ED 377 617

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INSTITUTION

SPONS AGENCY

PUB DATECONTRACTNOTEAVAILABLE FROM

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EDRS PRICEDESCRIPTORS

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EC 303 544

Gregory, Martha Wille, Ed.Disability Awareness: Creating EmploymentOpportunities.Longview Community Coll., Lee's Summit, Mo.; Missouri

Univ., Columbia. Missouri LINC.; Southwest Missouri

State Univ., Springfield.Office of Special Education and RehabilitativeServices (ED), Washington, DC.93H078C20011-9270p.; Article reprints contain filled print.Missouri LINC, University of Missouri-Columbia, 401

E. Stewart Rd., Columbia, MO 65211 (free).

Guides Non-Classroom Use (055) Tests/Evaluation

Instruments (160)

MF01/PC03 Plus Postage.*Attitude Change; Attitudes; *Consciousness Raising;*Disabilities; Disability Discrimination: ElementarySecondary Education; History; *Language Usage; Self

Evaluation (Individuals); Social Discrimination;Values; Workshops

IDENTIFIERS *Education for All Handicapped Children Act

ABSTRACTThis training module is intended to increase

awareness of workshop participants concerning their individual values

and to develop positive attitudes and behaviors toward people with

disabilities. The module includes workshop content (with side notes

to the trainer in italics), overheads, and many handouts. Preliminary

information includes module purpose and overall learning objectives,

a module outline, materials needed for the workshop, and adaptations

for individuals with disabilities. A section on attitudes/values

looks first at the influence of Public Law 94-142 (the Education for

All Handicapped Children Act), media influences, and societal norms

and values. The second section examines the importance of language

and labels, noting the power of language and preferred language when

referring to people with disabilities. The third section offers

guidelines for leading a discussion on myths about people with

disabilities. The fourth section briefly describes a video used in

the training. The final section considers basic etiquette in

interacting with people with disabilities. A form for evaluating the

training program is included. (DB)

***u.*****************************ic*************************************Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made

from the original document.**************************************************************.

4SCOPE OF INTEREST NOTICE

ERIC Facility has assignedthis document for processingto:

In our Judgment. this documentis also of interest to tha Clearinghouses noted to the right.Indexing should reflect thenspecial pants of view.

rr)

CREATINGEMPLOYMENT

OPPORTUNITIES

DISABILITY AWARENESS

Martha Wille Gregory, Editor

U.S DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONOffice of Educational Research and Improvement

EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATIONCENTER (ERIC)Kis document has been reproduced as

received from Ine person or organizahonoriginating itMinor changes have been made to improvereproduction quality

Roosts of new or opinions stated in this docu-ment do not neCeSsanly represent whomOE RI position or poky

4

BEST AVA:LT3LE

This Creating Employment Opportunities (CEO) Project has been produced incooperation with the University of Missontri - Columbia, Longview Community College, andSouthwest Missouri State University.

I would like to acknowledge the following individuals for their contribution to thisproject: Rosalie Backer-Thompson, Debbie Kientzy, Pat Plevka, Carma Messer li, JillWilliams-Graham, Diane Worrell-Clayton, Linda Bradley, Christy Newman, and DanaYates.

I would like to thank Linda Bradley, Interim Director of Missouri LINC for her helpand guidance on this project.

Articles in the Disability Awareness module were reprinted with permission from"The Disability Rag," December 22, 1993.

For further information contact:

Martha Wille Gregory, CEO CoordinatorMissouri LINC

401 East Stewart RoadColumbia, MO 65211

(314) 882-2733(800) 392-0533 (Missouri Only)

1993

This paper was supported by grants to the University of Missouri-Columbia, Collegeo Education, Department of Special Education, from the U.S. Department of Education,Office of Special Educational Rehabilitation Services, Project #H078C20011-92. However,the opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the position or policies of thefunding agency or host institution.

Permission to duplicate this publication is granted by CEO, contingent upon CEOand the Editor being given credit for its development.

3

1

AWARENESSDirections For Use

Attitudes, values, and feelings are tricky. They are vague and abstract concepts. They areformed from a life time of experience, observation, and both cultural and family influences.They are a core part of who we are and of how we view and interact with the world around us.Attitudes and values are essential parts of our personality, and as such, human nature dictatesthat we become defensive when our feelings, values, and attitudes are challenged. It is mucheasier, and certainly less threatening, to insist that our individual attitudes are "just fine, thankyou" than it is to be open to the possibility that our attitudes and our behaviors may benefit fromsome fine tuning.

The training objectives for this module are to:1 Become aware of your individual values and attitudes.2. Identify the correct usage of language and labels related to people with disabilities.3. Identify the myths/facts regarding people with disabilities.

Below is an outline of the module:

I. IntroductionA. PurposeB. AgendaC. Objectives

II. Attitudes/ValuesA. History

1. Before Public Law 94-1422. Relationships

B. Media Sources1. Literature2. Activity Discussion of Media

C. Societal Norms/Values1. Values2. Activity Values/Perceptions

III. Language/LabelsA. Power of LanguageB. Preferred Language

1. Activity "What Do I Call You?"2. Labels/Language

IV. MythsA. Activity Myth Buster

V. Video "Nobody is Burning Wheelchairs"VI. Etiquette

2

VII. Conclusion

This module contains handouts and overheads which can be used to illustrate important points.Cues to the trainer are provided on the right side of the margin explaining when to use and referto them. Notes to the trainer are in italicized script. This text is not to be read aloud to theaudience, but used as a tool for the trainer.

MATERIALS NEEDED FOR THE WORKSHOP:

Sign -up list.*Folder packets for handouts.

Pencil/pens.Name tags (optional).Overhead projection/projector screen.Video equipment (if recording the training session).Video "Nobody is Burning Wheelchairs".

Podium.Food/drink (optional).

VCR and monitor.

WHEN CONDUCTING THE TRAINING:Have fun, be relaxed. Allow for interaction.

Begin and end on time.

WHEN USING THE EQUIPMENT:When using the overhead, use a sheet to cover information until it is disclosed.

Use a pointer or pen to point to information.

ADAPTATIONS FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES:Make sure all participants are included in the activities.Make available if necessary, large print, braille, or taped copies of presentation.

Ask the individual what type of accommodation is needed.Repeat questions from the audience.Speak in a normal voice to the audience.If not using the overhead, turn it off. It can be distracting.

3

I. Introduction

To Trainer: If this is the first module in the series, briefly explain the training which will occur

and other areas that will be covered.

A. PURPOSEAttitudes, values, and feelings are tricky. They are vague and abstractconcepts. They are formed from a lifetime of experience, observation,and both cultural and family influences. They are a core part of whowe are and of how we view and interact with the world around us.They are essential parts of our personality, and as such, humannature dictates that we become defensive when our feelings, values,and attitudes are challenged. It is much easier, and certainly lessthreatening, to insist that our individual attitudes are "just fine, thankyou" than it is to be open to the possibility that our attitudes andsubsequent behaviors may benefit from some fine-tuning. The taskbefore us during the next hour or so is to tread the waters of"attitudinal enlightenment" specifically in regard to our attitudestoward persons with disabilities. This is a tough assignment for all ofus. When you reflect upon the facts about attitudes that I justmentioned, it is easy to see that training and education, at least in thetraditional sense, may not be the best way to approach this area.

I cannot "teach" you feelings and attitudesthey must be re-learnedbased on personal reflection and real experiences. Because of that, Ihave chosen to limit the time I will "lecture" and focus on activities,handouts, and a video, all of which should generate active discussionwithin this group. I want to keep the training lively and informal, yetengage each of you in a thought process that you can take back intoyour environments. Feel free to ask questions, share personal storiesand situations, and make commentswe can all learn from oneanother.

It is my goal to provide both information and experiences which willbroaden perspectives and awareness of disability issues. We willdiscuss values and attitudes which influence our view of persons withdisabilities and myths that exist in our society about people withdisabilities. I will also share some concrete information which mayanswer some of the tough questions you may have regarding theproper etiquette and sensitivity needed when interacting with a personwho has a disability.

Given the number of persons in our society who have a disability, itis very likely that some of you have personal experiences to drawfrom. You may know someone, a family member, friend, co-worker,who has a disability, or perhaps you experience a disability firsthand.Because everyone is unique and reacts differently to situations, it isimportant to point out that there is no "right" or "correct" attitude orbehavior when it comes to disabilities. Although the information Iwill present may be typical of persons with disabilities, pleaseremember that it is also generalized. There will always be exceptionsto what you hear todaymy rule of thumb: when interacting with aperson who has a disability, behave no differently than you wouldotherwise! If you feel the person may need assistance, ask first,determine their preferences, and follow their requests. If they..contradict some of the suggestions I have for you today, so be it.

B. OUR AGENDA FOR THE WORKSHOP IS:I. Introduction

A. PurposeB. AgendaC. Objectives

II. Attitudes/ValuesA. History

1. Before Public Law 94-1422. Relationships

B. Media Sources1. Literature2. Activity Discussion of Media

C. Societal Norms/Values1. Values2. Activity Values/Perceptions

III. Language/LabelsA. Power of LanguageB. Preferred Language

1. Activity "What Do I Call You?"2. Labels/Language

IV. MythsA. Activity Myth Buster

V. Video Nobody is Burning WheelchairsVI. Etiquette

VII. Conclusion

4

Overhead #1 AgendaOverhead ff2 ObjectivesHandout #1Agenda/Objectives

C. OUR OBJECTIVES ARE TO:1. Become aware of your individual values and attitudes.2. Learn correct usage of language and labels that are used

concerning people with disabilities.3. Learn what are myths/facts about people with disabilities.

II. Attitudes/Values

A. HISTORY

Citizens who experience a disability have traditionally represented ahidden, although not small, minority group in American society.Literally through institutionalization, and subtly through negativeattitudes and treatment, persons with disabilities have been isolatedfrom the social mainstream and denied the opportunities available topeople without disabilities. This exclusion results, in part, fromlimitations imposed by the disabling condition, but even greaterbarriers have been created by society. These barriers are, in manyways, more difficult to overcome because they are rooted in attitudesand values.

Before Public Law 94-142Many of us were raised in a world before PL 94-142 (Education of AllHandicapped Children Act), the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 andcertainly before the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act). Duringthose formative years, it is unlikely that we had contact with childrenwho had a disability in any "normalized" environment such as schoolor play. We did not have kids in our classrooms who usedwheelchairs, who could not see, or who had identified learningdisabilities. We probably did not see kids with disabilities in ourchurches or on public playgrounds; most of these children lived ininstitutions and were segregated.

RelationshipsBecause we did not have the opportunity to meet, interact with, anddevelop relationships with children with disabilities, our perceptionsof who these people are, how they must act, and where they belongare based on myth. The origins of social attitudes about persons withdisabilities can be traced to a variety of sources (Nagler, 1990; Percy,1989; Shapiro, 1993). Let's examine some of these. Feel free tocomment or add any ideas you may have as we go along.

5

B. MEDIA SOURCES

One of the most influential sources has been literary and mediadepictions of persons with disabilities. Recall the images of CaptainHook, Captain Ahab, or the Hunchback of Notre Dameeachportrayed as freakish and vengeful, even evil. William Shakespearegave Richard III a hunchback, even though the real king had no suchdisability, to make him more ominous. It is not uncommon for thevillains in horror films to have disabilitiesthink of "Freddy Krueger"from the Nightmare on Elm Street series, a person who was burnedand then turned into a hateful, sadistic killer. Teen horror films,including Halloween and the Friday the 13th series had the killersescaping from mental institutions. A recent box office smash, TheFugitive portrays the murderer with a physical disabilitytheone-armed man. Even the criminals in Dick Tracy cartoons oftenhave characteristics of physical disfigurement and derive their namesfrom them.

Overhead #3Negative Media

6

Activity Discussion of MediaYou may want to have the group try to think of other media /literary images which arenegative. Examples, to get the discussion moving, may include . . . Lenny from Of Miceand Men (who killed because he didn't know his own strength); Batman "bad guys" suchas Joker and Penguin who had physical impairments; the Jerry? Lewis comedy in whichhe caricatured mental retardation; images from the Bible where having a disability wasassociated with sin; the queen from Snow White who must turn into a haggard witchbefore she can perform evil. . . .

C. SOCIIAAL NORMS/VALUES

ValuesSocially and culturally valued norms are another strong source of thedevelopment of attitudes towards persons with disabilities. Oursociety places high regard on physical integrity. Personal appearance,health, athletic achievement, and beauty are all highly prized in theAmerican culture. Think of the salaries that our athletes, models, andperforming artists can command. We are bombarded with images ofwhat is considered attractive and beautiful and it is a rare image thatportrays a person with any type of difference or physical impairment.Other factors which may influence perceptions include an emphasis onpersonal achievement and productivity as measures of a person'sability to succeed in school and become gainfully employed. Finally,the fear and anxiety of people without disabilities about their ownvulnerability to disability may impact how they view persons withdisabilities. Disability is one minority group that anyone might join

Overhead #4Values

and avoidance of this reality may cause people to distance themselvesfroM people with disabilities.

It is encouraging to note that images in the media and advertisementshave been changing recently. Television has developed positivecharacters, including Chris Burke's Corky on Life Goes On, andMar lee Mat lin's portrayal of an attorney with a hearing impairment onReasonable Doubts. Both of the performers have disabilities. Theactor Larry Drake, who does not have a disability himself, plays thecharacter Benny on LA Law; he is another positive image of a personwith a disability. TV ads have shown a man using a wheelchair tocompete in a marathon (he also happens to have a beautiful girlfriendcheering him on). I'm sure you have all seen print ads for Target, K-Mart, and Wal-Mart which have begun to include persons withdisabilities.

Overhead #5 Grid

7

Activity Values/PerceptionsTo Trainer: Place the grid on an overhead or flip chart as outlined on the exercisedescription. Label the grid and introduce the participants to the fact that eachabbreviation represents a specific disability (MR= mental retardation; LD =learningdisability; SCI=spinal cord injury; B=blind). Ask the participants to choose thedisability he or she would least like to have. Conversely, they pick the disability theywould choose to have. This process can be done by a show of hands, or for a moreanonymous and comfortable atmosphere, by writing it down on a piece of paper to beturned in to the facilitator. The responses are tallied and entered onto the grid.

MRLD SCI B

What happens next is somewhat up to the trainer and the dynamics of the groups. . . .

