glaring omission

[Progo35]

I was disapointed when, during her speech on the Obama campaign, Oprah Winfrey mentioned religion, race, ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation as being part of diversity but did not include disabilities on that list. She did mention support for disabled veterans, but this isn't the same thing as inclusion of disabilities as a minority community because the context is different: calling attention to a program rather than diversity.This is the kind of exclusion that gravely concerns me as a disabled American: in order to protect our rights, we need to be included in discussions of diversity with all of the other groups. I sincerely don't think that Oprah did this on purpose or to be prejudiced, I think that like most people, she is functioning within the national/world climate that has not generally included disabilities in its discussions of diversity.

Secondly, I was only able to watch one of her speeches. Did anyone see her other two speeches either in person or on TV and hear her include disabilities in the context of diversity appreciation? Also, I think that she mentioned sexual orientation, as in 99 percent certain, but the issues I remember the most were race, ethnicity, religion and gender. So, am I wrong and did she leave this out as well?

Like I said, I don't think that Oprah did this on purpose, I just hope that our culture will become increasingly aware of the disabled as a minority so that we can be included in such discussions. And, I'm a little disapointed in Oprah forgetting to mention that....even though it isn't well-recognized, the disabled community has been in the public view intermittently for years and as someone concerned with social justice, I just wish that Oprah had remembered that.

[pnggrad79]

I am sure she didn't mean it, but it was an oversight. Disabled people are one of those groups of people that have historically been excluded based on their disability and it isn't right or fair to keep them out of the loop. I hope that this isn't the case if Obama gets elected. I hope he initiates legislation that grants them equal access and equal rights as well as the civil rights gay people are seeking. Glad you mentioned it and it does need to be addressed. :)

[Progo35]

Today, Hillary Clinton mentioned funding special education as something the government should do. So, that won't make me vote for her, but it did make me exclaim "Whoo hooo! Go Hillary! Thank you Jesus!. It's nice to see someone mention that in a presidential debate, as this is usually left out of discussions on how to improve education.

[Daniel]

This is the kind of exclusion that gravely concerns me as a disabled American: in order to protect our rights, we need to be included in discussions of diversity with all of the other groups. .

You've gone from describing yourself on this forum as having a disability to being disabled. A change in tone.

Hmmmmmm.

I'm wondering how that works.....

I guess I didn't realize that having a disability is equal to being disabled. A small point perhaps. But it says volumes.

[Alecto]

Ok, this has been bothering me, and I've thought upon it, and it's still bothering me, so heregoes:
I don't think it's fair to look at disabled folks as a "minority community" the same way that any of the other areas you've mentioned work. Disabled veterans, also not really a minority community. I think it's the community part that's throwing me, because it implies a certain amount of shared experience, and I think the problem in my head is that the way I'm reading it, you want all people with any kind of disability to band together and be one community. And...I don't see that as making ANY kind of sense. I don't know how to articulate this properly, but I don't think that shared experience is there.

With GLTB folks, hell, part of the reason the "T" is even in there (not the only reason, probably, but almost definitely a part) is that the greater straight population doesn't see the difference. Trans is just another kind of gay (or the same kind of gay). We share the experience of that hate and ignorance.

I would buy into the concept of a learning disability community; everyone who has any kind of learning disability has had to go through certain experiences based on the stigma of LD in this society. Is this making any sense? Am I just totally full of it?

[tdogg]

I kinda see what you're saying Alecto in a sense. Actually I attending a training class where we had a session on diversity. We had to go around the room and find people to initial the squares of different types of people - such as "Disabled", "African American", "Male", "American Indian", etc. There was a wide variety of labeling squares and the first to get all squares initialed 'won' and so on. It was very interesting to see that many of us fit several squares.

The teacher pointed out the Disabled square and said that he felt everyone could relate to that one as if we think about it, everyone has a disability of some sort. I thought, no I do not have a disability, then realized my eyesight is so bad, I can barely get around without my glasses and these days glasses don't make it too good. And I sometimes get my letters/numbers transposed (a mild form of dyslexia perhaps??) and I have a loss of some hearing in one ear. Then there is the fact that I have virtually no coordination and very little flexibility in my muscles. My scapula are slightly deformed and I am bowlegged. I also have some major allergy issues which causes me some difficulty breathing at times.

Ok, rant over, point is, none of us are perfect. All of us fit several 'labels'. And diversity makes the world go round. In a perfect world we wouldn't have a need for 'minority communities'. It would be one loving, rockin' compassionate world community.

Then, I realize it's far from a perfect world, right??

[Daniel]

No one is perfect. That's a truism. I get that.

What I've been thinking about is what happens after we check off those boxes, whether on paper or in our heads. What happens then? How do we use this self- perception?

