Guest commentary:

What Kind of Advocacy

Do Americans with Disabilities Really Need?

By Paul K. Longmore

Ever since Sarah Palin’s acceptance speech, the “needs” of children with disabilities have gotten a lot of press. Palin pledged to be a “friend and advocate” for those children. News stories have reported the excitement of parents and other people in the disability rights constituency that disability issues are finally getting some attention. Some of them have decided to support the election of Palin and John McCain. But do the Republican candidates offer the kind of advocacy Americans with disabilities really need? I don’t believe they do, and I want to explain why I am voting for Barack Obama and Joe Biden instead.

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From Marlene Prange of Quarryville, PA:

September 9, 2008
Rally at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, PA
Aleena R. Prange, 4, and Gov. Sarah Palin

With an hour to go before the speeches, little Aleena was getting tired of her perch on mom’s shoulders. Reluctantly, Marlene Prange surrendered their spot toward the front of the packed gym and went off to the sidelines so Aleena could play.

That’s when a member of Gov. Sarah Palin’s advance team approached Shirley Kullander, Marlene’s mother. She said she had noticed that Aleena had Down syndrome, and asked if they would like to come past security and meet Sarah Palin. From Marlene’s account:

“She said, “Awwww” and kind of melted when she saw Aleena. She asked her name and age. Then she hugged her. She actually got watery eyes.”

Marlene said she hopes Palin’s candidacy will bring better public awareness to people with Down syndrome. “I’m excited that people will not be so afraid, and will not think it’s the end of the world,” she said. Here’s her blog post about it.

Editor’s note:

Readers, if you’d like to have your snapshots included here, please send them to patricia@patriciaebauer.com. We’re looking for shots of people with Down syndrome alongside Sen. Obama, Sen. McCain, Sen. Biden or Gov. Palin.

Please enclose the following information: Your full name and city or town; where and when the photo was taken; IDs and relationships of the people in the photo (and ages, for kids), and a few lines about the circumstances. Please also let us know where we may contact you. By sending photos, you are granting permission for their publication.

Earlier campaign snapshots here.

From Kara Parker of Victoria, MN:

December 27, 2007
Nevada Elementary School, Nevada, IA
Craig Parker, Wesley Parker, 3, Sen. Obama

Kara Parker’s photo shows her husband and son with Sen. Obama after a rally in her husband’s hometown last December. Wesley gives Senator Obama a high five.

“Wesley sat quite patiently during the speech portion of the rally, entertaining his neighbors as usual.  Craig rushed to the handshake line at the end of the speech to get a closer look … and get a picture for Wesley’s scrapbook. “

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From Jeanne Devine Bolewitz of Rochester Hills, MI:

September 5, 2008
Freedom Hills Amphitheater, Sterling Hts., MI
Jeanne D. Bolewitz, Josh C. Bolewitz, 5, and Gov. Palin

“I then shook hands with Sarah Palin and asked if she would take a picture with my son (whose face was buried in my shoulder) and she said, “Of course!”  When he lifted his head and she saw his beautiful little face, her eyes lit up and she said “OH!” She was so excited to see a child with Down syndrome. She asked how old he was as we stood very quickly for pictures and as she moved on still shaking hands with other people in the line, she kept looking back at my son, Josh, and me — and she shouted to us “That’s my Trig!” And I said, “Yes! And Trig will be great.” She had tears in her eyes at that point.”

Editor’s note:

Readers, if you’d like to have your snapshots included here, please send them to patricia@patriciaebauer.com. We’re looking for shots of people with Down syndrome alongside Sen. Obama, Sen. McCain, Sen. Biden or Gov. Palin.

Please enclose the following information: Your full name and city or town; where and when the photo was taken; IDs and relationships of the people in the photo (and ages, for kids), and a few lines about the circumstances. Please also let us know where we may contact you. By sending photos, you are granting permission for their publication.

‘Dialog in the Dark’ exhibit simulates blindness — Associated Press in the Boston Herald

… “It is not blindness that is the disability. It is fear.”