What will hopefully occur is a discussion regarding why participants made their choices.Most will have been based on perceptions of various disabling conditions, of what itmeans to have a disability, and of what each of us values individually (i.e., the abilityto see vs. the ability to walk vs. the ability to be academically successful). Also look forany trends within the group regarding their choices and comment on this (any socialnorms being played out in the group?). Is any particular disability being chosen moreor less often in either the like/dislike category? It may take some encouragement fromthe trainer to get the group to loosen up and increase the comfort level, to be open andwilling to disclose some of their beliefs about disabilities. This is a good exercise toengage the group in a discussion as to how their beliefs about disabilities were developed

I o

8

and to comment on the information presented in the "lecture. " Jim Brady is an exampleof a public figure who is permanently disabled. What are our images of him now?

An important point to bring up is the range of severity within each singular disabilityfor example the varying degrees of mental retardation or the range of spinal cordinjuries. We often assume the worst this is also what employers tend to do whenmeeting an applicant who has a disability. The trainer may use any four disabilities onthis exercise. it may be important to choose disability groups that the participants willhave future contact with, such as a cerebral palsy, HIV+ , hearing impaired, and mentalillness, to name a few,

I have chosen four disabilities including: Learning Disability, Mental Retardation, SpinalCord Injury, and Blindness. I want you to think about these different disabilities andthen choose the one you would least like to have and write it down on a piece of paper.Then I want you to pick the one you would choose to have if you were going to have adisability.

To Trainer: Ask for volunteers to open the discussion. The goal is to get the grouptalking about what it means to have a disability, what they personally value, andperceptions of different disabilities (i.e. , is it worse to have a spinal cord injury than tohave a cognitive disability or vice versa. . .). Encourage people to speak up and assurethem that there are no "right" or "wrong" answers here. Also, try to ease anyone'sdiscomfort by stating, "We all may have very personal reasons for choosing one disabilityover another. . . that's okay. . . the point is to get you thinking about how you perceivevarious disabilities. " Let's talk a minute about why these choices were made . . . .

Possible Discussion Questions:Why did you choose Learning Disability over Mental Retardation?Why do you think more people chose Spinal Cord Injury than Mental Retardation?How do you think your choices were influenced by your own attitudes and values?What mental pictures do you have about these particular disabilities?Do you think your images are accurate?

An important point I want to make about this exercise is that each ofthese disabilities has a wide range and scope of severity. Forexample, there are varying degrees of functional limitations with aspinal cord injury and likewise a wide range of abilities present inpersons who are mentally retarded. We often assume the "worst casescenario." This is also what employers may do when they know anapplicant has a disability assume the worst limitations and rely onthe images in their mind. We should try to focus on a person'sabilities rather than his or her disabilities.

11

Handout articlea #2-4

9

To Trainer: Refer the group to the first three articles dealing with attitudes/values. Take

a break at this point. The remaining sections are much shorter and have less lecturematerial.

M. Language/Labels

A. POWER OF LANGUAGE

By nature, we are social creatures. People love to talk . . . to chat . . . to gossip . . .

basically, to communicate. Language is perhaps our most important tool and the powerof a word can sometimes be underestimated. The old saying, "sticks and stones maybreak my bones but words will never hurt me" is, as most of us know, false. Words canbe hurtful, whether intended or not. I'm sure most of us can recall a situation when wewere hurt, angered, or humiliated by the words of another. Or maybe we recall whenwe felt we were unfairly represented by another person's choice of words. Language canalso serve as a reinforcer to stereotypes and, conversely, can act as a powerful liberatoras well. It is especially important for us to reflect upon the use of language whenspeaking of, writing about, or referring to a person with a disability. "Disabled" hasbecome the term of choice, replacing "handicapped" in recent years. There seems to bea consensus from within the disability community about the label. More acceptable stillis "person with a disability," since it puts the focus on the person first and the conditionsecond (Shapiro, 1993).

B. PREFERRED LANGUAGE

Let me show you some examples of how to use language in its preferred way.

To Trainer: You can have the group add more to your list as a means of practicingappropriate terminology.

Avoid blanket terms such as "the deaf' or "the retarded." Try toemphasize the person, the individual, first. Also try to avoid termswhich designate suffering such as "victim" or "wheelchair bound."Most people with disabilities do not consider themselves victims.Think about our own experiences. We do not want to be pitiedbecause of hardships or other "disadvantages." Can you think ofsome other examples to add to the list on the overhead?

Activity "What Do I Call You?"

Overhead ASAcceptable LanguageHandout #5Preferred Terminology

Handout #6 "What Do I Call You?"

To Trainer: The exercise can be handed out to the participants as is. The directions areall self-explanatory, but you may wish to read through it as a group, especially the firstpage.

10

Let's read through the exercise "What Do I Call You?" together.

To Trainer: Start reading the first page. When you get to the first set of "questions"(Do you see that bald man . . .) ask for some input from the group. "How would youdescribe this man to your friend?" Remind them that you are in the company of a goodfriend, a comfortable situation for most of us, when describing the man. Continuereading through the first page . . . .

What Do I Call You?The Stigma of Labels

Have you ever wondered how you have been described by others? Dothey emphasize your positive attributes or do they sneak in someunpleasant aspect about your physical appearance or personality?

Consider this scenario: In a crowd, you see a man who is bald andhas a beard. Our society believes that baldness is a devalued physicalattribute, whereas a neatly trimmed beard is either neutral or a slightlyattractive attribute. If you were to point out the man to a friend nearyou, which of the following questions are you 'Ikely to ask?

Do you see that bald man over there?-Do you see that bearded man over there?-Do you see that man over there?Do you see that man who is bald over there?

-Do you see that man who has a beard over there?

A second example is a woman who is overweight and wearing anattractive alt. If you were to point out that individual to a peer,which of the following are you likely to use?

Do you see that overweight womz over there?-Do you see that attractive looking woman over there?Do you see that woman with the nice suit'?

-Do you see that woman who is overweight?

There is a tendency to bring out the "negative" in others, rather thanemphasizing the positive, particularly if they are strangers to us. Thisis usually done on a subconscious level, but it is done nonetheless.The words 1 !at we use to describe an individual to another personimmediately forms a first, and sometimes lasting, impression of thatperson.

To Trainer: Either read description or allow participants to read themselves.

1 3

I am going to read the following description of Robert. After readingthe information, we will do an exercise.

ROBERT IS A 28 YEAR-OLD MAN WHO IS COMPLETING HIS FINAL YEAR

IN COLLEGE. HE IS MAJORING IN ACCOUNTING AND HOPES TOSECURE EMPLOYMENT WITH A LARGE COMPANY IN AN URBAN AREA

UPON GRADUATION. ROBERT USES A WHEELCHAIR. HE DOES NOT

DRIVE AND HAS AN ATTENDANT WHO ACCOMPANIES HIM TO CAMPUS

TO PROVIDE SUPPORT. ROBERT HAS A GPA OF 3.5; HE HAS BEEN IN

SCHOOL FOR FIVE YEARS. ROBERT ENJOYS GOING OUT FOR ANOCCASIONAL AFTERNOON "HAPPY HOUR" WITH FRIENDS, ESPECIALLYAFTER COMPLETING A CHALLENGING TEST. HE HAS A GOOD SENSE OF

HUMOR. ROBERT LIVES IN AN OFF-CAMPUS APARTMENT AND LIKES

TO GO TO MOVIES WHEN HE IS NOT STUDYING. DUE TO HISSPASTICITY, ROBERT'S HANDWRITING IS HARD TO READ. ROBERT,

LIKE MANY COLLEGE STUDENTS, IS ON A TIGHT BUDGET AND THUS,HIS WARDROBE TENDS TO FAVOR SWEATS AND FLANNEL SHIRTS. HE

REALIZES THE NEED TO IMPROVE HIS "IMAGE" IF HE IS TOSUCCESSFULLY OBTAIN EMPLOYMENT IN HIS FIELD. ROBERT OFTENFINDS THAT HIS PROFESSORS DO NOT CALL ON HIM IN CLASS AND HEBELIEVES IT IS DUE TO HIS SPEECH PATTERN WHICH CAN BE DIFFICULT

TO UNDERSTAND.

Now, I want each of you to write down your description of Robert.Turn the page. I'll give you about five minutes or so to complete it.

Overhead ff7 Robert

11

To Trainer: Place overhead on projector and ask people to offer some of theirdescriptions. As people give their descriptions, write these on the overhead and discussthe results. Is there a tendency to describe Robert in physical terms? Did everyoneremember his sense of humor? His great GPA? Try to facilitate some discussion aboutthe exercise. You may ask how this would have differed if the person described wassomeone they were all very familiar with...for example, ask the group to describe Corkyfrom Life Goes On.

Let's try this same exercise using Corky from Life Goes On. Whatare some things we recall about him?

Overhead 48 Corky

To Trainer: It is likely they will recall facts about him which include school, family, hisgirlfriend, his personality. Write these down on overhead as group discusses him.Notice, and comment on the language being used to describe him.

14

Labels/LanguageWhen referring to individuals with disabilities, it is respectful toemphasize what we all share in common, rather than to immediatelypoint out our differences. One way we convey that respect is in thechoice of words used to describe an individual. The preference is notto mention the disability at all when describing one person to another.If it is necessary to convey a person's disability, remember they area person first. Choose words accordingly.

IV. Myths

Activity Myth Busting

12

Handouts #7-9 articles

Han& lilt #10 Myth-Busting

To Trainer: This section is short and has virtually no lecture. The brochure will coverimportant information about myths and facts about disabilities. Hand out the"Myth-Busting" exercise (#3) to the participants. Myths generated from the group canbe utilized in a number of ways.

Handout #11 Disability Awareness Quotient

A suggestion is to have the group read at least one (all three if size of group permits) anddiscuss the factual counterpoint. For example, take the wth "all persons who arehearing impaired can read lips. " The fact is that lip reading is a skill that varies fromperson to person. Some persons who are hearing impaired do not lip read at all, whileothers rely upon it to augment their communication. By discussing fact vs. myth, you areencouraging the group to shift paradigms, to think about disability in a non-stereotypicalmanner. This method of fact-sharing will likely be more productive than lecturing, asit is interactive and challenges the participants to discover facts for themselves. You mayalso want to attempt, with the group, to identify how the myths developed. This will bea "guessing game" at best (unless you are an expert on the origins of disability myth) butcould be useful and interesting.

Overhead .49 Myth-Busting

Another suggestion is to have the group try to reach a consensus on what they feel themost damaging myth has been for persons with disabilities. This can be introduced byusing the wrecking ball overhead. It may be difficult for the group to come to a decisionbut allow for some debate (which, also, should be based on our values and attitudes).

The objective of this exercise is to get the group thinking about myths and to gain anawareness of any stereotypical images they may hold. Again, this is done in anon-threatening way. You may come up with other ideas on how to use this exercise.

Before we begin discussing myths, I want us to try to think of two orthree perceptions or myths which are commonly held about personswith disabilities. An example of a myth may be "People withdisabilities must be brave to live with their disabilities." In reality,adjusting to a disability does not require bravery or courage. Let'sspend a few minutes thinking about some myths.

Possible Discussion Questions:

What do you think has been the most damaging myth about personswith disabilities?If you could erase one myth, what would that be?

V. Video Nobody is Burning Wheelchairs

This video, titled, Nobody Is Burning Wheelchairs, will touch on someof the points we have already covered, such as attitudes. and myths.It will also introduce us to some problems, including attitudinalbarriers we have discussed, as well as transportation, architectural,and communication barriers faced by people with disabilities.

13

Handout #12 Easter SealBrochure

To Trainer: Video is approximately 15 minutes long. Afterwards, discuss reactions tothe video.

VI. Etiquette Handout #13-15 Articles

To Trainer: This final section relies primarily on the handout which covers very basicinformation about interacting with people with disabilities. As a facilitator, you canreview it with the group by reading through it or just hand it out for reference. This willdepend upon the amount of time remaining and the energy level of the group.

Many of us are uncomfortable and don't know what to do whentalking to or interacting with persor -. with particular disabilities. Thehandout will give you some basic guidelines to follow. Some keypoints to remember:

Always ask if assistance is needed. Never assume anything. Someindividuals may not want help even if you believe you could makea task easier for them.Not all people with the same disability will want or need the samethings. People are unique. Rely on their direction and guidance.Do not be afraid to ask questions but be prepared to follow theperson's request.

1t)

Don't be embarrassed if you use expressions such as "See youlater" to a person who is blind. These are common phrases that weall use.Relax! People with disabilities are really no different than thosewho are not disabled.

VII. Conclusion

When dealing with a person with a disability there are correct ways totreat the person. They are: like a person, like a person, like aperson. . . .

14

Overhead #10 Lice aPerson

To Trainer: The overhead illustrates this example. If this is the only module beingp. esented today, hand out evaluation forms.

If there are any questions concerning this workshop, or if furtherinformation is requested, please contact us. T.:ink you for youparticipation.

Handout #16 Evaluation(optional)

15

References

Nagler, M. (1990). Perspectives on disability. Palo Alto, CA: Health Markets.Research Press.

Percy, S.L. (1989). Disability, civil rights and public policy. Tuscaloosa, AL: TheUniversity of Alabama Press.

Pimental, R., Bissonette, D., & Lotito, M. (1992). What managers & supervisors needto know about the ADA. Northridge, CA: Milt Wright & Associates, Inc.

Shapiro, J.P. (1993): No pity: People with disabilities forging a new civil rightsmovement. New York: Times Books/Random House.

13

Overheads

1. Agenda

2. Objectives

3. Negative Media Sources

4. Values

5. Activity - Grid

6. Acceptable vs. Unacceptable Language

7. Activity - "Robert"

8. Activity - "Corky"

9. Activity - Myth Buster

10. Like a Person

Overhead #1

Agenda:

Introduction

Attitudes/ValuesA. HistoryB. Media SourcesC. Societal Norms/Values

Language/LabelsA. Power of LanguageB. Preferred Language

Myths

Video "Nobody is Burning Wheelchairs"

Etiquette

Conclusion

Overhead #2

Objectives:

1. Become aware of your individual values andattitudes.

2. Identify correct usage of language and labelsthat are used concerning people withdisabilities.

3. Identify some myths/facts about people withdisabilities.

:21

Overhead #3

Negative Media Sources

EICaptain Hook

Ellunchback of Notre Dame

oFreddy Krueger

S

0Overhead #4

VALUES

uz BEAUTY

caz HEALTH

tir ATHLETIC ACHIEVEMENT

cc- SCHOLASTIC ACHIEVEMENT

ga) CAREER

Overhead #5

LD SCI

SOverhead #6

ACCEPTABLEVS.

UNACCEPTABLE LANGUAGE

STUDENT WITH A LEARNING DISABILITYVS.

THE LEARNING DISABLED

PERSON WHO USES A WHEELCHAIRVS.

WIEEELCHAIRBOUND/CONFINED TO A WHEEL CHAIR

PERSON WHO IS DEAFVS.

