[nfbwatlk] Talking over the disabled is an insult to them

[Carl Jarvis]

The Columbus Dispatch, Ohio USA
Sunday, July 30, 2006
Talking over the disabled is an insult to them
By DEBORAH KENDRICK
Sunday, July 30, 2006 - It used to surprise people at times when my
3-year-old would
order for herself in a restaurant. It was important to me to teach my
children to
speak for themselves, rather than be spoken about or around, as if they were
inanimate
objects. My experience with being the center of such inappropriate
interaction led
me long ago to the conviction that speaking for yourself is vital.
"Would she like the light blue or the dark," a clerk once asked my college
roommate
about my preference in jeans.
"She would like to see what you have," said I, reaching for the pair of
brandname
pants in her hands.
The insult is commonly recognized by people with visible disabilities.
If you're in a wheelchair, have a guide dog, walk with an unsteady gait or
use a
magnifier to see the menu or read the price tags, those accompanying you
will often
be asked to read your mind.
For years, I thought this was just a "blind thing," reserved for those of us
who
have difficulty making eye contact. I was wrong. Take an aging parent or a
child
under 12 shopping, and you'll see what I mean.
"Bring her over here," you are told.
"Have him sit there."
"Would he like cream for his coffee? "
Sometimes, humor lurks in these awkward moments. Years ago, I was in a
Canadian yarn
shop with my husband, looking for materials for a crochet project. He was
beginning
to tell me about some color options when a sales representative intervened.
"Does she like lavender?" she asked him.
"I don't know," he said, holding the skein to my nose and pretending to
sign.
"Mmmm, lavender," I announced, taking my cue. "It smells lovely."
He picked up another and whispered its color in my ear.
I inhaled. "Ivory!" I exclaimed. "It's great."
Silliness is sometimes the only way to avoid the sting of insult. I mean, if
a waitress
comes up to a table where two people are engaged in animated conversation,
why would
she assume that only the one who isn't sitting in the wheelchair is able to
talk?
But she does. It happens all the time.
You take your 80-year-old father to the symphony, where he has been going
for some
60 years, and the usher tells you where to "put" him, asks you if he'd like
a program.
Probably this man has been speaking, without hesitation, for himself for
decades,
but now that he doesn't hear well or is leaning on a walker, he has somehow
lost
"permission" to state his own preferences.
It may seem a trivial matter, but when you are talked about in the third
person,
the message is a clear one of being discounted, irrelevant, secondary to the
situation.
Whether you receive this message because you have a disability, are a child,
are
from another country or have attained the age of wisdom, the impact is the
same.
I taught my children to order food for themselves because it is a simple way
of building
confidence, practicing the lesson that "I matter, and so does what I have to
say."
You can make a difference if you find yourself playing any of the three
roles in
this common scenario.
If you are the outsider, speak to the person who is different -older,
younger, disabled,
foreign - with the assumption that he or she will respond.
If you are the companion of the visibly different individual, simply smile
and say
"Ask him" or "Tell him" to move the dialogue in the appropriate direction.
If you are the person being discounted for disability or any other reason,
assert
yourself. Answer the question, pick up the conversation on your own - or,
for quick
understanding, try talking about yourself in the third person. You might get
a laugh,
and you'll definitely be counted back into the circle.
Deborah Kendrick is a Cincinnati writer and advocate for people with
disabilities.
dkkendrick at earthlink.net
http://www.dispatch.com/editorials-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/07/30/20060
730-E5-03.html
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The Columbus Dispatch, Ohio USA
Sunday, July 30, 2006
Talking over the disabled is an insult to them
By DEBORAH KENDRICK
Sunday, July 30, 2006 - It used to surprise people at times when my
3-year-old would
order for herself in a restaurant. It was important to me to teach my
children to
speak for themselves, rather than be spoken about or around, as if they were
inanimate
objects. My experience with being the center of such inappropriate
interaction led
me long ago to the conviction that speaking for yourself is vital.
"Would she like the light blue or the dark," a clerk once asked my college
roommate
about my preference in jeans.
"She would like to see what you have," said I, reaching for the pair of
brandname
pants in her hands.
The insult is commonly recognized by people with visible disabilities.
If you're in a wheelchair, have a guide dog, walk with an unsteady gait or
use a
magnifier to see the menu or read the price tags, those accompanying you
will often
be asked to read your mind.
For years, I thought this was just a "blind thing," reserved for those of us
who
have difficulty making eye contact. I was wrong. Take an aging parent or a
child
under 12 shopping, and you'll see what I mean.
"Bring her over here," you are told.
"Have him sit there."
"Would he like cream for his coffee? "
Sometimes, humor lurks in these awkward moments. Years ago, I was in a
Canadian yarn
shop with my husband, looking for materials for a crochet project. He was
beginning
to tell me about some color options when a sales representative intervened.
"Does she like lavender?" she asked him.
"I don't know," he said, holding the skein to my nose and pretending to
sign.
"Mmmm, lavender," I announced, taking my cue. "It smells lovely."
He picked up another and whispered its color in my ear.
I inhaled. "Ivory!" I exclaimed. "It's great."
Silliness is sometimes the only way to avoid the sting of insult. I mean, if
a waitress
comes up to a table where two people are engaged in animated conversation,
why would
she assume that only the one who isn't sitting in the wheelchair is able to
talk?
But she does. It happens all the time.
You take your 80-year-old father to the symphony, where he has been going
for some
60 years, and the usher tells you where to "put" him, asks you if he'd like
a program.
Probably this man has been speaking, without hesitation, for himself for
decades,
but now that he doesn't hear well or is leaning on a walker, he has somehow
lost
"permission" to state his own preferences.
It may seem a trivial matter, but when you are talked about in the third
person,
the message is a clear one of being discounted, irrelevant, secondary to the
situation.
Whether you receive this message because you have a disability, are a child,
are
from another country or have attained the age of wisdom, the impact is the
same.
I taught my children to order food for themselves because it is a simple way
of building
confidence, practicing the lesson that "I matter, and so does what I have to
say."
You can make a difference if you find yourself playing any of the three
roles in
this common scenario.
If you are the outsider, speak to the person who is different -older,
younger, disabled,
foreign - with the assumption that he or she will respond.
If you are the companion of the visibly different individual, simply smile
and say
"Ask him" or "Tell him" to move the dialogue in the appropriate direction.
If you are the person being discounted for disability or any other reason,
assert
yourself. Answer the question, pick up the conversation on your own - or,
for quick
understanding, try talking about yourself in the third person. You might get
a laugh,
and you'll definitely be counted back into the circle.
Deborah Kendrick is a Cincinnati writer and advocate for people with
disabilities.
mailto:dkkendrick at earthlink.net dkkendrick at earthlink.net
http://www.dispatch.com/editorials-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/07/30/20060 http://www.dispatch.com/editorials-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/07/30/20060
730-E5-03.html
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