Check out this article from the New American Movement for People with Disabilities... If there is one thing the NAMPWD will shamelessly advocate for, it is inclusive communities and last week the NAMPWD read an article out of Colorado that bothered us to the core. Citing “reduced property value” the neighbor of a girl, Kirsten, who uses a wheel chair, want the ramp removed from in front of her home and are opposing the widening of their driveway for an accessible vehicle. Other than the fact that it is literally federal law to make reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities, the reaction of Kirsten’s neighbors to these accommodations is repulsive. As we fight in the state of New Jersey for the closure of state institutions and open our communities to people with disabilities, this shines a spotlight on the need for community education before people with disabilities are truly integrated into our society. The NAMPWD Team believes that we must make a shift in every community from seeing beyond the superficial and aesthetic value of things (homes, properties, even people) and start seeing them as a complementary value to each other. In other words, no neighborhood is defined by one home, equally as no individual is defined by a limp wrist or a wheel chair. In the case of the ramp and widened driveway, those accommodations are merely complementary to the fulfilled life Kirsten and her family is attempting to achieve in the community. The isolation of her family from the community and opposition of her neighbors is only reflective of our society’s failure to see each other as complementary. Unfortunately, this incident is not isolated to Kirsten in Colorado, the isolation felt by people with disabilities is felt across the country. The historical segregation of people with disabilities in developmental centers is proof that too often we discard (mentally, physically) what is uncomfortable or unknown to us. In the past, people with disabilities were discarded into centers because we did not know how to support them in the community. Today people with disabilities are left in developmental centers not because we do not know how to care for them in the community, but we are crippled by our fear of discomfort. Educating people on creating an inclusive community can only go as far as the willingness of the participant, but it is our responsibility to demonstrate the complementary nature of each individual in the community and our unspoken symbiosis. The labeling of people in our community comes from our inability to see beyond the superficial in each other. There are always going to be people who need more and those who need less, but if we are going to truly promote inclusiveness in our communities we must accept that simple fact. To the neighbors who are fortunate enough to need less, the NAMPWD team challenges you to use some of excess resources (time, energy) to wrap your head around the complementary nature of your community. Our message is the same for individuals who stand behind developmental centers – rather than seeing the residents by the limitations, embrace the ways in which living next door to your family member could complement your life and your community.
Posted on: Thu, 12 Sep 2013 21:11:59 +0000
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