WHY I DON’T PULL PUNCHES ON SOCIAL MEDIA

I AM PROUD TO SHARE MY ADVOCACY FOR EQUITY, MY SHAMING OF BIGOTRY, WITH ALL – REGARDLESS OF THE CONSEQUENCES

"Republicans buy shoes too.”  That was Michael Jordan’s famous reported response to why he didn’t use his immense influence, talent, stardom and wealth to speak up for progressive causes or speaking out against policies and politicians that continue to hurt marginalized people.

MJ, famous for years for being apolitical, has a right to do whatever he wants to. Years after retiring, he broke his silence and condemned the deaths of African Americans at the hands of law enforcement.  If had his bank account, I would not have waited so long to be fearless in calling out discrimination both overt and subtle -- damn the celebrity, fame, adulation and shoe contracts.

Actually, I’m pretty sure Jordan’s sofa change is worth much more than my accumulated net worth from 55 years on this planet.  And I take discrimination and inequity to task almost daily…on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, this blog and in nationally-published essays.

Most often, I take on policy and design that continues to enslave people with disabilities in poverty, underemployment, unemployment, substandard housing and worse.

I also have no trouble calling out local, state and federal officials for any act that is corrupt, hateful, arrogant, abusive or unethical.

More than a dozen friends have quietly, privately told me to knock it off. That I have probably offended a potential client or killed the chance for repeat business from a client who loves bullying, bigoted politicians and “leaders.”

They tell me I can ill-afford to rail against paving over park land, sweetheart deals to billionaires, bigoted/biased policies, demagoguery and other things infecting government on all levels.

Acquaintances have pleaded with me to take down posts that outline why Donald Trump is a white supremacist, a liar, a crook, a cheat, a person who mocks people with disabilities and plots to take away what little access to health care and social safety net that remains for them.

Maybe I’m a fool. But I’m a fool who sleeps soundly. A fool that will leave this world with his good name.

I am trained as a journalist. My DNA screams to me to shine a light on evil, corruption, hatred, racism, sexism, homophobia.

People are willing to think whatever they want, vote for whatever authoritarian, destroying of democracy that appeals to them.

But if they cannot work with me because I believe in social justice, in affordable housing, in a vast safety net, in equity in planning, transit, parks, infrastructure and mobility for all – then that’s their problem.

My work arrangements are like mini marriages. We have each other’s back. We can confide in each other. Trust, honesty and decency are treasured.

It is our duty, as Americans, to fight for equality. To shame elected and appointed officials who spew hatred and damage lives.

I honor that duty with most every word that comes out of my mouth, with virtually each word I type on my keyboard.

If that renders all my experience, talent, creativity and collaborative spirit void, then so be it.

Guess I’ll never have the wealth of Air Jordan. Guess we’ll have to get by with one small house, flying coach and investing wisely.

I cannot, will not, compromise my values for the dollar.

 

WE NEED TO MAKE THE MEDICAL BUILT ENVIRONMENT ACCESSIBLE TO EVERYONE

THE MOST DREADED DISEASE OF ALL

By Heidi Johnson-Wright 

I like my breasts. I truly do.

They’re nothing special -- certainly not Playboy caliber. But they’re mine. And I’d like to keep them healthy.

Which is why I was disturbed the other day when I passed by a pink mobile mammogram RV. It was parked on a public plaza to motivate women to stop by and have breast imaging done.

I’m all for that. Anything that can detect cancer early on is a godsend. But what stuck in my craw were the four steps at the entrance of the RV. I circled the vehicle but saw no ramp.

I guess the message is this: access to medical care doesn’t necessarily include access for folks with disabilities.

In the interest of full disclosure, I’d already had my annual mammogram done at a world-class cancer clinic. But I thought about other women with disabilities in my community who, for whatever reason, may not able to go to a conventional facility for imaging. Shouldn’t they be able to stop in and get services at the mammogram RV, like anyone else?

It got me thinking. I thought back to my mammogram the previous month. Although the machine’s height was adjustable, there was no way I could have contorted myself into position without standing upright. Because even though I use a wheelchair as my primary means of mobility, I can stand and walk a few steps.

What about others – such as women with spinal cord injuries -- who cannot stand up for a few moments to complete the imaging? And why aren’t people designing imaging machines that are accessible to people with disabilities? If such machines exist, why wouldn’t a major cancer clinic with a stellar reputation have one?

Then I remember how, a couple years ago, I needed a breast ultrasound to supplement the mammography. That same clinic’s ultrasound rooms were so small, I had to park my wheelchair in the hallway and walk into the room to have the test done.

This made me angry, which then jogged my mind further. I remembered how I’ve been going to the same rheumatologist – a wonderful doctor whom I adore -- for 13 years. And though his clientele consists primarily of arthritics who have chronic pain and struggle with limited mobility, none of his exam tables have adjustable height. Should he need me to get up on the table, I would have to either pole vault onto it, or be lifted by a couple of his staffers. Both options are unpleasant and quite frankly, should not even have to be considered.

More memories flooded my brain. I recalled my week-long hospitalization after major hip surgery last year. My room was located on the orthopedic unit, yet the bathroom was inaccessible to me. My surgeon allowed me to get out of bed and use the commode -- even encouraged it. But I couldn’t because the hospital could not provide a garden-variety seat riser. I was also denied a shower because the bathroom had a tub shower but no transfer bench.

Access to health care, from financial and even geographical perspectives, is challenging enough as it is. Why should folks with disabilities have additional hurdles that make them struggle for -- or even  forego -- medical care in one of the most prosperous, developed countries in the world?

I ask the question, yet I already know the answer.

Because ableism -- discrimination in favor of able-bodied people -- is as prevalent and destructive as cancer has ever been.

http://earthboundtomboy.blogspot.com/2014/11/the-most-dreaded-disease-of-all.html