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When we think differently, we'll act differently!
We can believe what we choose. We are answerable for what we choose to believe. John Henry Newman
Our perceptions and attitudes lay the foundation for our actions. From the big, overarching issues (like social policies and laws) to the daily actions of individuals (how you and I think, act, and talk), attitudes and perceptions are at the core of societal and individual actions. And how do our attitudes and actions impact men, women, boys, and girls who happen to have conditions we call disabilities?
Your articles open the eyes of the staff that I work with. Keep up the passion you have for this. Systems change happens a little at a time, but we will spread the word. Many people have responded to your insights, telling me they had never before viewed people with disabilities in the light that you shine upon the issues.
Jim, person with a disability and professional in the field, Nebraska |
Long ago, I realized that my attitude is a choice . . . and so is yours. And the attitudes we choose to embrace can have a profound impact on people with disabilities, for better or worse.
Our attitudes and actions can result in the segregation, isolation, dependence, helplessness, and other less than desirable outcomes, for children and adults with disabilities. During the past two decades, as the parent of a child with a disability, an author, trainer, and activist, I've been the lucky recipient of the wisdom of children and adults with developmental disabilities and their families, and much of what I'll share with you is what I've learned from them. Over and over again, adults with developmental disabilities have shared this sentiment: "It's not my disability that gets in the way of my being successful, it's how I feel about myself." For if a person has spent a lifetime being segregated, devalued, and prevented from experiencing an ordinary life, based on having a developmental disability (a fate that's all too common for millions), it's hard to escape the shackles of a life-long, substandard existence.
On the other hand, our attitudes and actions can help ensure a person with a disability is included at home, school, and in the community; enjoys a self-directed life, with the needed assistive technology, supports, and accommodations; and lives the life of his or her dreams! It can happen; it is happening for my son and many others with disabilities.
As you read the articles in this section (and other sections, too), I hope your heart will be opened to the realization that disability is not the "problem." Instead, the real problems facing people with disabilities are attitudes and perceptions. Thus, the first step on the path to change requires a change in our perspectives.
I want to stay as close to the edge as I can without going over. Out on the edge you can see all kinds of things you can't see from the center. Big, undreamed-of-things—the people on the edge see them first. Kurt Vonnegut in "Player Piano"
Let's get on the edge and stay there—the articles in this section can help you get there—for a new view that can lead to practical and positive actions in our own lives and the lives of children and adults with disabilities. Attitude is everything.
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A brief review of conventional wisdom—past and present—can help us recognize the need for, and the importance of, embracing a new way of thinking about disability!
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What is a disability? Is it really the defining characteristic about a person or a collection of social constructs we've created? Oh, how things can change when we see things differently!
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Epictetus, a philosopher in ancient Roman times, had profound wisdom about “conventional thinking,” “tests of rationality,” “humaneness, justice, possibility” and much more. What if we apply the wisdom of Epictetus to disability issues?
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Great efforts are expended to help or treat the bodies and brains of children and adults with disabilities. But maybe our efforts would yield more positive outcomes if we focused on their hearts and minds!
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A “failure of imagination” has been cited as a factor in several national catastrophes. What if we had an “abundance of imagination,” and what if we applied these two concepts to disability issues?
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The "Right" to a Normal Life |
To many, the most important “right” is “getting services.” But what about the “right” to a normal life, instead of a “special” life? You'll find some interesting questions and answers in this article!
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Inclusion: The Natural State |
Inclusion is not a right that must be earned; it is the natural state, for every person is born included! So why are so many people with disabilities still segregated? Imagine the possibilities when a belief in inclusion is our highest operating principle.
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The MORAL Imperative of Inclusion |
The Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision deemed separate educational facilities to be illegal and "inherently unequal." Yet many people with disabilities are still in separate facilities. Inclusion isn’t just a legal issue, but a moral and ethical one, as well.
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Which Should Be Defended: Inclusion or Segregation? |
Segregated programs for people with disabilities seem to be the dominant practice. Thus, proponents of inclusion are often considered “radical,” and feel they must defend their position. But since all people are born included, which practice should be defended?
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It seems we should be moving toward greater inclusion. But segregated activities are taking us backwards—and like segregated education in an earlier time, these activities are separate and unequal.
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Children and adults with disabilities are routinely placed in segregated settings, ostensibly “for their own good.” But what lessons are learned in these environments, and can the lessons ever be unlearned?
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Presume Competence: Challenging Conventional Wisdom |
In our judicial system, a person is presumed innocent. Similarly, in every day life, people are presumed competent. But millions of children and adults are routinely presumed to be incompetent, on the basis of disability! It’s time to end this prejudical practice, once and for all.
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Do Disability Organizations Presume Competence? |
Many organizations claim to represent the interests of children and adults with disabilities. But they may also operate in ways that perpetuate the presumed incompetent paradigm of people with disabilities. It’s time for self-examination!
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Eliminating the Presumed Incompetence Paradigm |
Parents and/or people with disabilities have to routinely defend against the Presumed Incompetent mentality. But in so doing, they may inadvertently reinforce the mentality they’re arguing against! The strategies in this article can help eliminate this harmful practice.
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Many children and adults spend years receiving therapies and interventions in order to achieve “quality of life.” But is there a definition of quality of life we can all agree on? And can one person measure the quality of life of another? Let’s think about this...
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“He had a ‘behavior’,” is heard far too often today. What are we really saying, and what’s the person with a disability trying to tell us with his behavior?
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The Disability Double Standard |
It seems we have one set of rules for people without disabilities, and another set for people with disabilities. Let’s eliminate this double standard and create positive change in the process!
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When is a Disability Not a Disability? |
What is a disability? Is there a universally-accepted definition? And what difference does it make? It makes all the difference in the world to the prople who have received a disability diagnosis!