DEAF PERSON/THE DEAF/"DEAF AND DUMB"

PERSON WITHVS.

VICTIM OF /SUFFERER OFor AFFLICTED WITH

REMEMBER NOT TO MAKE GENERAL STATEMENTS SUCHAS "HE'S AN ALCOHOL/C" OR "SHE'S LD" WHENREFERRING TO PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES.

Overhead #7

ROBERT

Overhead #8

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1a

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Overhead #10TEN WAYS TO TREAT SOMEONE

WITH A DISABILITY:

LIKE A PERSON

LIKE A PERSON

LIKE A PERSON

LIKE A PERSON

LIKE A PERSON

LIKE A PERSON

LIKE A PERSON

LIKE A PERSON

LIKE A PERSON

LIKE A PERSON

Handouts

1. Objectives/Agenda

2. Article, Are these sour films'?

3. Article, The Black Velveteens

4. Article, Audience favorite

5. Preferred Terminology in the Disability Community

6. Exercise: What Do I Call You?

7. Article, The problem with chal?enge (again)

8. Article, Metaphors we could do without

9. Article, Crips can call themselves anything they want to

10. Exercise: Myth-Busting

11. Disability Awareness Quotient

12. Brochure: Tips for Disability Awareness Faster Seals

13. Article, A Study in Prejudice

14. Article, In Search of the Politically Correct Disability

15. Suggested Tips When Interacting with Individuals with Disabilities

16. Evaluation (optional)

Handout #1

Objectives:

1. Become aware of your individual values and attitudes.2. Learn correct usage of language and labels that are used concerning people with disabilities.

3. Learn what are myths/facts about people with disabilities.

Agenda:

I. Introduction

II. Attitudes/Values

III. Language/Labels

IV. Myths

V. Video "Nobody is Burning Wheelchairs"

VI. Etiquette

VII. Conclusion

Are these 'our' films?Is there anything at allsignificant in the fact that thispast spring saw the release of twocritically-acclaimed movies withdisabled characters? Or in thefact both received AcademyAwards one for Best Director,the other for Best Actor and bestSupporting Actress?

It would be nice to say yes. Butthe answer isn't that simple. Themaking of My Left Foot andBorn on the Fourth of July mayindeed say something maybesay a lot about Hollywood'sgrowing acceptance of the idea ofdisability as a routine part of astory line, rather than suitableonly for tearjerkers or cure sagas.We've moved beyond The LightThat Failed, certainly. But hasHollywood gotten around tomaking a movie-about thedisability condition? \

The story of Christy Brown ispredicated on disability. Brown'sentire life is bound up by thefrustrations he encountersbecause of being an artist with a

body nobody expects intelligencemuch less art out My

Left Foot , his own version ofhowhe moved through his own life,though, is not a story aboutdisability. It is a story abortspite of disability. It is a verygood story; it rises well abovemany "cripple sagas,* but atheart it is still the story of anindividual pitted in personalstruggle to triumph in a verypersonal endeavor.Readers can already be heard

howling: "It is a beautiful story.It is Brown's story. It is accurate.It is art. Leave it alone!' But asmuch as Brown has a right to tellhis story as he sees it, othershave a right to wonder about thelarger social context that Brownfails to discuss.Few if any disabled storytellers

yet see that larger socialcontext"' as being of muchrekiance to the stories they wantto tell about their lives. It is truethat struggling with things asdaunting as getting up and down

steps, trying to paint with onlyone limb available for the effort,struggling to make oneselfunderstood in a world wherepeople with speech problems areroutinely considered *mentaldefectives* is enough tooverwhelm anybody, and effortsto accomplish anything in theface of such conditions seems thestuff of heroism. And it is.But there is more to the story

here more to any disabledperson's story. And that 'more'has yet to be told.My Left Foot , the book, is

Christy Brown's story.Disability's story is there, too, buit isn't being told. That wasn'tBrown's first interest. And that'sperfectly fine. But it would bewrong for us to expect fromBrown that which he was notinterested in delivering.

Born on the Fourth of July isnot disability's story, either. It'sthe Vietnam War's story. AndRon Erne, whose story Born onthe Fourth of July is, is not

Neither Ron- Kovic nor ChristyBrown are played by disabledactors.

32 The Disability Rag May/June, 1990Article reprinted with permission from "The Disability Rag", December 22, 1993.

BEST G: ?y AVA;:!.3LE

eang theeither. He's

tell&othde story ofhew beeentbig made him

bow this country wasSere young men through theVie War. That is a verypowerful :Wry, and one thatneeded to be told, and perhapsneeds to be told over and overagain. It is that story not thedisability story that might theattention of director Oliver Stone.It is the Vietnam story that haspropelled this movie to the statusof 'Pan important film* in critics'eyes. The disability story is notthe story ofBorn on theFourth of July .The disability

story is, insome ways,evenperipheral toBorn on the.Fourth ofjulyThat's not tosay thatdisabilitydoesn't formthe surface andtexture of themovie, and in avery.convincingway. Butdisability inBorn on theFourth of Julyfunctions verymuch like the

in uneapectadALIt's true that neithieRon &Mc

nor Christy Brown ars 'Wed bydisabled actors and =moanonly speculate as to the kind ofhue and cry that would have beenraised had a movie about a blackbeen played by a white. Butthough disability consciousnesshas never been higher we havestill not come that far. Are we tofume that leading roles went tonondisabled actors? Or to rejoicethat both actors did excellent jobs

that they apparently learned,for example, how to realisticallymanuever wheelchairs; that they

Brown haws listing speakingpart onesonce cast Billutelosely andnotice that hit spiking is farclearer than airy of us with ep;and we can also notice thatBrown's speech **rapist, whomhe falls in love with, certainly gotincredible speech results in avery short time.)

Still, the mere fact that a movie inwhich the lead character speaksin a cerebral palsy accent whichis left untranilated made it to theAcademy Awards signals thatsomething, indeed, is changing inour willingness to at least look atdisability head on. I'm not sure if

we realize whatwe're seeing yet

but we're notturning away.What are we

looking at, infact? In My LeftFoot , at a manunable even tohave awheelchairuntil adulthood;a man who eventhen has to relyon others topush himabout. In Bornon the Fourthof July , we'relooking atrehabilitationfrom hell, yet,unless I'mmistaken, we'reseeing it not as

the tragedy this country pusheson too many disabled people(though the rats and the filth areextreme; the blocked cathetersand cavalier attention from aidesis all too real in rehab centersacross the country, VA or not) butrather as a statement against afiercely militaristic governmentwho could not afford to treat itsruined soldiers decently becauseall its dollars went to pushing itsstill-fighting ones onto the poorVietnamese. This is indeed themessage of Born on the Fourth ofJuly , and ies certainly a validone. But we might do well to beasking who's ever going to filmthe same scenes for a movie

Continued on next pageThe Disability Rag Mayaune, 1990

Disability conscioushas never been higin this country

nessher

landscape in a Western: youcouldn't properly have a westernwithout the sagebrush hills, thecorrals, the horses, the cattle, thecowboy gear. But western's aren't'about* these things. They'reabout a fight, or a long journey,or about somebody wrongedbrought to justice, or the love of awoman..In Born on the Fourth ofJuly , disability is all-pervasive

but it's the scenery.Still, disability consciousness

has never been higher in thiscountry. And those in thedisability movement who haveworked to bring the film industryto an appreciation of disabledactors can see their work pay offn both these movies, sometimes

took lessons from the right folks?Daniel Day-Lewis, in fact, stayedin his chair even when he wasn'tfilming, keeping in character andexperiencing the demeaningtreatment Brown himself WSW sofamiliar with. This, Day-Lewishas said in interviews, is deepand pervasive; Day-Lewis's owneducation in what one.experiences at the hands ofsociety from one's wheelchairmay prove at least as valuable, inthe long run, as any training he'shad. We can rejoice, also, thatDay-Lewis's Brown does speakwith a cerebral palsy accentwhich is frequently enough nottranslated (although in the reallyserious parts of the film where

3 3BEST COPY AVAILABLE

33

abouthow this country treatsiet sablid folks not becauseWe're fighting a war but simply

because our way is to ignorepeople we think aren't useful toour own society anymore?

Because our disabilityconsciousness has never beenhigher, and because directorshave been taught a little by theunsung disability activists inHollywood, we find a very-visibleramp to the front doof greetingNovic on his return home. Hisdad even spouts lines about howhe widened the bathroom door,and installed grab bars, That linewouldn't have been there 10years ago: count on it.

Though Born on the Fourth ofJuly was made because it's timeto do Vietnam War movies andOliver Stone of Platoon the one todo-them can we at least letourselves believe that it's becausedisability consciousness isbeginning to creep over thiscountry that Born on the Fourth

Allif July was the film to be madeWest? I think it pretty safe to

say that Daniel Day-Lewis'sinterest in My Left Foot andits notice by the critics can beattmluted to nothing so much asthe film industry's willingness tobelieve that a true story aboutdisability rather than the oldersager coated ones, or the onesthat are merely vehicles for`nondisabled catalyst? mightbring 'em rushing to the boxoffice as well.Finally the ramp is corning

down to us.Both movies areserious movies with disabilitytreated realistically. It's time,then, to expect from Hollywoodyet another movie: This oneabout not one individual's trimphas a disabled artist, nor ourcountry's fixation with war butits treatment of disabled people.It's time for a movie about thestories that make up thedisability rights movement.

Suppose they gave a partybut nobody could come?The New York limes noted that Miramax Films,

distributor of My Left Foot, has promoted the film topeople with disabilities including screenings onCapitol Hill.

Miramax would do better by making sure theatersshowing it are accessible.

In Seattle, My Left Foot played at The Seven Gablesmovie theater which is inaccessible. Dale Nash, filmbooker for Seven Gables told the Seattle-area disabilitytabloid Different TIMES that Seven Gables was 50 yearsold, ant that putting in an elevator to make it accessiblewould entail small expense." Seven Gables opened in1978, two year:, cfter the state building code requiredaccess br.t the building was old when the theater tookit over.

Turns out Beim on the Fourth of July showed in Seattlein an inacx..4ni-ible movie house, too the Cinerama.People in wheelchairs can get into einerama, DifferentTINES reports, but they have to come in the back doorexit and sit in the very front.

The story in Seattle's no different than anywhere else.All over the country, disabled people are being kept fromseeing "their" movies due to inaccessibility.

Even Kenneth Osbourne, a paraplegic who has a bitrole in Born on the Fourth of July wasn't able to get intothe Cineplex Odeon Ziegfeld Theater on West 54th Streetin Manhattan one of five theaters across the nationwhere the film opened. It's clear that film's distributerwasn't thinking about accessibility, either.

Oh, there was the typical side door, which a theateremployee kindly unlocked for him. And there was a ramp

at the top of which were four steps. And 25 more stepsor an escalator. The escalator was too narrow for

Osbourne's wheelchair.Because the movie focused on a disabled person,

Osbourn. assumed "there would be no problem," wroteNew York Times reporter Douglas Martin.

Osbourne said he figured the movie would be shown ininaccessible theaters, of course but not the five itopened in!

It just shows how little the movie industry really caresabout access.

Meanwhile, Miramax says it may distribute a "special"print of My Left Foot with narrated descriptions andcaptions.

I. 14..t ion

The BlackVelveteens

by Deborah Abbott

Saturday morning. When I open my eyesthe sun is laying on my bed like a bright yellow

ribbon. I sit up. It falls over my face. I close myeyes and smile because the ribbon is flapping; it islike a hundred warm little hands patting me on thecheeks. And the little hands are all saying shoes!shoes! shoes!

Depending on how you look at it. I have' een waiting for shoes for twoweeks or all of my life. Two weeks because that's when I saw them in thewindow at Feeney's. those black velvet saddles. I made my mom come backand look at them. She said, "Well. Deborah. you DO need shoes. there'snodoubt about that But we'll just have to wait ell your father gets paid."

If you look at it another way, I've really been waiting FOREVER forsome black velveteens. Sometimes I don't think about shoes at all. For

Cuntinued

Originally published in In CeleCruz Women. M Press, 1987.

bration of the Muse: Writings by Santa

MARCHIAPRIL,199 THE DISABILITY R 27Article reprinted with permission from "The Disability Rag' , December 22, 19MI.93.

35

months I never even look down atmy feet. Other times I look at mybrown hightops with their hundredcoats of polish and practically die.They have got to be the ugliest shoesin the world.

I move the covers back as quietlyas I can. The last thing I want to dois wake up my little sister Sadie. IfI'm careful she'll keep on sleepingtill after my mom and I leave forPenney's. Sadie isn't getting anyshoes. We're going to bring her backthe balloon and that's all. If shecame along she'd have a fit right inthe middle of the store. It'll be badenough having people stare at metaking off my brace. but having mysister throw a tantrum in the shoedepartment that would be too.much. I'd rather forget the whole

I put one leg over the edge of the.bed and lift the weak one down.Then I sort of slide to the floor. I findmy socks. the new ones my mom putout last night you have to havenew socks to try on shoes and thepowder just beside them. I sprinkle a.little powder on my feet and put mysocks on, then I reach and drag mybrace and shoe from under the bed. Ihave to put my brace on slowly be-cause when the metal moves it makesthe. kind.of sound that would wakepractically anyone, even my dad.My friend Bets says it sounds likesomeone just pulled the trigger of a

gun-I dump more powder in my right

shoe. If there isn't a lot of powder init, my toes will cud under and getstuck. This gets me so mad I'm lia-ble to throw my brace across theroom and swear at it. When thishappens my mom gets mad, and thenwe start yelling at each other. Dur-ing the week it makes me late toschool and I'm in trouble. I alwayslaugh when I think of wallcing up tomy teacher, Miss Gilmore, and hav-ing hex say, "Why, may I ask, younglady, are you late today?" And mesaying, my eyes wide. "Wouldn't

you know. Miss Gilmore, my toesjust got stuck in my shoes." If it's thelast thing Miss Gilmore has. it's asense of humor.

My right foot, the little one, goesinto the shoe with no problem. I'mglad. A little puff of powder spurtsonto my sock. I tie my shoe tight,then buckle up the ankle strap andthe knee straps and the big ones atthe top. The other shoe goes on easslybecause those toes have muscles.Now I go to the closet and pull out adress. I've got to wears dress insteadof gents so I can take off my braze totry on the shoes. In a couple ofminutes I have on the dress and am.creeping out of the bedroom anddown the hall.

My mother is up Out she's still inher bathrobe. She's reading, the pa-per and eating apiece of apple pie.When I say, "trat Mcad" she jumps.She tries to hide the pie behind thepiper. Then she looks grumpy andsays, "What oneirth are you doingup measly, Deborah? It's not evenseven o'clock."

