WHEN WRITING
ABOUT PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES
Perhaps in
the near future, my wife and I could speak to the Editorial Board or to news
executives about the portrayal of disabled people in the Herald.
Frankly, I
see far too many references to a person being "wheelchair bound."
It's a
phrase we grew up with, but it is inaccurate.
My wife's
wheelchair is an enabling device.
Just like a
Toyota helps a person get from Hollywood to a downtown Miami job more
efficiently and faster than jogging, my wife's wheelchair is more enabling of
her mobility at work, home and on the road.
She most
certainly is not bound to it when she showers, sleeps, sits in a lounge chair,
etc....no more than a person is bound to his sedan.
We also see
too many stories that over idolize a person with a disability for
overcoming.
It's a worn
out story line.
Maybe there
was an ugly and patronizing time when newspapers wrote about an achieving
African American like it was some kind of against all odds miracle that they
escaped their destiny as a janitor or shoe shine person.
Those
shameful days have ended.
So why is it
that when a wheelchair user needs a boost via Wish Book, or comes back from an
injury to be a workforce leader, that the narrative sounds like we should be
shocked and inspired?
Portraying a
disabled person's overriding purpose as being on earth to inspire the non-disabled
majority....it is no worse than some WWII era portrayal of an African
American's best purpose being a tap dancer or an athlete to entertain the white
majority.
Just some
food for thought for the journalism craft I still love.
--Steve
(Letter emailed to a high-ranking
Herald editor contact more than two years ago.
Still no reply. Guess coverage of
people with disabilities still deserve to be covered like other minorities were
in the bigoted, patronizing era of America.)
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