[tdogg]

The point of the exercise was to point out that not only are we very unique individuals, but as humans we are many likenesses. And, labels are useless but we can appreciate each other's special traits. As a species, we work best together than separate. This I think is true in most of nature.

And, it got us out of our comfortable chairs and getting to know others for those things that make them unique. Our differences are what make us each very special and they are to be celebrated not spurned.

Anyways, that's what I got out of it. The first paragraph is what the instructor wanted to get across. The 2nd is what I observed in addition to the other. Most people sit in their comfortable spaces and don't bother getting to know others, especially if they are different. This session forced us to get up, find just about everyone in the class and celebrate a unique trait by checking off a box.

If everyone could see that in many ways we are similar and that binds us. But in other ways we are all different and our differences shouldn't cause fear or hate, but should be celebrated for making up that particular individual and contributing to the world at large.

[Progo35]

"Ok, this has been bothering me, and I've thought upon it, and it's still bothering me, so heregoes:
I don't think it's fair to look at disabled folks as a "minority community" the same way that any of the other areas you've mentioned work. Disabled veterans, also not really a minority community. I think it's the community part that's throwing me, because it implies a certain amount of shared experience, and I think the problem in my head is that the way I'm reading it, you want all people with any kind of disability to band together and be one community. And...I don't see that as making ANY kind of sense. I don't know how to articulate this properly, but I don't think that shared experience is there."


Alecto: What you point out is a significant cultural issue that people with different disabilities must deal with. Yes, there are many different kinds of disabilities, and not everyone has the same experience, so what you point out is something that deserves further study in terms of disablity issues. But, I would argue that there is a common experience, which you observe about the LGBT community below:

With GLTB folks, hell, part of the reason the "T" is even in there (not the only reason, probably, but almost definitely a part) is that the greater straight population doesn't see the difference. Trans is just another kind of gay (or the same kind of gay). We share the experience of that hate and ignorance.

You point out here that the "T" is included because there is a shared hate and ignorance. People with disabilities experience the same hate and ignorance, although I would make a crucial distinction between those who are learning disabled and those who are physically disabled: here it is:

A) People with significant physical disabilities must contend with a social tendency to see them as pathetic, needy, incapable of doing things themselves, and as suffering all the time. In short, they must fight against the idea that their lives are not worth living or lack the same value as a nondisabled person's.

B) Learning disabled people, in contrast (here I'm referring to LD as a diagnosis in a person of otherwise normal or above average intelligence who shows a culturally/academically inexplicable weakness in an specific area, not those with down syndrome, severe autism, etc.) must contend with the prevalent idea that their disabilities do not exist, are paid for by rich people, or are used as an excuse for bad behavior/low academic achievement caused by lack of effort. In short, while the physically disabled must contend with challenges to the value of their lives, learning disabled people must contend with challenges to our values and integrity. Nevertheless, bizzare intersections occur. For instance, there have, in the last several years, been several TV series episodes in which physically disabled characters were portrayed as faking their disabilities in order to achieve some devious end, and where the learning disabled are portrayed as incapable of living normal, productive lives. In my own experience, the most viscious taunting I experienced at school, even with my minor issues, were statments such as "you are retarded and have no feelings anyway," or "You're parents must have lost a bet with God." Such statements, of course, place a very low value on the life of the person that they are directed at and reflect the demeaning value judgements were commonly encountered by the physically disabled. In this sense, we share the same forms of opression.

C) Moreover, learning disabled, physically disabled, the mentally challenged, those who have psychiatric disorders, and those who are brain injured share the common experience of being a constant reminder of human fraility. We live in a society that, since the Enlightenment, has wanted to believe that reason and knowledge can solve mankind's problems, and thus has placed considerable trust in mankind's strength. We do not want to live with problems that Western logic has encouraged as to eradicate as a matter of fact. In addition to this, the Modern and Postmodern ethic of autonomy teaches one not to be vulnerable, and not to ask for help from others on a repetitive basis. All disabled people challenge this pervasive tendency.

For instance, there is a huge movement against special education because it is asserted that it gives unfair advantages, lowers academic standards and compromises the achievement of nondisabled students. This is at least partially related to the human fear of "catching" whatever qualities we dislike in someone else. People are afraid that if LD kids get accommodations, the academic system will become "disabled" as standards fall and institutions loose their reputation or producing brilliant students. Similarly, going back to the Modern and Postmodern emphasis on autonomy, the physically disabled as viewed as subversives of this progressive move toward individual enlightenment. People who need others will inevitably prevent the complete revitalization of old concepts, ethics, and ideas, because those ideas are more easily perpetuated in situations were people are dependent on one another.

So, all disabled people do experience a common variety of hatred, even if the threat from that hatred manifests itself in different ways. :)