Remember, Mom: I say, almostwhispering the next woad, "Shoes.."

"Oh, that's right," she says, ke-g:sting that she's. supposed to behiding the pie. Sbe takes a big biteand starts talking with her mouthfull. My mom's apple pie is so good,it even looks good in her mouth._

"Now, honey," she says, "I don'tyou to get your hopes up. You

know how hard it is for us to findshoes that will go on your brace. Idon't want to drag you out of thestare screaming like last time."

Last time was at least a year ago.was only seven, And in between. I

learned bow to susp_crfing. Even ifthey ciOn't have both sizes of shoes,even if they don't have asteel shank,even if the heels aren't the kind thatcan be fixed when I wear them out,even if the brace can't be hooked on,and even if I go out of the store withno black velveteens at all, I won'tcry.

"I promise. Mom. I redly do. I

2 TM DmAasUTV RAO NIAliCII/APRIL, 1293...3

won't scream this time. No matterwhat. And anyway. I just knowthey're going to work."

"Don't be so sure," she says,stabbing the last bite of apple, darkwith cinnamon. She gets up from thetable. shaking her head, droppingher fork and plate into the sink witha loud clank.

My mother has to get dressed andI have to eat breakfast, but finally Iopen the front door. The sun bouncesoff the chrome bumper of our '56Chevy right into my eyes. I squintuntil I get inside the car. I yank onmy knee locks so my brace will bendat the knee; I yank on that old heavydoor. My mother thumps the pedal,revs the engine and backs us out ofthe driveway.

My mother tries to find a place upclose but the Penny's parking lot isfull. The store.hamet even openedyet. There are a lotof people waitingat the big glass doors.

"Oh, hell." my mother says, "Iforgot about the White Sale. Theplace is Fag to be a madhouse."The fact that Penney's is having a

. White Sale gets me worried rightaway. Practically everything my!nether buys is on sale. Since sheneeds to buy me two pairs of shoes

my feet are different sizes shewill want to buy me the white sad-dks which will be on sale. I have hadso many pairs of white saddles Icouldn't even count them. Whitesaddles are only slightly less uglythan brown hightops. No other girlwould be caught dead in them.

"Mom; I say, looking straight atthe side of her face, "the ONLY kindIsrant is BLACK velveteens. I won'teven get out of the car if you'regoing to buy me white ones.'

"What?" my mother asks, andthen starts to laugh. She stops lookingfor a place to park and with the carstill running just keeps on laughing.I have to look out the window tokeep back that feeling that comesright before I cry. I promised.

"Honey," she says. stopping at

4

2

44.

last. "it's' ear *t em Sheets andtowels that are mode."

"Olt," I say, relieved a little, butmad at her for laughing. How was Isupposed to !mow a thing like that?

Finally we see ao old man gettingin hiscar. It takes him forever to Stanthe engine and pull out For somereason my mother doesn't seem tobe bothered. bat I wait to get out.bang my fats on his Car ant shoat,"Don'tyoutmderstanCyoucheamy?How bad I want those shoes? rvebeen waiting all-of my lifer Finallythe man drives every and my motherparks oar car. I get oat, push myknee locks down, push the Chevy'slock button dawn and slam the doorhart

My mother tries to take my handbut I shake my forgets out and walkahead. I want° be the fastone in thedoor and the first one in the shoedepartment. What if someone elsegot ahead and bought the last pair ofblack velveteens? Or wise, boughtthe last pair of size three's, the size Itake on my left foot. So that all thatI could get would be black velvetsfor my right.

I he my mother behind me, herhigh heels clicking en the pavement,saying, "Slow down, Deborah Sus-an! Watch out for cars!" This makesme go even faster. I always likewalking faster than my mother and

it's easy when she's got on heels.'Rae's a huge crowd.of women

and kids swarmingareamdthe doors.Ian hardly believe they're all huefor sheets and towels. But if they areit meansthey aren't here for blackvelveteens. When I realize that, Idon't worry quite so much aboutracing to the shoe department.

As usual,. about half of the kidsare stating at me by the time I get tothe door. The other half haven'tnoticed me yet. What tine means isthat they're staring at my leg. It's asif therestof me didn't =lg. asif theonly thing that mattered was my onelittle leg.

There are lots of different thingsI can do. I can ignore than the sameway I learned not to cry. This usuallyworks besL In fact though, my fa-vorite thing is to stare back at themand point. Point right at THEIR legas if these was a huge hair/ tarantulacrawling up it. When they stop.gaping at me and look down at theirown leg, I laugh really loud. Orsometimes I give people a show. Icross my eyes or stat slobbering orpicking my nose or making weirdbaby noises. The hard part is to dothis without cracking up. Theirmouths open up wide, bite they wereat the dentist's saying "Ahlthh."

My mother catches up with me. Aman on the inside of Penney's opens

the doors. -People rush is. A boybeside me puts his face in the air andgoes "moo." He looks at me and welaugh. ERs mother glares at him andyanks him by the ay.

I am so excited I can't stand it Ican just see dozens of fuzzy blackvelvets in all different sizes lined upon the shelves and I can see myselfstroking than late I was at the fairpetting little black bunnies. Rightbefore I take off for the shoe de-partment. my mother grabs me bymy hod.

"Just a minute, honey," she says."I want to take a quick look and seeif they've got any pillowcases inpercale."

"No, Man!" I say in a loud voice,desperate. "You can get them later.We have to get my shoes right noel"

"Darling," shetells me, "with thismob, they'll be sold out in ten min-utes. MI just take a second. We'llhave plenty of time for your shoes."

My mother is dragging me in thedirection oftheaowd. I feel hike I'mat the back of a herd of buffalo,choking on the dust. My throat hurtsso bad I can't swallow.

And then I see the shoes. They areright next to the area where hugepiles of towels and sheets are stackedup. My mother drops my hand. Sheis swallowed up by the buffaloes.

Candnued

As usual, about half of the kidsare staring at me by the time

I get to the door. The other halfhaven't noticed me yet.

3 "7

MARCH/APRIL, 1993 THE DISABILITY RAG 29

There is no one in the shoe de-partment except a bald man who isstraightening a rack of sandals. Ican't wear sandals. His back is tome. I walk quietly to the kid's sec-tion. holding my breath, like mybirthday cake was in frau of me andI was ready to make a wish. At firstI only sec tennis shoes and then onlyugly brown boys' shoes. I keepholding my breath, and it's hie I'munderwater, almost drowned. TheyCAN'T be sold out. they just can't.All the girls are wearing them sothey just have to have them.

And then I SIX than. They are ona table of their own. In the middle ofthe table is a cardboard girl. so tallthat my eyes are even with her knees.She has two chubby legs with an-klets on and black velvets on belowthat. She is holding up the edges ofher dress with the tips of her fingers,beading her knees a little. She islooking down at her black velvetsand smiling. There isacloud aroundher mouth. It says, "Oh, Mommy, Ijust love my velveteens!"

I am looking at that girl so harddon't hear the man until he is rightbeside me asking in a funny voice,"May I help you, missy?"

"I'm waiting for my mom: I startto answer. But then I know I can'twait even another minute, so I say,"I want to try on some velveteens."

"In what size?" the man asks,looking down at me with this funnysmile, like he doesn't really want tobe 'smiling.

"I don 't know," I say. "I think myfeet grew since the Last time. And Iwe a bigger size on this side." Ipoint to my big foot. The man looksdown and then moves his eyes away

quick-"Oh," he says. "You'dbetter wait

for your mother, dear. She'll knowjust the size to buy."

41) He walks away. over to a teenageboy with pimples allover. The boy isholding a tennis shoe, a red one, thesame. color as his face. Min mantakes the shoe and disappears ire

the back mom.I pick up one of the velveteens

and slip my hand inside. I bring theshoe right up to my cheek It doesfeel like velvet, it's that soft, and itsmells like velvet, too, It is.blackerthan my cat, Midnight. Inside it istan. It smells like leather and glue. Itis so smooth my fingers slide all theway to the end. I think of my toesgliding in, even without powder, justslipping along the satiny leather. Ipick up two more of the shoes andwalk to the row of chain and footstools.

This is the part I hate. The partwhere I wish I could be at homesitting on my floor with my can ofpowder. By now there is a motherand her two little kids and the teen-age boy sitting in thechairs allaoundme. The bald man is trying patentleathers on the gid.

It's hard taking off my brace whenI'm sitting in a chair. When I leanover to untie my shoe, the top part ofmy brace pushes into my privates.Undoing all the buckleson thestrapsmakes the little clanking noises thatwake people up. If they're alreadyawake it makes them stop whateverthey're doing and try to figure outwhat's making the noise. To undothe top buckle, I've got to lift mydress really high.

What I do first is take the shoe offmy big foot. I have three black vel-vets to try on. All three are differentsizes. They keep the other part ofeach pair in the beck X) people can'tsteal the shoes. The firsts/soe iswaytoo small. I can tell without eventrying it on. The second shoe is toobig, bur' try it on anyway and lace ittight. I stand up, holding onto thechair back. My small leg is shorter.so I'm standingon one leg, my otherfoot not touching the ground. I stareat my foot with the black velveteenon it. I can't believe it's there on me,on my foot. I wiggle my toes insideit to be sure. The third shoe wouldprobably be the perfect size, but it'sthe right shoe, not the left.

Just then my mother walks upwith a big package in her aims. "Ishould have known where to findyou." she says, dropping into one ofthe plastic seats. "God, this place isa zoo."

"Look. Mom!" I say. "Blackvelveteens."

"Hamm," she says. "This onecertainly doesn't fit. Who's workingin this department, anyway?"

"That guy over there," I say,pointing to the man who is lacing upboots on a little kid. When the manleans over his face nuns all red andso does his bald head.

My mother %as up and walksover to the rack of kids' shoes. Iknow I've got to sidetrack her fastbefore she finds something on sale."These would be much mote prac-tical, Deborah," she says, holdingup a pair of brown and tan saddles."What with you up in the trees andout in the woods all day. What areyou going to do when that velvetgets dirty?"

"You can buy a lxusa, Mom. Youcan use a toothbrush. And you can'teven seethe dfttsince they're black."

"Excuse me, sir," my mother says. to the bald man who was turningtoward a customer who had justwalked up. "I do believe it is our turnto be helped."

"Oh, yes, ma'am: he answers,hurrying over, that weird little smilestuck on his face. "And what can I dofor you today?"

"My daughter needs her feetmeasured. Then she would like to befit for some of tiaise furry blackshoes."

"Velveteens, Mom," I whiver,embarrassed:

"Yes, ma'am," he answers. "Canshe stand up cc should I measure hersitting down?"

"Why don't you just ask her?"my mother miters. Her eyes getnarrow and she gets up out of thechair.

"I can stand. tap!" I say. "See." IColtinmed on page 33.

Tion.Closeansre Rae hileweisiAents.;. 11193-.

gond op and take a step coo themetal platform with all the linespainted in white.

The man fiddles with the thing,measuring my big foot first. then mylittle one. My little one slips off.

The bald man raises his beet-redface up to my mother and says, "Thepoor thing. Polio, was it?"

"Yes," my mother says. "Polio."Her voice is as cold and strops as themetal on my brace.

"Well, it seems to be a fear cio the... um leftand a two ... rig:a two.

. on her right. So now, which is ityou want me to bring? . "

"A pair of both. Obviously," nlymother answers.

When the man disappeats into'the back room my mother looks atme. All she says is, "That assbole."

I giggle, but my mother's facestays still as a rock.

Wewaitforalongtime.My motherdoesn't say anything bit I can tell bythe way her mouth stare; to get fightthat she's getting madderandmadtkr.The man finally comes ant -with twoboxes of shoes. He hands than to myneedier and says, "F..xcuse me. Thatlady " He poims to an old womanwho is looking at slippenobe kindthatlook Ike canon candy. " must see ifshe needs ... "

I am glad that my mother is help-ing me with the shoes, but my motherisn't glad, not one bit. She is furious.I bow becuse whenever she's sador really mad she puts on her darkglasses, even if she's inside. I canalso tell by the way she yanks on thelaces before tying the bows.

After a couple of minutes wefigure out that the size four fits myleft foot fine but the size two is toobig. No matter how tightly she ties it.my foot still slips around inside. Theman is at the other end of the longrack, stacking little round tins ofshoe polish. My mother picks up thesize two's and walks over to him."Ub-oh," I think to myself. Thismandoesn't know my mother when she'smad.

_ My mother puts her hand on herhip. Her big red poise is banging ofit. In a loud voice my mother says "Iam an VERY sorry to interrupt thisVERY important job you're doing.Could I possibly bother you to bringmy daughter a pair of size one-and-a-half's?"

The man's face tarns as red aswhen he leans over. "Oh. certainly.Oh, certainly," be-says.and disap-pear into the blick too= Ince a rabbitinto a hole.

This time be comes right back,empty-banded. A pain comes out ofmy chest somewhere, runs down myarm, and stabs me in the hand.*

"Yes?". my mother demands.glaring behind her dark glasses

'Tux very sorry, ma'am. We=out of one-and-a-half' s. Sold the lastIair yesterday."

. The trickI use to stop crying isn'tWetking..the only thing I can dellshold my Wild. The Pain in my handslowly goes away: I can't feel any-thing in my hand's anywhere else."You promised." I keep telling my-self. "You promised."

The man starts to walk away. Mymother-grabs hit ann. like she doesmine, when I'm trying to escape."And when, may I ask, will you be.getting more in?" Her voice is cold,maybe colder than my hand.

"Oh, I couldn't say, ma'am. Icouldn't say."

My mother doesn't let him go. Helooks nervous, like all of the bloodhas drained out of his body. "Oh,well perhaps, yes most probably, byFriday. Yes, most surely by Friday,at the very latest." Then he gives mymother one of those weird littlesmiles and says, "They're a verypopular shoe, you know, so we dolike to keep them in stock."

"Yes. I see that you do," mymother answers, releasing the man'sMTh.

My mother comes over and putson my brace. Even though she hasn'tdone this in years, she could do it inher sleep. My fingers feel the way

they do when I lean on them wrrog,before the pins and needles start.can't make them work.

"Mom," I say, real slowly. care-fully, as she starts to take the blackvelveteen off my left foot. "Can't weget . . . this one . . . now?"

"Don't be silly, Deborah," shesays, right away. Then she looks upatmy faceand says,"Now don't youstart . " . .

And thin she laughs. She laughsso 'hard and loud that little tears(pine out below her dark glasses. Istart laughing too. She shakes herhead from Side tosicte and then shesays, "Oh, what the hen. Why not?Why the hell not?" .

