I think one of the things, in terms of the
official paid advocacy community I think all
that has changed is that we are now people
with disabilities, so when I am unjustly locked
up for the crime of disability it will be
as a person with a disability instead of a
cripple. Me, I’m perfectly happy being called
cripple, I earned it, I like the word and
it just bothers the heck out of social workers.
Because they all have to be nice about messing
you over. I think that goes back to words
and how we are still very socially isolated.
It is different in a way that we are not shipped
off to big institutions out in the country
anymore, that’s the era of the mini institutions.
We still have senior and disabled housing
complexes with social workers that evaluate
you to see if you are can live independently
and you have some rights to fight back but
most people don’t know that. We still haven’t
and especially in American movies and culture
the disabled guy still does not get the girl.
And this is not the case in some Chinese films
and other kinds of films around disability,
we still fight with the 'Richard the Third'
image.
