We are not existing for YOU. For you to give your money to, to wear that little angel or daisy, or whatever, on your lapel to say to the whole world "hey, look at me, a non-disabled person, LOOK, I give to this charity, now aren't I wonderful, for supporting those poor, poor creatures?"
Ditto Charity Christmas cards, "Oh look, isn't she/he wonderful she/he buys Christmas cards from ....such and such a charity - isn't that SOOOOO nice".
Its possibly the only time in the year that she/he has actually thought about a disabled person.
So do you detect I'm cynical, even angry, about how YOU may see ME!
The present discourse around disability in a climate of austerity is that we cost money. too much money. We get too much so there is a need to cut what we get. Well actually most disabled people in Ireland exist under poverty.
So whilst Joan Burton shouts how the economic 'recovery' means young people can go out dating again, she says nothing about how , in creating alleged recovery for non-disabled people, she and her cronies have set back the Disability community a 100 years. Far from creating a scenario where WE can go out 'dating' again, she has, in fact created prisons ...of our homes.
Now I'm waiting as we come up to an election to see how much that was taken away by this government will be 'generously' returned to garner votes. "Oh look at us we are going to give disabled people.....whatever" (but they won't tell you that last year, the year before, the year before, THEY took this generous 'gift' away from us).
So whilst the UN declare tomorrow OUR day, the population will scarcely notice our existence and continue to pop a coin or two into a charity box for a tokenistic badge of generosity to pin on their lapel, or buy a packet of charity Christmas cards, Thus going home and patting themselves on the back that they've 'done something' for disabled people.
I loathe this cultural shit that is played out in every country of the world, not just here. Where disabled people are almost the last group of humans to be considered 'human' let alone equal. Where Charity not RIGHTS is all we get. And where, here in Ireland the Government has STILL not ratified the UN convention on RIGHTS for disabled people.
Unfortunately I cannot tell you NOT to pop your coin in that box or buy Christmas Cards because many disabled people have to live and STILL this is the only route to 'living'.
But I can tell you , I hate it. I hate it that that is all many non-disabled people do to 'equalise' us with them. That that is all non-disabled people think is useful!
Don't stop your money giving....but PLEASE start thinking about how Charity is not a way to live. That Charity is a dis-respectful enterprise, that Charity does not equalise us, that Charity is humiliating and patronising.
One thing you CAN do, is to start seeing 'Disability' not as 'something wrong with us, defective human beings, but that 'dis-ability' is actually a political process of 'dis -able-ing us'. 'Dis-Ability' is when non-disabled people see us as NOT 'able'. When the structures, policies, education, employment , supports are destructive of our rights to be equal participants
Your politics need to shift from 'dis-abling' us to 'able-ing' us... by fighting for equality. Join with us disabled people to fight for 'RIGHTS NOT CHARITY' ; to fight for true equality, for respect, for a 'life worth living'...not dependent on the charity box but on political will which affords us the right to be 'equal' Irish Citizens.
I am sick to death of the constant message that we are costing so much money our country is in deficit! Its as if we disabled, sick or elderly people (all by definition disabled) of Ireland caused austerity.
Scapegoating was, is, always evil...but here in Ireland it has reached the heights of a cultural way of living for many non-disabled people.
I'm hoping 2016 will see an alliance between non-disabled people and disabled people to fight the pernicious lies about what 'disabled' means and to rejoice in disabled people and REALLY know who we are.
Believe it or not this woman is disabled! and a wheelchair user!
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