”Rep. Sean Tarwater, a Stilwell Republican, described some of his constituents as ’people who really can’t do anything … they will rot at home.’ … I want to address the prejudicial attitude revealed in his statement and his stereotypical and outdated view of some of the people he was elected to represent: disabled people,” Dot Nary writes in this column.
”Imagine that, as a typical baseball-loving 14-year-old kid, … you contract a disease that paralyzes you from the neck down, except for several fingers and toes. … How would you respond?” Dot Nary writes in this tribute to disability activist Ed Roberts.
”Failing to accommodate disabled people in public discourse, in meetings, and on boards can result in loss of their contributions; programs that are exclusionary; plans that fail to address community needs; and events that do not comply with civil rights laws,” Dot Nary writes in this column.
“To me, disability pride means creating a culture of accessibility, accommodations, and acceptance so that the experience of disability is simply another facet of humanity versus relegation to second class status,” Dot Nary writes in this column.
“We all need to advocate for our family members, friends, neighbors, and fellow Lawrencians who may need accessible housing — now or in the future,” Dot Nary writes in this column.
“All five of these women are leaders in the struggle to increase understanding of disability as a common human condition and an issue of diversity, versus the outdated view of disability as a personal frailty and a reason to be shunned and segregated,” Dot Nary writes.
“Let’s celebrate the anniversary of the ADA as a landmark civil rights law that protects the right of people with disabilities to be seen and to be fully participating members of our community,” Dot Nary writes in this column.
“I regard my needs as typical, not ‘special,’ and I prefer the term ‘disabled.’ This is the term favored by most disability activists who are involved in a civil rights movement and who are working to create a world where everyone with any type of disability is respected, accommodated, and can participate,” Dot Nary writes.
