(I’ve been lying on the couch unable to do much for nearly 2 weeks. Some way to spend the holiday. :-/)
So, I’m writing this in part because I was inspired by urocyon’s post “[L]ook who they are and how many of them are saying it” (routed by today’s “Recommended Reading” by FWD/Forward, a disability and feminism blog). This post relates the negative reactions and internalized messages that occur with people when they request help/accommodation.
Accommodation does not mean separate but equal.
I think this may be where some of the issues people have with accommodating people with disabilities. Accommodations are mentally construed as being treated separate from the mainstream. And everyone knows that “separate but equal” treatment is inherently unequal.
Accommodations are not the norm and are thereby viewed as .
This thought process is flawed. First, treating people the same isn’t necessarily treating them equally and fairly. Second, accommodations, for the most part, wouldn’t be very useful for an able-bodied person. That’s why these accommodations aren’t inherently in place; if most people don’t need something, no one must need it. Must be more of a perk, right?
A ramp isn’t necessary for people that are able to walk without assistive technologies, pain, or other difficulties. Extra time on exam has been shown to not affect scores of non-disabled test takers. A drop-down counter doesn’t help people of average height. Having subtitles on films doesn’t change the interpretation for someone who can hear clearly. Braille and audio transcriptions do not stop a sighted person from reading.
Having these accommodations in place doesn’t negatively affect able-bodied persons. But, not having them does negatively affect the lives of people with disabilities. It isn’t separate but equal to have accommodations available; it’s bringing persons with disability into mainstream settings.
Tags: accessibility, Disability, special treatment
Great job of tying some of the ideas more firmly into accommodation. I wasn’t thinking explicitly in those terms while writing the post, but it definitely works. :)