Legislating Death
I’m not much of one for politics. It’s too easy for me to see many different sides of things, to understand where every different person is coming from. And I hate the way it tears us up and divides us as a community of humanity. There are some issues, however, that are just too close to my heart to be ignored. One of them is this so called dying with “dignity.” They use the word “dignity” to gloss over the fact that they are talking about killing people. Killing people who are not child molesters or criminals. Just people that society seems to feel have less value than anyone else. That, frankly, terrifies me. I received a phone call today from someone in support of a prop in MA to make physician-assisted suicide legal. He...
Read MoreUs v.s. Them
This post is part of the Blogging Against Disablism Day (BADD) hosted by Diary of a Goldfish. Find more posts here and follow tweets @BADDtweets Treading into the land of disability is a dangerous proposition. You’ll encounter many unexpected things. From the outside I think people expect that disability is one experience, one thing, and that every disabled person loves every other disabled person, that the experience of disability has brought them together in a shared experience. To me the strangest thing about getting involved in disability rights is the sharp lines that I see drawn. I’m a very hippy, new-age, live and let live, we are all equal kind of person. That’s the filter through which I see the world. Now, I’m well aware that...
Read MoreAllies
Disability civil rights is a subject that I am very passionate about. I got started in it as a way to put my devness to good use, as it were. I didn’t want to use it for my own pleasure, but to take my great interest and put it towards helping people. I’ve sometimes encountered a bit of a problem with that, though. My help in this situation is not always wanted. There’s a long history of non-disabled people deciding what’s best for people who have disabilities. We swoop in all cocky and sure of ourselves to help save the poor crippled people. There’s a strong backlash against this. I think this person on Tumblr put it the best… Able bodied people…did I ask for your opinion? The Sequel I must now interrupt your...
Read MoreA Writer’s Responsibility
There are those who say that one should “write what you know.” And how far does that get you? What can I be said to “know”? I can write the experience of a white, middle class girl in America and that’s about it. So I have not heeded that advice. I’ve needed to have male characters, so obviously that’s not writing what I know. However, I’ve pushed the envelope farther than that. I’ve written from the point of view of Indians (and I do have extensive experience with Indian culture in my every day life) and, obviously, I’ve written from the point of view of people who have physical disabilities that I do not have. I think that I do it well. Others might feel, though, that I don’t have the right to...
Read MoreDevotee and Non-Disabled Partner
There are many devotees in relationships with partners who are not disabled (and farther down I’ll be talking about the different ways this happens). Does that make them no longer devotees? Not at all. This can be a tricky concept, because I know I had trouble with it when applied to a situation with some parallels to this one: bisexuality. I have a friend who is bisexual and she is now married to a man. It was difficult at first for me to understand that her picking a man didn’t mean that she had chosen to be straight and that her bi-ness was now gone or even effectively gone. She is bisexual and she always will be. Â I only started to understand that when I looked at my own situation. I’ve dated both disabled and non-disabled men. A fairly even...
Read MorePeople Don’t Care
Some days I feel like I’m pushing a huge boulder up a hill and it’s never going to make it to the top. Â I guess you have to watch for small victories. The other day I was sitting at work when I overheard a coworker telling a new person about computer systems he’s been reading about that allow brain waves to be recorded. The technology is being developed partly as a new way to move wheelchairs, to replace the sip and puff style. Coworker: “…So paraplegics can use it.” I stop typing and frown. What?! Given the pride associated with being able to use a manual chair and then add the expense that this technology will no doubt cost and I can’t imagine a para using it. Â I call over, “I think you mean...
Read MoreBook Montage
RFW winner October 7, 2011
