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REVOLUTIONARY COMMON SENSE LIBRARY
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Ability
to Choose + Helpful Tools =
Success!
Revolutionary Common Sense by Kathie Snow
www.disabilityisnatural.com
On one of our family’s many excursions to the movie theater, I witnessed an event that’s all too common. And it illustrated the dire experiences of many individuals with disabilities who are unsuccessful simply because they don’t have the ability to choose and the tools they need for success.
We went to see Pirates of the Caribbean and enjoyed ourselves immensely.
For many years, our son, Benjamin, wanted to be taken out of his wheelchair
so he could sit in a theater seat. At 16, however, he decided he wanted
to stay in his wheelchair, so we took our places in the front of the theater
where wheelchair access is provided.
Minutes before the feature started in the already-darkened theater, a woman
pushing a stroller entered, accompanied by several other people. She was
Ms. Bossy—barking
instructions—as she led the group to the other side of the wheelchair accessible
seating and parked the stroller. However, the person in the stroller wasn’t
a child. He appeared to be a 20-something young man with cerebral palsy (the
same condition as my son). In addition to the Man in the Stroller—it’s
hard for me to even write those words—there was a teenage boy who signed
and two other adults who appeared to have disabilities. It seemed that Ms. Bossy
was probably a foster parent or an official “caretaker” of the group,
and this was probably a “community outing.”
After Ms. Bossy got everyone situated (without any popcorn, candy, or drinks),
the Man in the Stroller began grunting loudly and often. Others in the
theater—and
Ms. Bossy—may have assumed the worst (that the sounds were nonsense), but
I assumed he was probably excited about being at the movies (like we were)! It
was hard to know exactly what he was feeling, however, since his speech was hard
to understand and he didn’t have a communication device. Every time he
grunted—expressing himself—Ms. Bossy tried to silence him with, “Chill!
Chill!” Her efforts had little effect. Numerous grunts were followed by
an even more menacing, “I said chill!” I began to wonder if one or
more of the man’s grunts could have meant, “Where’s the popcorn?” or “When
will the movie start?” or even, “Why don’t you chill?”
It was painful to watch and listen to what was happening fifteen feet from
us. It was hard to imagine what the Man in the Stroller—and the other people—felt,
being treated like that.
Once the movie started, the Man in the Stroller did what everyone else did:
became quiet and watched intently, and he seemed to enjoy the antics and
actions of Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, and the other pirates.
I planned to exchange greetings with the group after the movie, but the instant
the film ended, Ms. Bossy quickly herded her charges out. Then Benjamin asked
me about the group—specifically, why the man was in a stroller, and why
he didn’t have a power wheelchair and a communication device. Why,
indeed?
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But, first, a pause:
when we wonder why so many people with disabilities are isolated
in the segregated settings of group homes, sheltered work/day programs, special
ed rooms, and other places of exclusion, we can do the “Duh!” exercise
(strike forehead with heel of the hand) and exclaim, “Because they don’t
have the tools they need for success!”
There’s little doubt that if the Man in the Stroller had a power wheelchair
and a communication device (or some form of effective communication), he would
not have been in a movie theater with Ms. Bossy yelling, “Chill!” Instead,
he might have had a real job, a real home, and real friends. (And if someone
did tell him to “Chill,” he could tell ’em off, turn
on his wheels, and leave!)
I could not answer my son’s questions about why the Man in the Stroller
didn’t have the assistive technology devices he needed. I could only guess.
And one guess was that someone (or several someones) did not believe the man
had the ability to drive a power chair or use a communication device—maybe
no one cared enough to even let him try. Alternatively, perhaps he could use
either or both of those devices, but he didn’t get approval from
Medicaid, and no one went to bat for him.
Did the man choose to be pushed in a stroller instead of using a power
wheelchair? Did he choose to have no effective method to communicate?
Did he choose to spend time with a woman who tried to keep him quiet
with numerous commands to “Chill”?
I don’t think so. And did he choose to see Pirates
of the Caribbean, or would he have preferred Terminator
3: Rise of the Machines or some
other film that day?
We could ask similar questions about children who may need assistive
technology devices. If given a choice, would a child choose to be pushed
in a manual wheelchair (at the convenience of the pusher) or would
she choose to drive a power chair so she can go when/where she wants?
Would she choose to be in a segregated classroom, where functional
life skills are considered more important than academics, or would
she choose to be in a general ed class with educators who had high
expectations for her, where she could make friends, and be a Real Kid?
Would people without disabilities succeed without the tools they need
for success? Would they be employed if they didn’t have effective transportation to/from
work and other places, as well as things like computers, telephones, and other
tools at their fingertips? Without these tools, success would be a dream that
is always out of reach. It’s no different for children and adults with
disabilities. Moreover, if you’re a person without a disability, would
you allow others to have power over you—power to deny your
basic right to make choices about your own life?
Many children remain in segregated special ed rooms because they
don’t
have mobility, communication, a way to produce written communication, and more.
But with tools—power wheelchairs, communication devices, computers, or
whatever they need—they could. Many adults remain unemployed (and hidden
away in sheltered environments) for the same reasons. But let’s get even
more basic: people with disabilities are routinely denied freedom of speech and
the freedom of independent mobility. They don’t have the
equipment that would enable them to make the same kind of choices
which most of us take for granted. How can we allow this to happen?
Freedom of speech is one of the cornerstones of basic human rights
and democracy, as well as being the First Amendment to the U.S.
Constitution.
We shouldn’t blame individuals with disabilities for their lack of success
until we examine our own actions (or inactions). Our lack of vision and half-hearted
commitment has ensured that many people with disabilities remain in the margins
of society—demeaned, dependent, and without choice. But we can do better!
When we ensure the children and adults with disabilities in our lives have the
tools they need so they can make their own choices, we’ll also ensure they’ll
enjoy the success they so richly deserve!
©2003-07 Kathie Snow; all rights reserved. Permission is granted for non-commercial use of this article: you may print this web page and photocopy it to share with others. Click here to download the PDF handout version of the article. As a courtesy, please tell me (kathie@disabilityisnatural.com) how/when you use it. This is the intellectual property of Kathie Snow and is protected by Copyscape: permission is required before republishing in newsletters, on websites, etc. Clip art from Adobe In-Design.
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Our words reflect the way we think, so let's get rid of descriptors like "handicapped, physically disabled, mentally retarded, learning disabled" and other words that focus on the condition instead of the person. People First Language promotes dignity and respect for all!
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