Curing Disabilities?

While snowed in this week, I have had a lot of time to catch up on school work and to think...yes, lots of time to think.

Last Wednesday, we had a lecture on Developmental Disabilities. Included in this topic is autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Our presenter questioned us on what we thought could be causes of the increase in diagnoses of ASD. A couple weeks ago I wrote about the Westernization of diagnosing disabilities.

So in class, I proposed the question "Are we, in a sense, creating disabilities? Are there more diagnoses around the world because they are using our system to diagnose and treat disabilities?" Apparently, this was an interesting question, but no one had a comment. This question got me thinking, "why do want to cure disabilities?" "What is the motivation?" When I propose this question, often times responses are "Well, why wouldn't you want to cure disabilities?" I think often times people assume that when one has a disability they are suffering, and that the disability causes the suffering. This view point is that of the medical model. However, if one looks at the social model of disability, isn't trying to cure disabilities the exact opposite of what we would like to do in the disability community? And exactly what is meant by "curing" disabilities? I am all for finding treatments that will help individuals live their lives more fully, but if we are talking about "getting rid of people with disabilities," then I don't agree. If we look back throughout history, one would find that people with disabilities were subject to cruel experiments, the eugenics movement, forced sterilizations, had no rights as citizens, etc. They weren't seen as humans and they had no rights. Why would I be "for" curing disabilities? Isn't curing disabilities just another way exclude people with disabilities from society?

Individuals with disabilities currently face systematic barriers, negative attitudes, and are repeatedly excluded from society and their communities. If you are familiar with disability studies, then you are also aware that a person's environment makes an impairment a disability. Someone who has their right arm amputated who's career is in retail, will not have as much difficulty as another person with the same injury who is a pianist. Environmental factors increase a person's functional limitations. However, just because someone needs more support for their functional limitations doesn't mean that they do not lead full lives and that they are not worthy of living!

I like to think that our society has made vast improvements in the treatment of individuals with disabilities. However, with individuals around the world who continuously throwing around the R-word (if you haven't seen this, please watch it), abusing individuals with disabilities, doctors who continuously recommend babies be aborted because they may have a disability, continuously housing individuals in psychiatric hospitals, etc. it is hard to identify the positive changes in our society. How can we say our society is moving toward inclusion and acceptance if our society isn't walking the walk that they talk?

Here is an interview with Harriet McBryde Johnson. She was an attorney and great activist/advocate in the disability community. She wrote Unspeakable Conversations. In fact before her death in 2008, she published a great deal and I encourage you to research her yourself if you are intrigued!

Should we cure disabilities? I personally don't think so. Is it at all ethical to cure disabilities? I personally don't think so. What do you guys think?

Snowed In!

Hello everyone in blog world! I am sorry that I haven't written in a while. It has been a heck of week! We are snowed in here in Pittsburgh. Luckily I am at my boyfriend's apartment. My parents were snowed in with no power. The power company is expected to get everything up and running again on Friday! Yes, Friday! It is horrible. My parents got a generator and are trying to get it up and running. Hopefully it will be warm by the time I get home after the super bowl. Say a little prayer that the power comes on sooner than Friday! I don't know if there will be another blog this week or not. Hopefully the power comes on and I will be able to. If not, have a wonderful week and Valentine's Day (if you believe in celebrating a Hallmark holiday :D)!

Last Sunday, my boyfriend and I went to church. Part of the sermon addressed opening new doors in our lives (metaphorically). I really related to this. I often feel that many individuals with disabilities are often overlooked or ignored because they simply have a disability. Early afternoon on Sunday, my boyfriend and I ventured to Duquesne University for a basketball game. There in the student section was a young woman who had Down Syndrome. At first I questioned if she was a student, but then I decided that it didn't matter if she was a student or not. The student section helped in and out of the stands when she needed it, and she had a ball. She was singing, dancing, cheering, etc. I thought to myself that this is exactly what the sermon was about. You never know what people are going to have to offer, but writing them off because they have different opinions/ways of doing things doesn't mean they don't have something to give.

In my opinion, people learn more from those they least expect to learn something from.

If you're around any of the places that got hit by this snow storm, keep warm and stay safe!