Disability Issues

[Martina]

Boy, I had a hard time deciding where to put this thread. I didn't want to put it under Health stuff. People with disabilities are not by definition dealing with health issues, though many are. And it's not a hobby. Not sex. Anyway, if someone has an idea about where to move this (or if I missed a previous thread), let me know.

Anyway, what I wanted to post is an article about an open letter written to Ann Coulter about her "retard" comment. And I couldn't find a good place to post it. Hence the thread.

The thread is for news, comments, photos, personal statements or anything related to disability issues. Whatever you want it to be.

I am not an expert on this even though I am a Special Education teacher and have my own intersection with it. I also have arthritis, which is increasingly limiting my mobility and giving me a different view of the world.

[Martina]

Special Olympian writes open letter to Ann Coulter over offensive tweet (http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/open-letter-ann-coulter-special-olympics-133341583.html)
By Dylan Stableford



During Monday's presidential debate, conservative pundit and paid provocateur Ann Coulter said she supported Mitt Romney's strategy to not attack President Barack Obama. Or, as Coulter put it on Twitter, "I highly approve of Romney's decision to be kind and gentle to the retard."

On Tuesday, John Franklin Stephens, a Special Olympics athlete, published an open letter to Coulter, asking her why she continually uses the "R-word."

"I'm a 30 year old man with Down syndrome who has struggled with the public's perception that an intellectual disability means that I am dumb and shallow," Stephens wrote. "I am not either of those things, but I do process information more slowly than the rest of you. In fact it has taken me all day to figure out how to respond to your use of the R-word last night."

More from Stephens' letter:

I thought first of asking whether you meant to describe the President as someone who was bullied as a child by people like you, but rose above it to find a way to succeed in life as many of my fellow Special Olympians have.

Then I wondered if you meant to describe him as someone who has to struggle to be thoughtful about everything he says, as everyone else races from one snarkey [sic] sound bite to the next.

Finally, I wondered if you meant to degrade him as someone who is likely to receive bad health care, live in low grade housing with very little income and still manages to see life as a wonderful gift.

Because, Ms. Coulter, that is who we are—and much, much more.

After I saw your tweet, I realized you just wanted to belittle the President by linking him to people like me. You assumed that people would understand and accept that being linked to someone like me is an insult and you assumed you could get away with it and still appear on TV.

I have to wonder if you considered other hateful words but recoiled from the backlash.

Stephens concluded by inviting Coulter to the Special Olympics:

See if you can walk away with your heart unchanged.

A friend you haven't made yet,

John Franklin Stephens

Not surprisingly, the letter quickly went viral, garnering more than 10,000 "likes" on Facebook, 6,000-plus Twitter shares and nearly 1,000 comments on the Special Olympics blog—virtually all of them supportive of Stephens.

"Such a wonderful, courageous and heartfelt letter," one commenter wrote. "Bravo for standing up to all of the bullies that linger out there, waiting to pounce on those they perceive as different. You are a true hero."

Coulter, of course, is no stranger to controversy.

Last month during an appearance on ABC's "This Week With George Stephanopoulos," Coulter made controversial comments about civil rights.

[Related: Coulter: 'Civil rights are for blacks—what have we done to the immigrants?']

"We don't owe the homeless," she said. "We don't owe feminists. We don't owe women who are desirous of having abortions or gays who want to get married to one another. That's what civil rights has become for much of the left."

"Immigrant rights are not civil rights?" Stephanopoulos asked.

"No," Coulter responded. "No. I think civil rights are for blacks. What have we done to the immigrants? We owe black people something. We have a legacy of slavery. Immigrants haven't even been in this country."

And if you're waiting for Coulter to apologize for her R-word tweet, don't hold your breath. On Tuesday, Coulter criticized a line in President Obama's stump speech, tweeting: "'Stage 3 Romneysia'—because cancer references are HILARIOUS. If he's 'the smartest guy in the room' it must be one retarded room."

[Kobi]

Ann Coulter is a special kind of breed of insulting carbon based unit. And, when I read more than just the insulting types of words she uses, I have to hope there is some form of disconnect from her brain to her mouth causing such stuff to come forth involuntarily.

Aside from that, I get weary of the childish name calling especially during political season and particularly by politicians and others with influential opinions. I dont care if it is calling Obama as Owe-bama or Romney as suffering from Romensia. Grown, educated people should have a better use of language than to revert to schoolyard taunting tactics.

