage over the able bodied ... but look there is already enhancing tools in the abled bodied games ... the swim suit .. once was the suit of its day .. but by added technology ... we made the 2008 events unfair ... there are sneakers that give more of a spring into action advantage ... its like the Olympics has become a showcase for the new sports ware ... changing the Olympics from the test of skill to the test of new technology n gadgets

 

what will we do when we have our first cyborg in the next 100 years??

Edited October 4, 2012 by hh5

[Zombie]

From what I've seen the London 2012 Paralympics has had a significant impact on people's perception of disability and sport. Already there's huge interest in the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games and tickets for events with athletes like Oscar Pistorius, Jonnie Peacock and Alan Oliveira will be among the first to sell out. The paralympians have transitioned to become elite sportsmen that people want to see. Not only does that give huge inspiration to people with disabilities but it can only be a positive influence on the way able bodied people regard disability generally.

 

A lot of progress has been made in Britain to address inequalities through law and guidance e.g. employment [disability discrimination is unlawful if it has no bearing on job performance], transport [all public transport must make adequate provision e.g. buses that dip down to the pavement] and access [all public buildings and larger businesses must have disabled access]. In the end I guess everyone pays a little for all this - but that's only right isn't it?

 

The dystopian movies you mentioned, they serve as a warning to us of the future we could face - not "will face" - just as history warns us of the horrific realities of eugenics.

 

As for combining the Olympics and Paralympics it's a great idea and Glasgow 2014 will do this for some events. The problem for the Olympics is the huge scale of the event, and the organisational and delivery difficulties that combining the two would make for what's already a logistical nightmare [and I won't name those who predicted chaos ]. Maybe earlier this year many people did perceive the Paralympics as "an after event" but for everyone that went to see them or watched on telly it seems they found them as exciting and entertaining as the able bodied games.

Edited October 4, 2012 by Zombie

[Cia]

We celebrate athletes that go above and beyond the call of the body's normal capabilities to become the best at what they do, be that swimming, running, throwing, ect ... Athletes with disabilities take that even farther. I think our natural inclination to shy away from anyone different is avoidance due to a 'this can happen to a person ... so could it happen to me?' discomfort. The games going more mainstream can only help people overcome that stigma that society attaches to anyone with problems.

 

On bad days though, I need the help of a walker. I'm only 47! It's so embarrassing and everybody stares at me. On good days, I walk like I'm a little drunk and that's more than just embarrassing.

I feel for you. Due to a car accident when I was 19 I have a bad leg, and frequently have to use a cane when the weather is bad and my hip and knee just don't want to work right. It's that or risk falling. People make judgements without taking the time to get to know you, or why you walk/act/seem a certain way. Being a victim of those who feel free to jump to conclusions tends to make a person re-think their approach in life to others.