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Life is Not a Dress Rehearsal |
“Not ready” is a familiar refrain used about children and adults with disabilities. But is it accurate? Is it fair? Is it the standard we apply to people without disabilities? People with disabilities are “ready”—right now!
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From Inconvenient to Ordinary |
Change is constant, and the “new” may initially seem inconvenient, but it soon becomes ordinary. The same can be true about the inclusion of people with disabilities in schools, jobs, and ordinary activities!
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Benevolent Services, Dangerous Messages |
A variety of benevolent services are provided for people with disabilities. But these same services can also carry dangerous messages for children and adults and their families.
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We seem to recognize the power of peer group influence in most instances, but we sometimes fail to recognize this power in the lives of people with disabilities. The results of this failure are mixed messages and less-than-desirable outcomes, so it’s time to make some positive changes!
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No, Not "Special" - They Are Ordinary Needs |
To be successful at home, school, or work, everyone needs assistive technology, accommodations, and supports. Isn’t it time to recognize the “ordinary” needs of people who happen to have disabilities?
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Why Do We Have Parallel Worlds? |
Compare the lives of people with and without disabilities, and it's easy to see that Disability World and the Real World exist as parallel worlds. Let’s make the Real World the norm for everyone!
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Personal Responsibility vs. The Nanny State |
Most of us want to be responsible for our own lives. Why don’t we expect the same from children and adults with disabilities? What will it take to ensure people with disabilities experience the joy and pride of personal responsibility?
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Self-Determination for All! |
What is self-determination and who needs it? What's the difference between "true" self-determination and self-determination "projects"? What needs to happen to ensure children and adults have the opportunities to lead self-determined lives!
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What if we were more curious about children and adults with disabilities? Could we learn more, become wiser, and be more effective in helping them to live the lives of their dreams?
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The Dental Patient by Roy Gerstenberger |
In this eye-opening article, a human services agency director ponders the relationship between people with disabilities and the service system, and asks some important questions for us to consider.
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The Entitlement Mentality |
Entitlements are good, yes? Maybe, maybe not. They can be helpful, but they can also be harmful if they lead to dependency, helplessness, and other unintended negative consequences. The Entitlement Mentality can often rob us of our common sense.
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The “Combating Autism Act,” the recommendation to test all pregnant women for the presence of Down syndrome in their babies, and other events focus on “cure and prevention.” What’s the real message of these actions, and where are they taking us?
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Many individuals with disabilities develop wonderful compensatory abilities, which may be invisible to (and ignored by) others. What might happen when we begin to see these abilities?
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“First, do no harm,” is a sentiment we’re familiar with. On a regular basis, we work diligently to help children and/or adults with disabilities. But in the process, is it possible we could also be causing harm?
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People as Precious Commodities |
They're not listed on the stock exchange, but children and adults with disabilities constitute a precious commodity: they are, unfortunately, the raw material of a gargantuan human services industry.
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From Pity to Equality: What's Your Position? |
Like the patchwork of a quilt, we all fit together and touch one another. And our positions—our attitudes and actions—impact the children and adults with disabilities in our lives. Have you thought about your position lately?
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Is one disability “better” or “worse” than another? What happens when we compare diagnoses and rank people in a hierarchy? It’s an all-too-common practice that we can happily end!
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The idea of “services” warms the cockles of many hearts: “recipients” may be grateful for the help and “providers” may be proud of their efforts. This is a view from afar; up close, things may look differently.
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Is it possible you might have "mathematics disorder" or even the dreaded "noncompliance with treatment disorder"? We're treading treacherous waters when we embrace all the nonsense in the DSM-IV.
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Each film in The Lord of the Rings trilogy has much to offer in how we think and feel about people who have disabilities and/or differences...and we can learn lots about the gift of fellowship!
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Every day, the lives of children and adults with disabilities are entrusted to service providers, educators, and others. Do these "trustees" understand the value of this trust?
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When we see a person primarily through the lens of the disability, we may be unable to see anything beyond the diagnosis. Let’s go beyond tunnel vision so we can see a person’s strengths, abilities, talents, etc., as well as options, possibilities, and strategies to ensure a person can live the life of his or her dreams!
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The Disability-Industrial Complex |
Long ago, President Eisenhower warned about the “military-industrial complex.” Should we also be concerned about the “disability-industrial complex” that impacts so many lives?
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When your parents bought your first bike, did you know how to ride it? Probably not, but your parents presumed competence and believed you could learn. Isn't it time to do the same for people with disabilities?
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In Employment: Who's Talking the Talk, But Not Walking the Walk? |
From coast to coast, many human service agencies exist to help people with disabilities, and they share a common mantra: “People with disabilities should work, live, and play in the community.” They talk the talk, but do they walk the walk?
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The Value of Being a Skeptic |
What can happen when we wonder and ask questions about diagnoses, prognoses, treatments, and more? What great things can happen when we don't believe everything we're told?
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A thoughtful list of musings...Time spent thinking and wondering might help us move in a new and better direction.
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FIRE! And Lessons Learned |
Our family learned valuable lessons from a forest fire...lessons about peaceful coexistence with nature and more. What if we applied those lessons to disability issues?
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A Thoughtful Analogy: Free the Giraffes! |
Donna, an outstanding artist, a wise woman, and a person with autism, shares extraordinary wisdom in her story about freeing the giraffes.
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The Magic (and Lessons) of Movies |
Movies aren't just magical entertainment. They can also provide valuable lessons that can have a positive impact on the lives of people with disabilities and their families.
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Spiderman, Star Wars, and Disability |
Our family loves movies: we saw Spiderman and Star Wars: Attack of the Clones on the first day of release. When we pause and reflect, many movies offer important lessons about disability issues.
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