The Best of Disability Blogs and Banter
Are You a Jerk to People With Disabilities Without Even Knowing It?
People with disabilities are the targets of a shocking amount of outright cruelty — the rate of violent assault against people with disabilities is triple that for the nondisabled. But even more common are everyday indignities borne more out of ignorance than malice: hearing people trying to talk to deaf people by talking very loudly and slowly, non-wheelchair users leaning forward to talk to wheelchair users, etc.
With that in mind, Scope, a British group that advocates for people with disabilities, has partnered with the advertising firm Grey London and TV presenter Alex Brooker to make a clever series of ads meant to help nondisabled people avoid being awkward — and, you know, actively offensive — when interacting with people with disabilities. They also devised a quiz to test if you learned anything at all from the campaign. Pro tip: if you’re trying to chat up a woman who uses a wheelchair, the correct move is not “ask her what medal she won in the Paralympics.”
— Dylan Matthews, Vox, www.vox.com/2014/5/8/5694742/are-you-a-jerk-to-people-with-disabilities-without-even-knowing-it
Seen Around Facebook:
So I’m working on my judging. I failed. When the beautiful nondisabled couple in the Mercedes zipped into the HP spot onto the crossed lines as I’m getting out, this is what happened:
Me: If you’re going to use the spot at least know the rules.
Woman: Me?
Me: No, the other car illegally parked where I need to get out.
She moves off the lines and into the space, while handsome is on phone. I shop and they’re still in the sparkling car when I return.
Woman: Well what would you need in that Nike store anyway?
Me: Have a nice day. (OK, that line isn’t true. I said nothing. I took a deep breath and debated how fast my lawyer could bail me out if the lift should drop on their car.)
— Elizabeth Treston
Just had a dude ask to carry me on the plane. My little inner lawyer popped up to encourage him to beware of opening himself up to liability. Shaking my head ! Onward!
— Bethany Stephens
Support New MobilityWait! Before you wander off to other parts of the internet, please consider supporting New Mobility. For more than three decades, New Mobility has published groundbreaking content for active wheelchair users. We share practical advice from wheelchair users across the country, review life-changing technology and demand equity in healthcare, travel and all facets of life. But none of this is cheap, easy or profitable. Your support helps us give wheelchair users the resources to build a fulfilling life. |
Recent Comments
Bill on LapStacker Relaunches Wheelchair Carrying System
Phillip Gossett on Functional Fitness: How To Make Your Transfers Easier
Kevin Hoy on TiLite Releases Its First Carbon Fiber Wheelchair