Blog Post #5: Understanding Dis/ability

Examined Life by Judith Butler and Sunaura Taylor

This short film and topic about dis/ability hits close to home given that I work with this population. I've been in the field of human services serving and supporting people with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (IDD) for more than 2 years now. I just have to say that although working in this field can be (and is) very challenging, meeting the individuals I've supported all these years have changed my life for the better. It made me more aware of the differences and uniqueness that each of us possess and how kindness can open up a whole new world of possibilities. Lastly, it made me understand that someone's dis/ability doesn't make them less of a human being compared to others who don't have it.  

What we don't know and what is different is scary
One of the things in the film that I really felt a huge connection with was when Sunaura Taylor talks about how she always goes for a walk and how she tells everyone that she is going for a WALK. Because she is. She further emphasized that she uses the word, walk. Admittedly, for a lot of us, we have a certain idea/ concept on how walking should be and look like. And often times, there lies the fear, confusion and (sometimes) hatred and disgust for people who look and do things differently from what society has engrained in our heads to be the acceptable norm. (It's important to note that this is applicable to a lot of the social issues we face in our current society in terms of how certain people view and treat people of color and  LGBTQ+ folks)

For people with dis/abilities, social acceptability is one of the biggest hindrances in their lives. Although this population is represented (and protected) by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 against discrimination, I believe there's still a huge gap that needs to be bridged in terms of educating the communicating about the value and existence of this population. Local governments need to be on top in ensuring regulations under the ADA 0f 1990 are being implemented and enforced by regulatory agencies such as areas in employment and public accommodations. A great point that Sunaura made was that with more physical access for individuals with IDD, the more avenues for disabled people to be out and about in the world. As a result, people in that community learn to interact and be aware of them that eventually leads to social access and acceptance.

Impairment vs. Dis/ability

Sunaura made a good argument about the difference between impairment and dis/ability. As someone who works in this field, it's heartbreaking when I see how some people would treat and react to my clients when we're out and about in the community. More often than not, we would get the "stare" from doing grocery shopping or when we go to the parks and malls. Some people would even avoid heading our direction if they see us coming their way. In some way, I can't really blame them because they're not used to seeing people with IDD. And this is why I go back to my prior paragraph in bridging the gap and educating the community about the subject matter.

One thing I always do is encourage the use of person-first language. Meaning, putting the person before the dis/ability/ their diagnosis. I want people to get to know my clients as who they are as a person not for their impairment. Unfortunately, people with IDD still face discrimination from society and are deemed inferior or "broken". This is what Sunaura Taylor was saying when she said about dis/ability being the social repression of disabled people. It's the disabling effects of society.

One example I have to illustrate this would be the time I took a client of mine (For this story telling, I'll call him Mike) to a job interview at PriceRite. Mike and I go to this store every week to do grocery shopping. It is in his annual plan to find employment opportunities and so I try to take him everywhere I go and teach him things that can help him be ready for the "real world". Mike is a very capable and handy guy who loves to fix things and just likes to help in general. He's a person with cerebral palsy and is considered as legally blind. Staff from the store knows us due to our regular visits and so when I found out they had an opening for a cart attendant position that apparently has been vacant for almost 2 months, I spoke with one of the staff members and Mike immediately got an interview slot for it. During the interview, the hiring manager asked regular interview questions and Mike nailed every single one of them; I was so proud. But then the manager said that what they have open is for evening hours and that due to his disability (being legally blind), he may not be able to fulfill the duties. I then helped out in explaining about his diagnosis and how it wouldn't be a hindrance for him to do the tasks, especially if we provide him with the tools to assist him with his vision at night such as having him wear a hard hat light. I even offered to shoulder the cost of purchasing one so that the store wouldn't have to shell out money for it. I saw the confused look of the manager as I was explaining it to him. Bottom line, even though Mike checked all the job qualifications for the role, he didn't get the job.