We walk out of 3.. C. Penney'swith Sadie's balloon tied to my wristand the one big right shoe rattlingaround in the box. That shoe isuseless; it's the one that will stay inthe box is closet with all theother too-big right shoes becausemy mother Can't* stand to throw aperfeztly good shoe away, even if no(myth ever Wear it: The other blackvelvet IS on my foot. Iknow it lookscrazy, that one new shoe on my left,the beat-up old brown hightop onmy right. If anyone says anythingabout them, I think. I'm going toclaw out their eyes. I laugh somemore, just thinking about those stu-pid, ignorant people. staring at mewith their bloody ;yes. I know itlooks crazy, but I like the way myfoot feels, gliding on the cool, smoothleather. F don't look down. I justkeep right on gliding, holding ontomy mother's hand real tight. to

BEST COPY AVAILABLE 39

MARCH /APRIL, 1993 THE DISASILIT RAO 33.

(Ey les

Audience favoriteFlipping through the May 18 is-

sue of Newsweek. I found JackKroll's review of The Waterdance,Neal Jimenez's semi-autobiograph-ical account of one man's initiationinto the world of paraplegia. beam-ing up at me from page 66. Krolltouted the film for skillfully avoid-ing the traps of "mawkishness" hesays it could have easily fallen into.I smile. Maybe. I think. we have areviewer here with some under-standing of disability. My joy wasshcet-lived. Kroll fell into those sametraps before ending his next sen-tence "The film,"be writes,"is filledwith all the poignancy.irony. humor and des-peration of its painfulparadox vital youngmen marooned in theirown bodies." Ugh. Iwondered ifTimenez, thescreenwriter and co-di-recta'. himself a para-plegic, would agree withKroll's assessment?

The Waterdance isthe story of Joel Garcia(in a fine performanceby Eric Stoltz), a character born ofJimenez's five-month rehab after thehiking accident which caused hisparalysis. and the people who inhab-it his world. After seeing the film. Irealize Kroll's statement told memore about the reviewer than thefilm.

While the story unfolds in pre-dictable fashion. affecting portray-als of Jimenez's characters makesthe first half of the film a joy towatch, though piausibility is strainedat times: viewers with any insight

into rehab facilities may fmd it hardto believe the absolute freedom tocome and go that Joel and the othershave one important scene, when thepatients swipe the keys to the acces-sible hospital van and "borrow" itfor a telling and humorous excur-sion to a strip joint, is particularlyhard to buy.

The characterizations by Stoltzand supporting cast are the film'skey strengths. William Forsytheplays Gloss. a bigoted ex-biker whofantasizes about a $2.5 million re-venge against the driver who hit him:Wesley Snipes is Raymond Kill, the

by Lawrence Carter

found insecurity about sex during agroup discussion on sexual possibil-ities open to paraplegics: later, whenJoel and Anna steal away to a motelto make love for the first time sincethe accident, we share the blunt butgentle truth behind their frustration.

Jimenez offers a candidpeek intoclip titmice to a largely non-disabledaudience. Though people prone towhisper "shbh . that's not funny!"might to horrifiedat the thought thatit wasn't just the characters wholaughed when a macho wheelieshowdown between Sloss and Ray-mond left them both drunk and

laughing on the hospitalgrounds when theirchairs tipped over, whenJoel almost wrecked theborrowed van during the=sanctioned jaunt, theaudience I was inlaughed aloud w hen onecharacter exclaimed."It's a good thing we'realready paralyzed."Such jokes aren't easyto pull off, but their suc-cess here propels the

story along in a way which opensdoors that somber seriousness can-not.

The Waterdance is a powerful.funny film that doesn't rely on su-per -sips or timeworn stereotypes toconvey its message: the very human.mundane details of its characters andtheir lives is the film's strength. Thefilm was voted Audience Favorite atthe Sundance Film Festival earlierthis yes-. Anyone with an interest indisability cult= owes it to them-selves to pay the price of admissionto see why.

Anyone with an interestin disability cultureshould see this film.

fast-talking hustler caught betweenthe need for Ws fancily and the wrongshe's done them in the past: HelenHunt is Joel's married. nondisabledgirlfriend. Their believability farsurpasses flaws in the storyline.

While the plot may sometimesfalter, subjects within the film's sto-ryline are limned with unflinchingcandor. Sex, rarely explored in filmsabout disability and barely hinted atin My Left Foot, is handled withrefreshing honesty. We feel the sa-ges and outrage of Raymond's new-

24 Tie Disaaturf RAO vh/LT/AUGUINT, 19.2Article reprinted with permission from "The Disability Rag", December 22, 1993.

HANDOUT #5

Preferred Terminology in the Disability Coniunity

1. Disability vs. Handicap

Like other minorities, the disability community has been trying for years tocome to terms with its terminology. Since around 1980, leaders in thecommunity have made a conscious effort to use "disability" and "disabled" astheir terms of choice over "handicap" or "handicapped."

There are several reasons for this. Many people believe that one origin of theword "handicap" is the stereotypical beggar standing at the street corner withhis "cap in hand." (However. dictionaries do not support this theory.) Otherssay that "handicapped" was foisted on the community as the preferred term inthe 1970's by social service professionals.

One public relations professional with a disability has written- "Disability'refers to physicaL mental, sensory and emotional impairments that interferewith major tasks of daily living. 'Handicap' denotes an interaction between adisability and an environment that erects obstacles or barriers to people withdisabilities."

Someone who has a disability, he argues, does not necessarily have ahandicap. The disability is in the person: the handicap is in the barrier.

In short, the preferred term to use in association with people is disability, nothandicap.

2. People with Disabilities, Disabled People. the Disabled

Avoid terms such as "the disabled" or "the deaf." "the blind," "the retarded"etc.). First of all, it ain't good English to use an adjective as a noun. Moreimportantly, such terms send the message that the disability ig the person.

"Disabled people" is acceptable to most in the disability community. However,the preferred term is "people with disabilities." It is a neutral term--itacknowledges the presence of the disability. Bat it puts the person first.

3. Try to Use Neutral Terms- Avoid Demeaning Language

Yes: He uses a wheelchair.

No: He is wheelchair bound. He is confined to a wheelchair.

Yes: She is deaf and cannot speak.

No: She is deaf and dumb. She is a deaf-mute.

4i

Handout #6

Exercise

What Do I Cali You?The Stigma of Labels

Have you ever wondered how you have been described by others? Do theyemphasize your positive attributes or do they sneak in some unpleasantaspect about your physical appearance or personality?

Consider this scenario: In a crowd, you see a man who is bald and has abeard. It is believed in our society that baldness is a devalued physicalattribute whereas a neatly trimmed beard is either neutral or a slightlyattractive attribute. If you were to point out the man to a friend next toyou, which of the following questions are you likely to ask?

-Do you see that bald man over there?-Do you see that bearded man over there?-Do you see that man over there?- Do you see that man who is bald over there?- Do you see that man who has a beard over there?

A second example is a woman who is overweight and wearing an attractivesuit. If you were to point out that individual to a peer, which of thefollowing are you likely to use?

-Do you see that overweight woman over there?- Do you see that attractive looking woman over there?- Do you see that woman with the nice suit?-Do you see that woman who is overweight?

There is a tendency to bring out the "negative" in others, particularly ifthey are strangers to us, rather than emphasizing the positive. This isprimarily done on a subconscious level but done nonetheless.

The words that we use to describe an individual to another immediatelyforms a first, and sometimes lasting, impression of that person.

4

Handout #6 continued

Read the following description of Robert. After reading the information,turn the page and respond to the exercise.

Robert is a 28 year-old man who is completing his final year in college.He is majoring in Accounting and hopes to secure employment with a largecompany in an urban area upon graduation. Robert uses a wheelchair. Hedoes not drive and has an attendant who accompanies him to campus toprovide support. Robert has a GPA of 3.5; he has been in school for fiveyears. Robert enjoys going out for an occasional afternoon "happy hour"with friends especially after completing a challenging test. He has a goodsense of humor. Robert lives in an off-campus apartment and likes to goto movies, when he is not studying. Due to his spasticity, Robert'shandwriting is hard to read. Robert, like many college students, is on atight budget and thus, his wardrobe tends to favor sweats and flannelshirts. He realizes the need to improve his "image" if he is tosuccessfully obtain employment in his field. Robert often finds that hisprofessors do not call on him in class and he believes it is due to hisspeech pattern which can be difficult to understand.

43

Handout #6 continued

What Do You Remember?

This is not a test !! But, please do not look back on the written descriptionof Robert. Pretend that you are describing him to a friend of yours. Writedown what you would say to that friend.

Look back at the description and compare your comments to your friend.How much of Robert's positive attributes did you mention compared to theobvious phystal attributes relating to his disability?

4 4

The problem withchallenge (again)

Why does the phrase "physicallychallenged' continue to gain popu-larity? Who's promoting this insidi-ous concept?

A headline for the lead story inthe Living section of a daily newspa-per of one of our nation's largestcities last fall reported that morementally and physically challengedpeople are showing up on the smallscreen." A year ago. a story in theWashington Post reported one dis-abled person saying that "my chal-lenge is getting up steps: "Chal-lenge,: the story went on to note.'can be as basic as bending clown toreach electrical outlets.' The mostrecent Hanel, poll on public atti-tudes toward us used 'challenge"this way. tom The public recognizesthat. . . disabled people face manymore challenges than the ratof the population?

bility to get a job. only to find youcarat. get In the corapany's :cat doorbecause of their steps and yourouadriplega. you may rot under-stand why 'challenge' is no good asa desaiption of what we face.' wewrote.

We don't like 'challenged' anymore today. We suspect ithascaugloton precisely because it 13 more "pos-itive" by 'positive we mean itgives society a way to forget aboutthe bad stuff of disability. And bythat we mean discrirainatice.

'Physicaly challenged` attemptsto conceal a crucial fact that thereason we can't do lots of things isnot because we're lazy. or becausewe weal adapt a "challenge(isn'titimplied when you won't accept achallenge that you're chicken?) but

Newspapers are startingto use the term routinely. Wesuspect overzealous peoplewith 'physical challenges" ofcontacting the papers andurging its usage. We chal-lenge them to stop it.

Most of the activist seg-ments of our movement dis-dain the term. Brochures putout by many groups pan it.The widely- distributed'Guidelines for Reporting and Writ-ing about People with Disabilities'calls it 'condescending? It 'rein-forces the idea that disabilities can-not be dealt with upfront? Yet othergroups think it's fine, like the groupwhich named itself the New YorkState Parks Games for the PhysicallyChallenged.

We didn't like 'physically chal-lenged" when It first surfaced backIn the mid-eighties. *Until you'vetried to make it your own responsi-

IS disabffityreally just a self-

actualization test?

because many thing3 are simplybeyond our control like barriers.Uke discrimination. People who fa-vor 'physically challenged' aremaking a statement Barriers. dis-crimination. are not problems for us.but challenges. We want those bar-riers, we almost seem to be sayingbecause by overcoming them wellbecome better persons' Stronger.More courageous.. After all. isn'tthat what challenges are for?

That may not be the message we

think we're sending. but consider.David Braddock. director of theUniversity of Illinois' Affiliated Pro-gram in Developmental Disabilities.told a syndicated health columnistrecently that 'many children withdisabilities .. . are more mature andmore able to sustain strong friend-ships because of the uncommonchallenges they have facedlitadicsours).

Until you've made Ityour respon-sibility to get downtown. and dis-covered there are no buses with liftsrunning on that route. you may notfully comprehend that it isn't a per-sonal 'challenge' you're up against.but a system resistant to change.

A challenge is something yousolve byyourseli The term conjuresup lone mountain climbers. trek-

kers across the frozenwastes.the woman sailing alone

A

across the AllanUc.Many people who like to

refer to us as being 'chal-lenged' by our disabilitywouldn't think twice abouttelling us that. when we can'tget in that restaurant door orcan't nail down that job inter-view, we are merely fnganother 'personal challenge'

ours to overcome if we'reperson enough to do it. The

implicit message: that disability isreally just a self-actualization test.architectural barriers and discrimi-nation conveniently there for us towork out our own personal enlight-enment through. As a philosophyfor a rights movement. this sucks.

When are we ever going to be-lieve. In our hearts. that our prob-lems are not 'challenges' we havebeen assigned by some new-agebuddha as our personal-growth

Continued

JANUARY/FEBRUARY, 1992 THE DISABILITY RAG 23

4;iArticle reprinted with permission from "The Disability Rag", December 22, 1993.

karma. but failings of a society thatwe personally have done nothing tocause (execpt to remind those inpower of their on mortality. some-thing they heartily do not want to be

tied at)? Calling ourselveschallenged" shows we

buy into thatup-by-your-bootstrapscrap that wars against the fight forcommon justice. Disabled people.like all °greased minorities. havebeen handed that bill of goods sincetime immemoriaL We ought to wiseup. li

46

0"Strike by Blacks Paralyzes South Africa."(The New York Times, November 5, 1991.)

"ACLU as blind as justice."(The Denver Post, January 20,1992.)

ewe addo

hors

Here's a problem none of the language guidelines touches on: metaphorsabout disability used to denote bad things.

York Times onFebruary 17.1991. "Anew tan in the Sab-Croat conflictparalyzes federal rule: wrote a NewYork Timesccpy caw in the May 16,1991 issue. "We've been paralyzedby=politeness," Bishop William Frey,president of Pennsylvania's TrinityEpiscopal School far Mlnismy. toldTime Magazine on February 18.1991.referring to a church debate.

In 1991, we also got "In FinancialScandals, Is Blind Greed MeetingSightless Watchdogs?" (The New

One of the biggest hurdles to de-veloping a strong image of people withdisabflities is the rampant metaphoricuse of to that define us as stand-insfa bad stiff. While groups raise jus-tified complaints about terms at"victim" aid "afflicted: the meta-caloric use of "blind." "crippled" aid"paralyzed" to refertoeverything frombigotry to bed ea:acetic times contin-ues unquestioned and unabated.

'Czech Book Industry Paralyzedby Freedom" annolaneed The New

2$ Tit DMA ULM RAG MARC/4/ /10112

.,,,nrinted with nermissinn from "The Disability Rag". December 22. 1993.

-

York Times. September 15) and"Some fear blind pacifism has re-

placed militarism" (The New YorkTimcs. January 26).

Of all the appropriated metaphors.none is used more readily than "blind"to signify something bad. The NewYak Times's Andrew Malcolm caMarch 4, 1991 wrote of "society'sblindness to abuse. AnotherNew YorkTimes reporter referred cm March 30to "the legal concept of 'willful blind-ness.' "The New York Times's Anna

Wilts Awnpapit cifism has

ear blind re!: .