I get especially concerned as to how the use of such childishness reflects how they view the mentality of the voters. If one says their opponent has no concept of the basic priciples of accounting it says, to me, voters have a grasp of money issues, and the logistics of balancing a budget.

On the other hand, if one feels it is appropriate to say my opponent is a <insertderogatorytermhere>, it is insulting to the intelligence of the voters, and renders them on par with petulant children resorting to the limited verbal skills as per their level of development.

And, it really irks me when voters start picking up and using the insults without being aware it was meant to insult their intelligence. That is freakin bizarre to me.

Kind of amazes me how we can be so technologically advanced, and still stuck in the dark ages when it come to basic human relations.

[aishah]

http://www.butchfemmeplanet.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4990 is a thread with some disability news and discussion also :)

thanks for posting this. i love john franklin stephens' response, especially this part:

After I saw your tweet, I realized you just wanted to belittle the President by linking him to people like me. You assumed that people would understand and accept that being linked to someone like me is an insult and you assumed you could get away with it and still appear on TV.

I have to wonder if you considered other hateful words but recoiled from the backlash.

Well, Ms. Coulter, you, and society, need to learn that being compared to people like me should be considered a badge of honor.

the word "retard" upsets me a lot - my cerebral palsy was much more visible when i was younger and i got called that a lot. my family even called me that as a joke. (which i don't find funny.) i hate the implication that having a developmental disability (or even any other kind of disability) means you're automatically stupid, less, worthless, useless, an idiot. i hate that it's used as an insult, because i believe stephens is absolutely right about comparisons.

[Okiebug61]

She'll get her comeuppance. I do not believe one can be so hateful and ever have real happiness in their life.

[aishah]

i agree that it's gross that ann coulter said this and that politicians stoop to ridiculous and childish levels.

the issue with the word retard, to me, is bigger than that, though.

the fact is, people use that word ALL THE TIME. all the time. ann coulter calling obama that is more visible but it is not more painful or more fucked up than the ways in which that word is thrown around daily by tons of people.

i'm glad it made it into the mainstream media and people are shocked and outraged and whatever. but to me the real problem is that (i feel) people need to be more shocked and outraged when they hear this word in their everyday life.

[Martina]

Oops. I will PM Linus to delete this one. :|

[Corkey]

Coulter is special, in that her only claim to fame is to defame everyone who doesn't have a cushy a "life" as she. She is a hateful corrupt mass of flesh that has a foul mouth who is so narcissistic that she rivals Rush for ass of the week.

In other words a waste of air and time.

Bravo to Stevens, and to every differently abled person who lives in-spite of the hate they are bombarded with daily. True people to be role models.

[girl_dee]

Aishah i am sorry you were called names. That one in particular bothers me.

People do use that word in everyday life, as well as fucktard, etc.. and it's so common people don't put much thought into its origin.

[aishah]

Oops. I will PM Linus to delete this one. :|

no need! we could combine the two or have two separate ones :) i just wanted to let you know it exists.

[Girl_On_Fire]

I read Stephen's response earlier today and it brought tears to my eyes. He's incredibly intelligent and thoughtful, even if he processes information more slowly.

I often struggled with learning problems and social issues when I was a child and young adult and never could quite figure out what was wrong with me. 5 years ago, in a fit of frustration after a misunderstanding with a co-worker, I Googled, "Why do I take EVERYTHING literally?" I found Asperger's syndrome.

It took me months of studying to determine whether or not the symptoms applied to me and they do. Once I realized that my brain actually works differently than most of the people around me, I was able to figure out how to tell people to talk to me and warn them that I might act unusual around them and may not be able to read their non-verbal cues. It was incredibly validating and explained so much. I don't see it as a disability although sometimes it drives me (and others) crazy. Sometimes it can be an asset.

Though I make it look easy, everyday social interaction can be quite challenging for me. So is carrying things without dropping them and splitting my attention between cooking and someone speaking to me. (I hate that.) lol! I can't deal with interruptions or the unexpected but both are part of everyday life. I've just learned to handle it as best I can.

I also have gluten intolerance and autoimmune issues but, again, you learn to adapt.

I think a large part of dealing with any type of disability or health problem is having the right attitude and staying as positive as possible.

Great thread topic!