Fear of the unknown, of what we cannot see, is indeed a scary thing, and I recognize for the first time how right he is. We leave the room and enter a corridor that gradually reintroduces us to the light.

I emerge squinting and probably more than a little relieved, but determined to see the world with new eyes.

‘Unconditional love is a good name for it;’ Parents adjust to children with Down syndrome – Rapid City [SD] Journal

Wichita special ed has fewer kids, costs more — Wichita Eagle

Blogging the world, from a wheelchair’s view — Boston Globe

Op-ed: Teachers need training to handle diversity, disabilities in class — Newsday

Utah parents fear special ed funds were siphoned to sports — Salt Lake Tribune

Kids with disabilities run coffee shop, create a buzz — Arizona Daily Star

Novelist Ann Bauer (no relation) writes in the New York Times about her son’s journey from autism to schizophrenia. When he stole her car, she decided to press charges. An excerpt:

In his deliberate, troubled way, my son had done it: he had found his way to adulthood. And although I didn’t know it then, he would find his way through this, too. But he needed to go through it, not back, and not around. Maybe that’s what he knew better than any of us.

Andrew gave me a glimmer of a smile before facing the judge and narrating, in clear language, the story of his crime.

Earlier piece by Ann Bauer is here.

More than two weeks ago, I kicked off the public conversation about the use of the word “retard” in “Tropic Thunder” and its marketing materials with this post: ‘Tropic Thunder’: Once upon a time … there was a retard.

Since then I’ve been bringing you up-to-date coverage of the controversy, and have provided a forum in which people have been able to express their views. I’ve frankly lost count, but I think  the number of comments here currently stands at something around 700. It has been a lively discussion, with many differing and often emotional opinions expressed.

Now I’ve weighed in with some opinions of my own. They can be seen in the Sunday Opinion section of the Washington Post: A movie, a word and my family’s battle. My point: The thoughtless and widespread use of the word “retard” as an insult sets back progress that has been made toward including and accepting people with disabilities, and hurts us all. Here’s how the piece starts:

Margaret and I were lingering in front of the multiplex one evening last summer, a mom and her adult daughter laughing about the movie we’d just seen, when a gaggle of cute pre-teen girls sauntered past.

The one in the lead jerked a thumb in our direction and made a goofy face to her friend. “Look. Retard,” we heard her say, and Margaret wilted. Her chin trembled. One by one, the other girls turned to look, nudging one another and whispering. The last girl spun all the way around as she slowly walked by, eyes fixed on my daughter.

The piece is accompanied by an edited version of the “full retard” scene from the movie.

You can also see me expressing my views on “The Morning Show with Mike and Juliet,” a national Fox talk show. Appearing with me were David Tolleson, executive director of the National Down Syndrome Congress; Eddie Barbanell, a star of “The Ringer,” and Gitesh Pandya of boxofficeguru.com.

[And in case anyone wonders if I've seen the movie: Yes, indeed, I have. Check my post on it here.]

From the Columbus [Ohio] Dispatch:

Preparing to anchor the presidential forum on disability issues, broadcaster Judy Woodruff says her 26-year-old son Jeffrey, who has spina bifida, has opened her eyes to the way the world looks from a wheelchair.

Having somebody in the family who is disabled is a lesson every day — in humanity and how much we shouldn’t take for granted.

Jeffrey was only mildly impaired by his condition until a routine surgery at age 16 caused unexpected complications. He emerged with profound disabilities, and cannot walk or use the right side of his body. He’s now a student at a small college in North Carolina.

Woodruff is senior correspondent and 2008 political editor for The NewsHour With Jim Lehrer on PBS.

The country has come a long way since the Americans With Disabilities Act was passed in 1990. Having said that, just look around and you can see we have a long way to go. The disabled still can’t get into some places, some stores and many homes.

Of course, there’s such a wide variety of disabilities — hearing, visual, physical, a cane or a wheelchair, developmental delays. Part of what the disabled community has to do is educate society about the vast differences and that many with disabilities are perfectly capable of holding down a job and learning.

(PBS photo)