;bur* iixitt,

-1cd IrLcbrag refieC1 recession?.r.

n Financirca Standl,Blind .Grepd Meeting ".er Antiques Sho

tic that hard times

ightless Watciidogs? blind to reality

THE DENVER Posr

tankerous DI:me, as chai

Quindlen. in allovember9 cohann onMagic Johnson and AIDS, showedexactly how blindness is used far thispurpose, by referring to "the horriblebigotry andblindness[italicscans] thathas accompanied the (AIDS]epidemic." She is using blind-ness here not in its real sense,but metaphorically, to mean"refusal to fax facts." That useis as old as the Bible: "None soblindas those who will not see."

In 3110tibtf newspaper. an-other Quindlen column washeadlined. "In time of plague,same parents remain blind toreality." The DetroitFree Pressheadlined Mitch Albom'sMarch 16, 1991 sports column,"Blind ambition wins Idiiarod."

How can we expect the met-

nary a complaint about the headline?What about that phrase "blind*.

tire"? It's good.xight? It's supposedtomean "impartial:right? Does the ar-reedy in -vogue phrase "colcr-blind

Of all theappropriated

metaphors, none isused more readily

than "blind" to signifysomething bad.

"blind."Then there's the metaphor "crip-

pling: which we've written abota be-fore. We have the New Yak Timesweighing in with "Overcoming a crip-

pling fear of school" (Septem-ber 4, 1991) and "Lawmairers

aphoric use orblind" to changewhen even our own "organized blind"quote its .tate, as the National Federa-tion of the Blind did in reprinting aDecember 10,1990 People Magazinestory headlined "Armed with a WhiteCane, Sightless Robert Toyc TappedHis Way to the Teller and RobbedSeventeen Banks Blind" and raising

society" bother as? It's cut from thesame cloth that gives of "blind justice."

What about blind greed? Blindambition? Blind pacifism? Blind toreality? Willful blindness? Here's aclue: all these phrases rnean some-thing bad. The "bad" connotationcomes from being paired with the word

deal a crippling blow to the B-2Bomber" (November 1, 1991).The Washington Post gave as"LeanTimesCrippleAgencies"last Jamey TS [and we're surethis is only one of many exam-*21]. The Detroit Free Pressgave as "Doctors say cam fa-cilities inside fraq am cripplerlast Match lee last April 4, theLouisville Courier Journalheadlined a David Broder syn-dicated column "Crippled Gen-erations." Ten days later. Kid-dimwit, N.Y.'s Times Herald

Record told realms that a "Railroadstile threatens to cripple county.'

An article in the March/April 1991Rag pointed out that "crippled" usedthis way means "washed. up, finished.kaput" Continued

And don't forget "deaf." "He wasdeaf to her pleas." Teamsters are sup-

BEST COPY AVAILABLE43

MARCH/APRIL, 1992 Tma DISABILITY RAB 27

posed to "turn a deaf ear" to theirrivals, reported a local paper recently."Dialogue of the deaf" still rates as anall-time winner. used by Time Maga-zine to describe Middle East peacetalks.

"So what's wrong with a little col-orful language!" an editor barkedat usonce when we tried to dissuade himfrom using this kind of metaphor.Here's what's wrong with it "Blind,""paralyzed." and, yes, "crippled" arewords that in teal life identify peoplewho are trying against huge culturalodds to maintain a shred of dignity ina society that uszifonnly denigratesthan to worse than second-class sta-tus. And these same identifiers"blind," "paralyzed," and "crippled"ate used in the metaphoric waid ofwads to signify bad things. In thatmetaphoric mod& theycarry negativemenages all their our; they Tree astoday's most =woe synonyms forlicapable" and "unable."

Meanwhile. we are so unhappyabout the burden of negative imagerythat we have people going around giv-ing out SS0.000 to somehow come upwith a word that can give the conceptof =lives a"positive ring" and wehave nearly 70.000 people suggestingw o r d s . W h y ? Why d o w n e e d a p o s -

i t i v e w i r e B e c a m e t h e w o r d s as-

signed to us haveall beenappeopriatedby metaphor-wielding ports andwerdsmiths to mean "bad." That'swhat's wrong.

Is it any wonder so many of usmisguidedly try to (beam up "posi-tive" teems? All the real terms we'vehad have been tali= from us by Writ=looking for clever ways to say "bad."If we could getsente dignity back intothose old words of ors. we wouldn'tmadam weeds. Wzilen, give us beck04C WOWS. They're not your meta-phars, they're our words perfectlygood wads for our human ccedtion.It's you who have male them bad.

The political - correctness -policeforce will howl now that we're de-stroying the language with our insis-tence that these metaphors be aban-doned. But they're the ones who areout of line. There are plenty of otherwords that can do the double dutywriters have been requiring of our"blind," "pralyzed" and "clippled."Insteador'paralyzed." they should tryusing words "firozen," "stick,""stalled," "stopped." Instead of using"crippled," they can use "btoicen"which is what they're trying to say,anyway. Fcr"blind" well. do theyreally need anything in those placeswhere they insist on sticking in thegramitcras "blind'"?

These words work powerfully asmetaphors. They &dee their powerfrom the fact sir they're cotmecingthe reality of . hat society believesaboutapetson who is blind, petalyzedor crippled. This is pretty awful. It'stime it stopped-

Is it any wonder so many of us misguidedly try to dreamup "positive" terms? All our words have been taken from

us by writers looking for clever ways to say "bad."

THE NEW YORK TIMES NATION

trikets Cripple Los Angeles HospitalsEMBER 23, 1991 A14 etu

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NEW YORK,. FRID

211 Ur DMA MUTT

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3EST C:PY

"trip" ciould be reclaimed, like "dyke."

Crips can callthemselvesanything theywant toA reader survey

lost summer we ran a surveyto learn what readers thoughtabout various words and termsused to describe disabledpeople. Responses have beencoming in all year.And despite the fact that

surveys have come from allover the country even acouple from England re-sponses were remarkablyeansistant It seems the surestsign yet that a common lan-

iopage and culture is emerging.Where will it lead? This surveymay be giving some hints.

Responses gave a picture of acommunity remarkably consis-tent in its attitudes about

language. Nobody muds hied'handicapped," though peorleagreed it wasn't too offensive=Minty not as had as"crippled" or "handi-capable." Anumber of you noted that it wasa legal term, enshrined inSection 504 regulations and theEducation for All HandicappedChildren Act. "Disabled' wonout over 'handicapped' as theterm of choice, however. Therewas* too much rationale forthis. "It just seems more=temporary," one of younoted.

A number of you noted that'person with a disebelity" wasbetter than "clisebled person' in

that it 'put the person first"---

you knew the rhetoric sur-rounding the term.

Person with adisability

Nobody had areehing bad to

my about 'person with apolitically but

several of you noted the term

had its own shortcomings.It's the best of a notese-geot

list of possibilities," acicnowl-edged Richard Slue of SanFrancisco. Someone else celloit Ionise to another it wee

"awkward." 'Technical.' said .

Jim Parrish of Muni. Tab',ally correct but dims? 5113a

31. T11BD616.17 Rae SFIPTINBEILOCTOBEX, ISM ) 11

Article reprinted with permission from "The Disability Rag", December ,1994

`We need a gocid term for the phrase`handicapped parking space, one anonymousrespondent noted. "It's hard to say "parkingspace for disabled persons' or 'accessibleparking space,' and misleading to say`wheelchair parking space.'

yet others . "Too keg; Maidanother. 'Windy and °verb,sensitive; said James P. ,

Sullivan of Chicago. Lisa Coyneof Sacramento noted that its"hard to use in long sentences.".As Barbara Duncan of NewYork pointed out, 'journalistswill never use it consistentlydue to length."

ataileri4ed"Handi-aseablea and "physi:

oally challenged' came in for asolid drubbing by raiders. .

Many of you, lice ArthurCampbell of Louisville, merelyconsidered them silly. To MaryMcKnew of Olympia, Wash.,Thandi-capable" sounded bite "a*kitchen utensiL" Maybe you"get one at the True ValueHardware," quipped BillHenderson of Corchester, Masa.

The late Jim Neubacher, whowrote the Detroit Free Press's'Disabled in Detroit' column,thought them too "California-isle They tried to 'prettify'disability, said Ginger Lane ofWieland Park, m. "Who arewe kidding?' asked Rose Wilsonof Illinois.

Others of you were harsher in

your criticism, calling them an'insulting trivialization" ofdisabili Stairs don't 'chal-lenge- me,me, they infuriate me,said Jack Trial.

1 think their purpose is todistance the truth and makenon-crips feel more comfort-able; said Cheryl Wade.Unfortunately, added LucyHelm, thee, were "too often usedby people trying too hard to dothe right thing." Several of youalso listed "differently-abledamonG those cutesy terms redlie to see banished.

"Why not be real withoutbeing labelly?' asked MoiraMunnna of Pennsylvania.Vanessa Tornpsett of SouthYorkshire, England insistedthey were "stupid American-isms 7 trying to avoid sayingdisability

"Why? What for? Is it some-thing to he ashamed of?" sheasked.Besides, Jeanette Seitz of BluffCrity, Term. pointed out, 'physi-cally challenged" is "too head tosay."

Many of you mentionedtrivialization of disability as

reason for your irritation withthe word Inconveenced. "The term was inadequate, yeasaid; a Erriaeterpiece under-statement,* laughable in itsinadequacy° a word thatreminded Barbara. Devore 'of ahangnail*

"Mott disakatities deservemore serious language than aword used for a late plane orpoor restaurant service," DavidGerber complained.

Steve Brown had the almacriticismlaved° Ift "n dud-

the

itdeprivation ouf

sriogAth "

rhho bemad as hell when COnfreatelwith injustice: wrote JulieOsborn.A challenge is a choice, saysKent Killam. 'And ern not in achair by choice.*

Several of you threw in/ffichigan's legally correct'handicapper' as a word to bedespised. "Sounds bite HowdyDoody Time," said Jon Serra ofToledo.

We forget to list "special' endseveral readers reminded us ofit Moat of them didn't bite the

SETTEmBEivocroBER, 1990 The Disobey Rag

(11/tetril one reader thinks itmight be evolving into a term"no one laces to be called."

' Are there new words rising onthe horizon? Possibly al-though several people m.marked in the margins theywished people would quitcoming up with new terms. Wedon't need any more words.Penelope Whitesall of Pennsyl-vania insisted. Some concurredwith Walter Myer of Acton,Mass. who felt that "either'handicapped' or 'disabled saysit bite it is lees not playaround with other words."

Survivor® and cripple

Survivor not a new word (`lcall myself 'Survivor," The Rag,May, 1.983) is finding favorwith nasty of you. Peoplewho've had cancer have used itthere seems to be a move to useit more militantly. Several ofyou suggested its use in lieu of*victim.' John B. Woodward ofTallahassee said he uses theterm just lice his friend whoworks at a battered women'sshelter does. "Polio survivor.Spinal cord injury survivor."

But the word to watch, in our

view, is 'crippled* or, moreaccurately, the noun "cripple."Or maybe "gimp."

By a wide margin, readerspanned 'crippled.* 'Medieval"said Alice Sporar of Ohio. "Ile`nigger' of naming," AliceLevenson of Springfield, Mass.called it Others complained itwas loaded with old baggage"and "politically passe.*

Yet other readers, some on thedisability culture avant-garde,make strong cases for its use.

"I lite this word," says MarkO'Brien of Berkeley. It "packsmore punch."

Cheryl Wade cited much the

"Person with a disability"doesn't resonate."Disabled person" does.

Crippled 'makes me cringe when I bear it," writes Anthony Tusk?, head of Sonoma StateUniversity's Disability Resource Center. "But I call my friends with disabilties *cripst* AndI appreciate those who call themselves "cripples" to show they are .tough enough to bear theburden.

In 1985, Tualer wrote in his office's newsletter, "Before I came to the disability rightsmovement I facetiously called myself e cripple. I guess I figured that if I was gutsy enoughto call myself a cripple then I wouldn't be one. In retrospect, it didn't add to my self es-teem...

When I first became exposed to the movement I found that not only were may newfoundpeers defining what our reality was to us,, but that we called ourselves 'people with disabili-ty? whim talking to the world and "trips' amongst oursleves....

Prom a 1988 newsletter-.For the world at koge, I called myself a 'Person with a disability.' Iry Zola has said that

the significance is more grunintatical than the word choice. He's right. It was a liberatingday when I identified myself as a person with a disability. I felt I was reclaiming my person-hood from a strity that treated me as less than' solely on how I walked. That was almost10 years ago.

It is now 1988 and I am struck by how Paul Longmore calls us. He says things like, 'TMdisabled,' "my disabled brothers and sisters," and 'the non-disabled.*

No, no, no,' 1 think. We're People with disabilities' Didn't we solve that years agar But,as I think about it, listen to the rationale, and discuss the rationale, I find merit in thisseemingly regressive phrase.

Here's how I see it. I wish to be recognized, by the world, as a 'person with a disability.'But I am proud to be a disabled person.' I am proud, now, to be seas as disabled fist andMentors, I am proud to have persevered, to have triumphed, transcended, and learned withthe help of my brothers and sisters who are disabled.

I have long fed that we need to find a phrase and rubric that matches 'Black is beautif ul."Defining myself as a person with a disability helped to free me but it didn1 resonate. Being a'disabled pence does.

alms ressiii,'"It'sanise Thiess why she likesh".-

tas visaed and"haunt. Feels like as good,gnarled fist.* Penny Watt ofFreese thinks of "gimp" as 'acool disabled person."

Echoing others that sew ies akfor disabled people to tun, butnot others, Behest Memo ofLevittown, N.Y. said when itwas used by nondisabledpeople, 'crippled' 'showsinsurance and insensitivity.'

Tor use only among us!"stressed Km Chrietearan ofNSW Rochelle, NY. Othvoieevery offensiv'

Barry Cabot of Golden, Cola,mentioned 'gimp," too. Ws OKfor gimps, notothers, henoted.'Crippled' wasOK, too, saidCorhett,"whenused by a crip."To which Wed.adds, Tripscan call them-selves any-thing theywant to. sDitto, saidJack Prial ofBaltimore. "It'sfor use bydisabledpersons onlyas in To,Crip!" he said.Susan Nus&baum ofChicago agreedwith Fria/.

Even thoughDeborahShelton didn'tlike cripple,she hied "gimp" %sed as blackhumor.°

Both words w're good only Ifused in a militant manner,'said Juliet Duncanson ofIndianapolis. "I learned to use'gimp' in a militant way incollege,' she said, and enjoys

ihe Crili/omfort it cansTor Wads, Axippie is "a ":2-

persons& identity," though duadmitted it was an accurateterm only for some people. Oneof the acknowleged problemswith the word, even among itsadher,..ats is that it doesn'tapply to everyone.

