Ellen Seidman, writing at Huffingtonpost.com, says Sarah Palin’s criticism a recent episode of ‘Family Guy’ is “completely misguided.” Seidman, whose son has cerebral palsy, says she applauds what she views as the show’s message — that people with disabilities are people just like everyone else. An excerpt:

I work so hard to spread that message every single day of my son’s life. It is an endless, Sisyphean labor of love. To be sure, I would not enjoy it if someone called Max an asshole, but hey, at least they’d be engaging with him instead of just gaping. At least they’d be treating him like a typical person instead of like a freak show.

Sarah, the genius of this episode is that it made a girl with Down syndrome seem like just another feisty teenager with ‘tude. It also gave people in this country a way to get the conversation going about people with disabilities.

… Really, you should be grateful to “The Family Guy” — for tackling a taboo topic with relatable humor and smarts; for holding a funhouse mirror up to the public so they can recognize their shortcomings in their dealings with people who are handicapped; and for being real.

From the Washington Post:

A nonscientific readership by the Washington Post turned up widespread opposition to efforts by disability advocates to discourage the use of the “R-word.” With more than 3,000 votes tallied, 51 percent opposed the campaign, while 24 percent supported it and another 24 percent reported no opinion.

The results were tallied in answer to the question: Advocacy groups for people with intellectual disabilities are campaigning to end use of the word ‘retard’ or ‘retarded.’ What do you think of their initiative?

The informal survey accompanied a Q&A with Christopher M. Fairman, a law professor from Ohio State University, who was discussing a column he wrote for the Post entitled “The case against banning the word ‘retard.” The vast majority of those who participated in the online conversation seemed to agree with the position Fairman took in his article. Here’s one response, from Annapolis, Md:

I oppose banning the word because I do not find it offensive.

I say this as the sister-in-law of a mentally retarded woman, now 58, who has has lived with my husband and me for the past 14 years. I recently look early retirement to be with her full-time, as her needs are becoming more urgent. For example, she needs help in toileting, but will only allow a woman to assist her.

I love her dearly, but calling her “mentally challenged” is a joke that minimizes the great amount of time, effort and patience required to meet her needs. “Retarded” is a neutral term that more accurately reflects that is involved.

See also: Shriver: ‘Retard’ is the language of bigotry

(Graphic from the Washington Post)

Writing in the [Toronto] Canada Free Press, Diane Grover explains why she wishes people would stop using the ‘R-word’ as an insult. An excerpt:

You see, it is personal. I spent many dark nights, crying over the words they are laughing about. They haunted me by day, and put fear into me by night. I had to learn their true meaning, and push forward to accept them. And I did! And so, when they use them so casually, to describe how they feel about people they do not respect, well, truly, it hurts my mama’s heart. It took me a long time to understand what these words would mean to my daughter. Yes, she is slow to learn. But she is more than that. She is a champion. She is a star. She is my daughter. If they want to know why those words hurt me, all they have to do is meet her, and they would understand. She is more than her diagnosis.

… My daughter is my hero! Please, think of her the next time you almost say those words. And on her behalf, don’t!

Roy Richard Grinker, writing an op-ed in the New York Times, endorses a proposal by the American Psychiatric Association to fold Asperger’s disorder into the broader category of autism spectrum disorder. An excerpt:

The change is welcome, because careful study of people with Asperger’s has demonstrated that the diagnosis is misleading and invalid, and there are clear benefits to understanding autism as one condition that runs along a spectrum.

… We no longer need Asperger’s disorder to reduce stigma. And my daughter does not need the term Asperger’s to bolster her self-esteem. Just last week, she introduced herself to a new teacher in her high school health class. “My name is Isabel,” she said, “and my strength is that I have autism.”

Grinker, a professor of anthropology at George Washington University, is the author of “Unstrange Minds: Remapping the World of Autism.”

Boston Herald columnist Lauren Beckham Falcone says White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel is getting a much-deserved dressing down for his use of the slur “f — ing retarded” during a strategy meeting. An excerpt:

A discreet “my bad” just doesn’t cut it anymore when it comes to mocking the intellectually disabled.

Here’s the deal: the R-word is not an innocuous euphemism. It’s as hateful and belittling and bullying as racial slurs and homophobic epithets and sexual harassment. Yet people still think it’s their God-given right to ridicule those with learning disabilities. “Ava-tards,” “celebu-tards.” Even President Obama compared his poor bowling skills to those of Special Olympians.

Every time someone uses the R-word it reduces a group of people — people who struggle to learn, to keep up, to belong — to nothing. The R-word serves only to remind them they are worth less than everyone else.

Emanuel’s crash course in civility isn’t party politics or political correctness. It’s about respect.

And the last group to get any is the intellectually disabled.

Until now.

(Boston Herald photo)

ABC’s Jake Tapper, writing on the network’s ‘Political Punch’ blog, says an unnamed White House official confirms that Obama chief of staff Rahm Emanuel did use the term “f–ing retarded” as an insult at a weekly strategy session last fall, and that he has apologized to the head of the Special Olympics.

“The White House remains committed to addressing the concerns and needs of Americans living with disabilities and recognizes that derogatory remarks demean us all,” the official said.

The unnamed official said Emanuel called Special Olympics chairman Tim Shriver when the report of his choice of words first appeared in a Wall Street Journal story last week, Tapper reported. The Special Olympics is heading up a campaign called “Spread the word to end the word,” which aims to ‘raise the consciousness of society about the dehumanizing and hurtful effects of the word ‘retard(ed)’ and encourage people to pledge to stop using the R-word.”

President Obama made a similar apology to Shriver just about a year ago, after he joked on the Tonight Show that his poor performance at bowling was “like the Special Olympics or something.”

Fox News and the New York Daily News report that Sarah Palin is calling on the White House to fire Emanuel over the incident. In a post on her Facebook page, the former Alaska governor said Emanuel’s use of the expletive was “heartbreaking” and charged that his “degrading scolding” had been “completely ignored by the White House.”

Her post was entitled, “Are you capable of decency, Rahm Emanuel?” An excerpt:

Just as we’d be appalled if any public figure of Rahm’s stature ever used the “N-word” or other such inappropriate language, Rahm’s slur on all God’s children with cognitive and developmental disabilities – and the people who love them – is unacceptable, and it’s heartbreaking.

Earlier posts here.

(Photos of Rahm Emanuel and Sarah Palin from New York Daily News)

From EITB.com:

Among the featured offerings at this year’s Sundance Film Festival is Yo, También (Me, Too), a Spanish film about a college-educated man with Down syndrome who falls in love with his free-spirited co-worker.

The film explores themes of conformity and difference, and challenges public perceptions about the capabilities and needs of people with Down syndrome.

Pablo Pineda, who is reported to be the first person with Down syndrome to earn a college degree in Europe, received the Silver Shell best actor award at Spain’s leading film festival last year for his performance in the film. Co-star Lola Dueñas took best actress honors.

From the trailer:

She: Why me? You don’t know anything about me.

He: Because you make me feel normal.

She: And why do you want to be a normal person?

A music video featuring the film’s title song is here.

An interview with Pineda (in Spanish) is here.

(Photo from www.sundance.com)