A lurker here, still thinking about the media reference to Charles Ruff as
wheelchair bound. The media and its effect on public perception is the common
problem with that and Hobble. Oops, it's Hoddle, isn't it? (I keep thinking
Hobble/Spiritually Crippled, which would explain his need for personal
assistance in that area.)
Anyway, a few years back a fellow student, forgetting my name, described me to
someone else as "the young woman with the wheelchair assist." I'd never heard
that before, but rather like it.
Does anyone else have unusual examples used to describe disabled people?
Despite our protests, "wheelchair bound" and "physically challenged" persist.
Maybe the more prudent response to labeling and descriptions is not
eradicating the worrisome ones (though I want them gone, as well), but
creating a bigger vocabulary. Like the response of many feminists to narrow
portrayals of women, lack of variety is the major problem. If you can't change
attitudes, maybe focus on expanding the perception of the category.
Just thinking,
Kay Olson
MPA, Arizona State University
[log in to unmask]
P.S. Hey, Dona! Missing you in sunny Tempe!
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
|