"Disabled' has evolved toserve that impose, as severalof you pointed out. But 'St'sboring.' said Wade. We need ageneric term we can apply toourselves as a group, a omunn-rity and a. culture,*

TABSSome of the moat interesting

discussion centered around

'Ilezie:eise &kin it aeoleingesj...andavimmiliaretset our :14comma human*" Dot *ayof Big Flats,- N.Y. Mad it too.'Some people cant handle it,but it's important they begin toface it and the issues involved."

Some readers thought itsounded lira a threat, though,and that put them aft Otherslived it for precisely the samereason. hie to scare my able-bodied friends with this one,*Julie Osborne added. 'Funnyhow they don't like euphe-misms applied to themselves.'Lisa Small of Arlington thinkeit's a 'great consciousnessraiser," as did several readers.

But others thought the termdifficult to graspon first hearingg.A. lot of people cionot understandwhat is beingsaid,' said B.T.Mitchell ofAustin, Tex. Ittook me awhile tofigure out what itmeant,' saidCindy Wertz ofCheyenne, Wyo.For the samereason, MeganTurner of Loris-Ale called it anin- crowd' termand panned it.

Others found itclumsy. 'Soundslike a curse," saysKent Kellam ofMassachusetts.Alice Levensonthinks it "soundstoo much likeMorten Downy,Jr. to be very

useful. "Non-disabled is better,'a couple of you added.

Nonni Antelman of Tucson hashope for the term; If we canchange the mindset so peopleunderstr ad how fie le every-one is, we have a (+ Axe tointegrate better."

terms that ore still in transi-tion 'lice "temporarily ablebodied." Is it a useful term? Toothreatening? Too cutesy? Of allthe terms listed, this oneprovoked the most controversy.

"I really like this one," saidDeborah Shelton of Denton,

53SEITEMBEIVOCTOBER, 1990 11.-.3 Dhabillry Rah 33

Handout 410

40 Exercise

MYTH-BUSTING

Myths are ideas expressed about people with disabilities that are notnecessarily true but are believed nonetheless. For example, it is a myththat "people with disabilities are either brave or courageous." Likewise, amyth about a specific disability could read, "all persons who are hearingimpaired can read lips." Both of these statements are over-generalizations and remove the aspect of individuality from the person.

In the space below, identify three myths about persons with disabilitieswhich may hinder people from experiencing success in employmentopportunities.

3.

5

415 Handout #11

DISABILITY AWARENESS QUOTIENT (DAQ)

1. World renown Evangelist who was diagnosed A. Mar lee Mat linas having Parkinson's disease.

2. While creating masterpieces, paint would drip B. "Magic" Johnsoninto this artist's eyes and he lost his sight.

3. This actress starred in movies (T.V., big screen); C. Billy Grahamshe taught her leading men some sign language.

4. U.S. president who was confined to a wheel- D. Robin Williamschair due to polio, and the general public never knew.

5. Actor/comedian who has a learning disability. E. George WallaceIn one role, he was the man from Ork.

6. Politician who was shot by an assassin and F. Michelangeloserved his office term while in a wheelchair.

7. Actor/comedian who battled with drugs was G. Patricia Nealrecently diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.

8. Actress, of stage and screen, who made a come- H. Abraham Lincolnback after a stroke left her with a speech impediment.

9. U.S. president was believed to have suffered I. Richard Pryorfrom chronic depression from Marfane's syndrome.

10. Sports figure who was recently diagnosed as being J. Franklin D. RooseveltHIV- positive; competed in the 1992 Summer Olympics.

Developed by SEEMelinda Couslin, Graduate AssistantUniversity of Arkansas, Little Rock

1992

J.)..-t ) )

1. C

2. F

3. A

4. J

5. D

6. E

7. I

8. G

9. H

10. B

Answers to Disability Awareness Quotient

5 6

Harvard Business School doesifiget

STUDY

by Sara Watson

"If you don't get it, you don't get it," runs an ad for The Washington Post. Isuppose the same could be said for The Rag.

I ran up against a major case of "not getting it" recently -- at one of the mostinfluential institutions in the country, the Harvard Business School.

While researching case studies inthe ranee of my wort on a projectsponsored by the National Instituteon Disability and RehabilitationResearch. I came acroa3 I am notmaking this up! a case called"The Handicapped Heckle::

This case is used not only in ordi-nary classrooms but also in text-books and courses for teachers onhow to improve their teaching skills.It manages to encapsulate in a re-

Sara Watson. Ph.D.. is director ofthe Washington office of BerkeleyPlanning Associates. a public poli-cy evaluation and research firm

L dealing with disability issues.

markably short space most of thedevastating stereotypes combattedby the disability rights movement.

This one deals with the struggleby a young English teacher ("Paula")to decide how to react when a stu-dent w ho uses a wheelchair ("Frank")disrupts her class discussion andparticipates in class in an inappro-priate way.

Here's how the case describestheir first meeting:

He was a lanky, handsome youngman of about 20, with broad, athleticshoulders but his long legs ap-peared wasted in baggy blue jeans.and Paula found the unscuffed run-

Article reprinted with permission from

5 7

ning shoes on his motionless feetparticularly poignant. She felt asharp stab of pity. . . . He gave aspasmodic twitch. andanswered [hergreeting] in a strained voice.

After Frank interrupts anotherstudent. "Paula assumed that Frank' sdisability must be affecting his emo-tional state. and her pity squelchedthe urge to rebuke such rudeness."

Paula is so intimidated by Frank'sdisability and hostility that she feelsunable to cope with his behavior.She visits the counselor at the officefor disabled students to seek advice.The counselor advises her to standup to Frank. "You might help him

Continued 1

MARCH/APRIL, 1993 THE DISABILITY RAG 17

"The Disability Rag", December 22, 1993.

she says. "Handicapped peo-ple have to live in thereat world likeeverybody else, if you get toughwith him. maybe he'll begin to I mnt

that."Parts discovers, to her amaze-

ment. that the counselor is blind.The teaching noses provided with

the caw study conuneso that thecommeior "... identifies with mem-bersof the licental' world. . . Asevattly handicapped person proba-bly must learn self-disciptine in or

to participate as fully as possiblewith the rest of the work!. This pro-cess must involve a peat deal ofpain and innumerable triumphsover despair . "

Having learned what to do, thenext time Frank makes an intppro-pciate ccenment. Paula rebukes him.The class atmosphere improvesconsiderably esaresult,andFrankisno longer rude. Paula =dudes thather greatest lesson was the degree ofresponsibility she had for creating aclass atmosphere conducive tolearning.

After discovering this abomina-tion. I mailed a polite letter, alongwith a detailed critique of the casestudy, to the major faculty memberresponsible for it. C. Roland Chris-tensen, a professor emeritus at theBusiness School. I mentioned that Ihadconsiderable familiarly and ex-perience with case studies, havingearned a Ph.D. in public policy atHarvard, and that the reaction wasjust not my personal one but hadbeen affirmed at a meeting of theSociety for Disability Studies.

In my critique, I explored thestereotype of disabled people as ob-jects of pity, the automatic asssunp-tion that people with physical dis-abilities also have mental disabili-ties, and the stereotypes that heldthat disabled people are courageousfor merely living; that they need tobe rescued by nondisabled pm,*that they're either hostile and angryor polite and happy aU the time and

TEACHING NOTESThe teaching notes emphasize stereotypes: °Frank Edgerton

la an obvious victim. He needs protection." "What must PaulaWilson do to help him? . She is being eztkc9d to be abehavioral therapist to a paraplegic."

They reinforce the universal concept of the disabled personas bitter by suggesting that disabled students In coursesstudying this awes may themselves act like Frank: "ta theparticipant [with a dleabillty], like Frank Edgerton, bitter? Dosehe or she interrupt or try to dominate in an unhealthy wayrthey ask.

They Imply that Frank, simply because of being disabled,may not belong in college: -First and foremost, FrankEdgerton's handicap and Its implications must be considered,they instruct the teacher using the case study. "Why is hethere? What can he gain from going to *allege? S. W.

that they're always consumed by thedisability.

I wrote to Christensen that twopossible consequences of teachingthis case study are that future em-ployers might come to think of pro-spective employees with disabilitiesas having such characteristics, andthat future teachers might think oftheir students with disabilities in thesame way. Such conceptualizationsfly in the face of the implementationactivities of the Americans withDisabilities Act and the Individualswith Disabilities Education Act.

When I got no response. I calledhim. On the phone. Prof. Christensenbrusquely informed me that the casegeneratedvery gooddiscussions, thatitdid not perpetuate stereotypes, andthat besides, it was based on an actrial incident. End of discussion.

But I haven't given up.

Let's look at the arguments I heardin support of the cm study, and therebuttals I offered. Many of youprobably encounter such arguinentiin other forms. I found the rebuttalspeople understood most readily wereones that used the analogy of race.so I'm using those same analogies inthis article.

Rase Amman: The Case gener-ates good class discussions.

RES/ONSE In the right environ-ment, so does Hitler's Mein Kampf.That doesn't mean it should be usedunadvisedly as a textbook. This casecould rightly be used to illustrate theproblems the disability rightsmovement has emerged to address.But to use it for such a purposewould assume an incredible amountof sophistication and knowledge onthe pan of the professor leading thediscussion; and to assume that wouldbe equivalent to assuming that theaverage white miner at the Ulu-venity of Alabuna in the 1950s couldteach a course on race relations. The

,*: BEST COPY AVAILABLE

.,A

Just as even one case with a black person eatingwatermelon and acting lazy is unacceptable, so too

is one case with disability stereotypes.

average student body then, inof undo tending racial bents.

and now in terms of understataingdisability issues couldn't under-stand or support such a discussionwith this kind of material, which initself supports harmful stereotypes.

It is appropriate and. in fact. de-sirable fora case to discuss accu-rately thedifficultiesthatpeoplewithdisabilities endure from the larger.society. This awe, however, couldnot reasonably be constnied as be-ing able to do this. A case exploringracial isms would treat blacks' mainproblems as being caused by soci-ety's mispemeptions and resultingmistreatment not as being causedby faults inherent in their personalCIVIIICICliSDOS, as this case does withFrank.

The renal the Paula and Frankcase has so far 'worked" in .classdiscussions is because so few stu-dents have any disability rights per-spective.

SECOND Aitaincurr: It doesn'tpresent stenotypes; it discusses onlyone individual.

RESPONSE Maybe; but it's the ordycase of its kind among the thou: _idsin the Harvard Business School casecatalog; almost certainly it'll be oneof the few cases with a disabledprotagonist which students will see.Just as even one case with a blackperson sitting on a porch eating wa-termelon and acting lazy is unac-ceptable. so to is one case with thesekinds of stereotypes.

THUD Arteuresaer: It really hap-pened

RESPONSE: Though this case may

have been based on one person'sexperience with a stodeet who hada .

disability. what was unfortunatelynot conveyed to that person --or thecase's author. is that one experi-ence with a person with a disabilityis just that one experience. Onewould not, upon meeting one blackperson who happened to be lazy.insist that all members of that mi-nority group shared that characteris-tiq if one did, one would rightly beconsidered a bigot.

People with disabilities. likeblacks, women. gays, Jews. Repub-lica:is, .gardeners and every othergroup in our society. have a range ofcharacter traits and personalities.People with disabilities, just like ev-eryone else, can be angry. sullen.cheafal, industrious. generous earlstingy.

Someone with a disability mayindeed be angry, especially immedi-ately after the disability occurs, orafter she -has experienced the fourthincident of discrimination that day.But many people without disabili-ties are angry too. The vast majorityof disabled people do not act in themanner portrayed in this case study.and would assess Frank's behavioras both unusual and unacceptable.

On the surface, this argument canbe dismissed with the tried-and-truerebuttal that people with disabilitiesare heterogeneous. But I think thisissue deserves more considered at-tention.

Shades of gray are hard to com-municate. For se%,..ral decades. dis-ability organizations and spokes-persons have searched for a way to

combat many of these old steno-types. Quite undentandably. but stillregrettably, one strategy has been tocombat them by concocting new ste-reotypes. These new stereotypesstaved useful and obvious purposes.such as encouraging people to hirepeople with disabilities; but too of-ten they opened up an opportunitywhile also setting someone up forfailure. Opening the door and thentaking away the house means thatsomeone will walk through the ens -trance but then fail into a pit.

EXAMPLES:OLD Sses.earren; People with

disabilities are expensive to employ.New Sr teeorsve: People with

disabilities are cheap to employ.- Risizits Some arc some

areol.But wady has to accept thefact tiiii-sthiving disability issometimes expensive. Bearing thatcosts comes. with the territory of

Continued

5 9

AAPPROACH

Today the 4015111 study"

approach Is used in most lawschools and many businessschools, but it waspioneered by the HarvardBusiness School. Harvardgraduate schools usethousands of these based-on-real-life vignettes that letstudents work with neat-world situations.

Miutem/ApRit., 1993 The 013AIOLITY RAG 19

A said .1 prejudice, continuedhaving a society of humans. (Thedebate over the ADA brought thisargument into sharp focus. )

OLD Seexacrme: People withdisabilities are ilL

NEW STESZOTYPS: People withdisabilities are never sick.

Ramery: Some are, some aren't.This emphasis on denying the factdue some people with disabilities doin fact have illnesses =dice highhealth are expense' has cost themovement considerably in terms ofits ability to foals alliances among

'various disability and disease-ori-ented groups in many legislative ef-forts. such as the ADA (Where wasthe American Cancer Society in thepush xi pass the ADA?) and thehealth system reform debate. Thegrowing recognition that neitherstereotype is true is breaking downbarriers.

Sreintorrec People withdisabililies are incapsble of manes-mg their own attendantserrices.

Mew Smiaorm All pea& withclistbilities rob° have the cognitive

skills to do so want to manage theirown attendant services.

THE ReAurte Some do. somedon't. Recent thinking by the WorldInstitute on Disability has focusedoa giving people a range of optionsand allowing them to choose howmuch autonomy they want.

OLD &rename A major dis-ability, such as blindness, is a com-plete and overwhelming tragedy.

NEW Sitaaorree A major dis-ability, sach as blindness. is no morethan an inconvenience.

THE Rutter: Sometimes it's aninconvenience: sometimes it's amajor barrier. As Bonnie O'Daynoted ("Why I Am Not aFecietation-ist.- September/000m 1991), de-scribing blindness consistently as"only an inconvenience" minimizesand belittles the difficulties she

eq:eriences in performing tasks.It sets people up for failure.

Sometimes a ranted front is ase-fut, even amid, when deliveriesvotes ornegotheing with opponents.fee example. If the disability coma-

nary had not presented a unitedfront for the ADA. it would haveseriously weakened their bargainingposition. However, in other instanc-es such as when doing policyresearch or designing programs andservices, a diversity of perspectiveis crucial.

