DEHUMANIZING WORDS HURT PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES
Caretaker = person who cares for a thing.
Dear ableist journalists.
Stop referring to those who care for people
with disabilities as caretakers.
First, it is inaccurate.
Journalism depends on accuracy.
Second, labeling a person as a thing dehumanizes
PWDs when they deserve dignity and identity.
Words Matter.
YOU ARE NOT QUALIFIED AND MUST QUIT YOUR JOB
City
official: "It denies access to people with disabilities, but it
technically meets code. So there's nothing we can do."
Me: Fix your
broken code.
Laws
prevented women from voting & deemed Black people 3/5ths of a human being.
Just because
it's the law doesn't mean it's right.
Perpetuating
discrimination is NEVER following the rule of law.
IN PRESTIGIOUS "WHAT MAKES A GREAT PLACE?” SERIES PUBLISHED BY PROJECT FOR PUBLIC SPACES
I am
available as a keynote speaker & workshop leader on making your place more inclusive.
Here’s my
part of the story:
For example,
in the words of Steve Wright, an inclusive public space advocate who works in
development and universal design, our streets and shared spaces often “give
this image that if you use any kind of assisted mobility device, you are a
second- or third-class citizen.”
And though
physical mobility is by no means the only aspect of accessibility, its barriers
are some of the easiest to spot: out-of-the-way ramps, sidewalks blocked with
electric scooters or scaffolding, or non-functioning wheelchair lifts.
Not only
does this cut people off from what a place has to offer, but it also hinders
their ability to tap into a sense of belonging and social access.
THAT’S A MAJOR NEWS STORY
It would be nothing short of unjust, in this era of heightened awareness, to report on every aspect of inclusion
— with the exception of people with disabilities and the
landmark ADA.
THAT’S A MAJOR NEWS STORY
We must press on. We must protect the ADA and hope for more.
Inclusion is the name of the game in America.
Every right-minded, good-hearted person is
peacefully marching, voting with their dollars and making changes in their
workplaces and personal behavior to ramp up equality.
THAT’S A MAJOR NEWS STORY
I am happy we have the ADA.
When it passed, did I think the built environment would be 100-fold more accessible after 30 years of it on the books?
Yes.
Am I deeply disappointed that sidewalks, parks, pools and other public spaces — as well as restaurants, retailers, hotels and taxi/rideshare vehicles — are still routinely inaccessible to my wife and others who use wheelchairs for mobility?
A disgusted, resounding yes is the unfortunate answer.
THAT’S A MAJOR NEWS STORY
I hope every newspaper, from the great old newspapers of record to the smallest daily in Middle America;
every television station, from the highest rated network news to the smallest cable access show;
and every radio news program, from Washington D.C. to low watt operation in the Rocky Mountains;
has its best
reporters, columnists and anchors working on ADA stories.
THAT’S A MAJOR NEWS STORY
Countless people of all ages have died of COVID in nursing homes and similar facilities — because despite being the wealthiest of nations, we prefer to warehouse people with disabilities in substandard conditions.
The rights
of people with disabilities must be researched, explored and explained by
dogged journalists.
THAT’S A MAJOR NEWS STORY
Incredibly GOP’s standard bearer, while serving as president of the U.S., willfully mocked disabled people in front of the entire nation.
He then rubbed salt in the wounds
by smirkingly acting like nothing was wrong with it, while steadfastly refusing
to apologize.
This is why the ADA — its gains, its failures, its impact, its future and any threats to its existence — MUST be explored in depth by every news organization.
The media
is our last defense in protecting diversity while ensuring rights for all.
THAT’S A MAJOR NEWS STORY
The ADA has accomplished a lot over the three decades that it has been enforced as federal civil rights legislation.
It should be
noted that it was approved with bipartisan support, with a Republican in the
White House.
THAT’S A MAJOR NEWS STORY
I am urging journalists to be aware of this lack in coverage.
When the 30th anniversary of
unique legislation to protect civil rights of people with disabilities took
place in 2020, the lack of coverage was glaring.
THAT’S A MAJOR NEWS STORY
Do people suffer from housing discrimination because of race, gender, orientation?
Yes.
Is there any minority (other than people with disabilities) limited to less than one percent of all housing?
The answer is a resounding no.
THAT’S A MAJOR NEWS STORY
People with disabilities have long been the most unemployed and under employed of all minority groups.
Less than one percent of all housing in the United States is readily accessible to people who use wheelchairs.
Let that sink in.
THAT’S A MAJOR NEWS STORY
Inequality, discrimination and bigotry — based on race, physical ability, gender, identity, belief system — denies education, housing, jobs and opportunity to deserving people.
At its worst, bigotry can cut a life short.
In a time
when America is taking a long look at police brutality, an out of balance
justice system and fractured public policy — we must all join together to
eliminate all inequities.
THAT’S A MAJOR NEWS STORY
For people
with disabilities, the ADA is their federal civil rights protection — equal to
the Civil Rights Act of 1964, landmark civil rights and labor law that outlaws
discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.
Inclusion of
all people is a key topic of the turbulent times.