We need to pick and choose care-fully those times when we presentuniformity. and those when wepresent individuality.

To combat "The HandicappedHeckler" cue, we need a united from

bat we need to encourage andcelebrate diversity to provide evi-dence of its falseness.

Readers wish to express their_concerns about the case study as-cussed in this article can write toSara Watson. Berkeley PlanningAssociates.1100 17th St..N.W Suite330, Washington, D.C. 20036. Shewill compile your letters and sendthan to Christensen and others atthe Harvard Business School.

10, Ti a DesAansvelean

les 0 urse ves

In Search of the

Politically CorrectDisability

It always sets my teeth a little onelse when I findon the otherend of thejai ling office phone =wow wasa-ing to know if I have a suability.

If the caller identifies herself asdisabled. the conversation quicklytakes on at aura of disability mop-ntaship. It's Ince ethane perverse grateof Show You Mme If You'll ShowMe Yours. Admitteelly. I participle.

lbat'sbecause, wheneverrm askedthe dreaded "disability Question," Ialways feel violaed which pats meon the defensive. The caller might aswell have asked for my checking w-CIAllt tablICC or my bra size. I feelviolated because I fed disconfirmectdoes having a disability in me amore legitimate disability rightsspokesperson? Or alessiegitimateoneDoes it matte me more knowledgeableabort what we publish in The Rag?Doesone's label somehow legitimatizetheir validity? Does it make me moremoral, in some way?

I want to respond in these situationsby telling the caller that I feel violatalby the question. Instead. I tell than Ihave rheumatoid arthritis.

Sharon Kurz Menem u ManagingEditor of The Disability Rag.

by Sharon Ku= Mellem

Does this now make me a legiti-mate spokesperson for disability is-sues? Now that I have a disabilitylabel. does it validate what I have tosay abets disability rights?

My annourcement to the callerthitIda. indeed, have erear disability isusuallyfollowedbyalongpasse.11is,tco, malses me uncomfortable. I don'tknow for cestain what the silenceratans. and, in my discomfort. I feel acompulsion to lighter it tat. I say, "Iknow. arthritis is about a mimes ten onthe Disability Cool Scale." The callerand I quickly get down to businessafter that,

I do not look disabled I limp oilyoccasionally. I do not yet use a eery,hot-pink Motion Design chair. (I maynever have to: who knows?) And. likemy brothers and sisters who have HIV-related or oder autokomune dise7tes.there are few signs Monad* kit iffme as "disabled."Someof us arerk.easy to label. My harness are not yetpredominantly physical. Mostlythey're invisible and often self-in-dicts* my "minas en" self-defensemechanism is a good example.Sometimes my harriers are famity

members. my friends and to a certaindegree the subtle attitudes of some inthe disability community. This is anissue that's never addressed upfront

the reluctance to discuss it is itselfa barrier, one that shows itself when Ianswer the phaneand gerthe disabilityTestae."

This really happened: someoneonce asked me why I felt "the need todevour myself." The implication. of(mum was that I was responsible forthis disease which was now eatingaway at my joints. The person askingdisquestion wasn'tdelberately tryingto be insensitive, rm sure. But shetaidastood "dimbility" only to meanthings like bath "defects." pealysisand mental retardation. Arthritis.gesieraLtyconsideredadisetueofoiderpeople which is also thought to bebsouglitonbypoorstsessmanaganent.wet not io her way of thinking a "dis-ability." Therefore she wasn't reallyinterested in knowing my family his-tory and hearing dm I had a geneticpredispositioa to attains. She didn'twant to 'layabout the constant, tooth-grinding pain. She ain't aux to heyabout my difficulties climbing stairs.

1 i Ti i Disaaiure Rom litanctilAmx, 1092Article reprinted with permission-from "The Disability Rag", December 22, 1994.

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It is not like a =put= I have avery hut= brain. I believe thinkingaid feeling. ate intertwined. I haveoften felt and thought &Wee' moredim do normal folks: aid I certainlythink mom thin is noun& I my easilya movies and books. I anger easily atinjustice. I can quickly rationalize ei-ther iirin of an argument and I canbe quite carrincing. Alia sounds hiea lawyer. an actress, a a psychorieu-rotic. eh? Precisely my point.

The way I think is so deeply en-touched in bow I feel and who Ianthat I an teally terrified at tbe thoughtof thinking in any other way. Recentheath pitibiems have made me fearbrain damage. and recent hospitaliza-dons. ambled with psychiatric cat-sultatioa, have famed me to cookcatarf own sanity or lack thenzit I willopenly admit to going through one ortwo "ciinkal tprestions." suicidaltendencies, workabolism, emotionalinstakey (and liability). uncontrolkdanger and even self-destructiveness.

Anyone who reads this who knowsivharcial deptelia011" is will un-&Stand that even by itself without allmy other "thought" diffetences, theeffects of depression alone an devas-tating. I cia remember knowing, be-lieving with all my mind, that therewas no way oat. No one would helpmebecame I was helpless, hopeless andhismoriert. I did think of death as asoption that would bring relief. I alsobad the reqxonability of caring for achild, though, so I had to discountsuicideasthemethodolcoping,. Mazyothers have not been so lucky. De-rression affects you holisticallyYour aPpetite. your energy, yaw senseof self, your ccocenuation, yoursleeping habits, your every mood andthought.

That is scary. Any sane. so-called"normal" individual should be afraidof those types of uncontrolled differ-ences. All people are afraid of loss andwill grieve the loss of a friend.' ofvision, kiss of a leg, and loss of inde-pmdmae. Ba it is bernd imagine-don to cope with the loss of amity or

Ica of self.Having waked with people labeled

with at:Dental handicap fcrmany years,I belie' ve that this also applia toretardation. People cannot bear thethought of notthinking in the way theyan used to "narnally." Each per-son has his or berovm Way of thinking,but we ae yes, I an. too afraidof losing that natural ability or beingleft with "lesser" powers. This couldbe why Alzheimer's disease receivesso much attention. We ate all afraid oflosing our minds.

People with disabilities often arguethat it is not the disability that needsremoval but the:0=km Let us bedisabled, as that is who we am, theysay: but allow us some dignity andeapality. Yet millions and millions ofdollarsaestillspenton theprevasiceand rehabilitation of various disordersand &abilities But for mental healthand mental disabilities, there is lesshope and less help.

Shebered workshops S1111 exploitpeople labeled "mentally handi-capped" under the guise of "training."People labeled"metually ilr ate beingsystematically abused medically,pharmaceutically, physically and so-cially. both inside institutions and out

Stmetizopleate left with no homes,nosupport they wanderin rne&ation-induced names unless they have soldtheir presmiption drugs for food, ciga-rettes or alcohol money.

I believe that axiety will leam toaccqx physical, sensory and learningdisabilities, including such abstractideasasaddicticnandalcoholism. Thiswill happen long before mentally re-lated disabilities an dealt with.

People an soon afraid of the un-imown! Imagining bow to live in awheelchair, or be blind, may be afrightening challenge, but it is far moreMinable and concrete than trying on amental &ability. My belief is that wepeople labeled "mentally ill" or"mentally handicapped" will be thelast to enjoy any true experience ofquaky. That's because we think (if-bratty.

fur Daaaartv RA. 1502 63

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Handout #15

SUGGES TED TIPS WHEN INTERACTING WITHINDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES

The following summary contains many true statements but no absolute truths. Every personwith a disability is unique and clifferert While this summary is about disabilities, it isimportant to remember that you are NOT working with disabilities, you are working withINDIVIDUALS who have disabilities. So, all of the following guidelines are valid untilsomeone with a disability tells you they want it done in some other manner. Given the broaddifferences amongst people, this is bound to occur !

BLET232512ALLIMPALEDI

THINGS TO KNOW:

* The definition of legally blind is 20/200 vision with best correction. Many more personswho are considered blind have some sight rather than no sight

* Many persons who are blind are quite mobile and independent

* While many persons who are blind can use braille, the majority of persons who are blinddo not.

THINGS TO DO:

* Introduce yourself. Identify who you are and what your role or job is. Give the personverbal information that is visually obvious to those who can see.

* Be descriptive when giving directions. Saying "Over there" has little meaning to someonewho cannot see you point. "Four doors after turning right from the elevator" would be muchmore helpful.

* Lead someone who is blind only after they have accepted your offer to do so. Allowthem to hold your arm rather than you holding them. It is important to allow the person tocontrol their own movements.

Describe things from their perspective, not yours. Some persons who are blind may use a"clock" reference for things directly in front of them. For example, something could bepositioned at three o'clock or six o'clock.

* Tell the person when you have brought new items into the environment, describe whatthey are (a plant, coat rack, etc.) and most importantly, where you have placed them.

4

THINGS TO AVOID:

* Do not move items after the person has learned the environment. This can be frustratingand in some cases, dangerous for the individual with a visual impairment.

* Do not interact with a guide dog while it is working.

THINGS TO CONSIDER:

* Persons who are blind have a long history of being patronized and talked to as if theywere children. They have often been told what to do as opposed to being asked what theyprefer. This attitude is not acceptable towards any person.

DEAELIIEARINSaKEAIIIEa

THINGS TO KNOW:

* More persons who are deaf or hard of hearing have some hearing rather than no hearing.

* Sign language is not a form of English but rather an official language with grammar, rulesand contexts all it's own.

* Not all persons who are deaf can use sign language.

* Not all persons who are deaf can read lips.

* Lip reading is only 30-50% effective and sometimes even less.

* Not all persons who are deaf can read or write.

THINGS TO DO:

* Find out how the person best communicates.

* If the person uses an interpreter, address the person, not the interpreter.

* If the person reads lips, speak in a normal, not exaggerated manner. Short, simplesentences are best. Avoid blocking their view of your face and make sure there is adequatelighting.

* If you doubt that the person understood you correctly, you may ask.

* Gain the person's attention before starting a conversation.

65

* Be aware of a situation where a person may be waiting for a service (transportation, atable, etc.) where there is an announcement or calling of the persons's name. Pint analternate method of notifying them.

THINGS TO AVOID:

* Do not become impatient or annoyed with the person if it takes longer to communicate.

* Make sure there are no physical barriers between you and the person while inconversation.

* If the person is using hearing aids, avoid conversations in large, open and noisysurroundings.

THINGS TO CONSIDER:

* Persons who deal very well in one-on-one conversations may have a difficult time whentwo or more people are speaking.

* Showing impatience to someone who is deaf may cause the less assertive to back off fromtelling you their needs.

1MOBILfl aibiEiMEELCILUB,

THINGS TO KNOW:

* There are many reasons (not only paralysis) for someone to use a wheelchair.

There is a wide range of physical abilities among those who utilize a wheelchair. Thismeans that a person may require different degrees of assistance.

* Some persons may not use wheelchairs exclusively but may also use canes, braces and insome cases, no assertive devices at all for short periods.

THINGS TO DO:

* When speaking to someone who uses a wheelchair, remember to give that person acomfortable viewing angle of yourself. Having to look straight up is not comfortable.

* If you are asked to handle the wheelchair, treat it with the respect and care. Wheelchairscan break, can be difficult to have repaired on short notice, and it is extremely disruptive tothe user when they are out of commission.

THINGS TO AVOID:

* Do not push the wheelchair without asking or requested to do so.

* When communicating with a person who uses a wheelchair, do not stand too closegivethem some space.

THINGS TO CONSIDER:

* It is common for persons who use wheelchairs to be told a place is accessible when it isnot. This can be a frustrating experience.

* Do not assume that the person needs assistance. Ask the person if there is anything youcan do to help.

SPEECH DIFFICULTY

THINGS TO KNOW:

* There are many reasons for having difficulty with speech. Deafness, cerebral palsy,stroke, head injury or physical malformations of speech mechanism are just a few.

* Under stressful situations, it is not unusual for a persons's speech to become harder tounderstand.

THINGS TO DO:

* If you do not understand what the person is saying, bring it to their attention and ask howthe two of you may better communicate.

4' Consider writing as an alternative means of communication.

* If no immediate solution to the communication problem can be worked out, considerasking if there is someone available who could translate or interpret. Perhaps a friend,relative or acquaintance who is familiar with the person's speech pattern can provideassistance.

* If it is a stressful situation, try to remain calm. Moving to a private or quiet area withfewer distractions may help.

THINGS TO AVOID:

* Do not pretend to understand the person if you did not.

6 '?

* Do not become impatient or frustrated with the communication.

* Do not finish the person's sentences for them.

THINGS TO CONSIDER:

Persons with speech difficulty have often been treated as though they were intoxicated,mentally retarded or mentally ill. They are accustomed to being avoided and even ignored.

*Accessibility for persons with difficulty in speech lies in your power. Your understanding,patience and communication are as important to someone with speech that is hard tounderstand as a ramp or grab bar is to someone who uses a wheelchair.

Pimentel, R, Bissonnette, D., Lotito, M. (1992). What managersand supervisors need to know about the ADA. (pp 48 52).Northridge, California: Milt Wright & Associates,Inc.

Handout #16EVALUATION

Staff DevelopmentResponse to Training

A. RATING OF THIS TRAINING SESSION:

Please mark appropriate answer. Answers range from 6 strongly agree to 1 strongly disagree.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7. My understanding of the issues regarding individuals with disabilities prior to this training.

High 5 4 3 2 1 Low

8. My understanding of the issues regarding individuals with disabilities after this training.

High 5 4 3 2 1 Low

9. My level of comfort in interacting with individuals who have disabilities before this training

High 5 4 3 2 1 Low

10. My level of comfort in interacting with individuals who have disabilities after this training.

High 5 4 3 2 1 Low

11. I will be better able to assist individuals with disabilities as a result of this training.

Agree 5 4 3 2 1 Disagree

12. Overall, the training was helpful.

Agree 5 4 3 2 1 Disagree

StronglyAgree

StronglyDisagree

6 5 4 3 2 1

Trainer was effective. 6 5 4 3 2 1

Participants had opportunity to participate. 6 5 4 3 2 1

The presentation was v ell organized. 6 5 4 3 2 1

Program content was relevant to my job. 6 5 4 3 2 1

Length and pace were appropriate. 6 5 4 3 2 1

Training objectives were met. 6 5 4 3 2 1

6

13. I would like to have additional inservice training on working with individuals with disabilities:

Yes No

14. Suggestions for future training topics and general comments (use back if necessary):

15. What was the most interesting information you learned in the workshop?

16. What was the most least interesting information you learned in the workshop?

17. The following questions are optional, to give us some idea of your experiencewith individuals with disabilities not related to your job.

A. Do you have a disability? Yes No_If yes, what kind?

B. Do you have a family member or close friend who has a disability?. If yes, what kind?

Thank you for your participation!

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