Ms. Wheelchair Washington 2016 Platform: Equal Opportunity

Two weekends ago, I had the opportunity to participate in Ms. Wheelchair Washington 2016. As part of the competition, we were required to give a two minute speech about our platform. The platform that I ran on was "Equal Opportunity". Here is my speech that I gave:

"Over the years, I have observed that people with disabilities do not always have access to an equal opportunity. Whether this is due to ignorance or deliberate behavior, it needs to be changed.

Equal opportunity includes having equal access to transportation and housing as well as equal access to education and jobs. However, change takes time and the most important change has to do with people's mind sets.

I have heard three common beliefs: 'Disabled people get enough. Why should disabled people get special treatment. The lives of people with disabilities has dramatically improved over the past fifty years, so why are you complaining now?'

As Ms. Wheelchair, I will teach that accomplishments are not extra but equal and I will advocate for change in order to achieve an equal opportunity for all.

Having a disability is a part of who I am; however not having access to an equal opportunity is what truly makes me disabled.

As I close, I leave you with a poem I have written that reflects this thought.

I may have a disability, 

but I am only disabled when people look past my abilities.

I may not be able to walk, 

but I am only disabled when I am without my wheels.

I may not be able to climb a flight of stairs, 

but I am only disabled when there is not an equivalent elevator. 

I may not be able to step down when the sidewalk ends, 

but I am only disabled when there is not curb cut out.

I may have a disability, 

but I am only disabled when people look past my abilities."

More Than Just a Pot of Gold at the End of the Rainbow: Chasing the Dream of Becoming an Advocate

Recently, I came to the recollection that my dream of becoming a disability advocate (other than as a hobby), may not actually be a realistic profession. I realized that it had almost been a year since I had graduated from college, and that a piece of me would really like an income, and some financial independance. I began looking for other jobs, pursuing a totally different route. I had always been looking for any job that I was qualified for, but looked at it as an avenue to building the resources that were needed for becoming a disability advocate. However, when I became discouraged, I began looking into jobs -- like selling insurance -- that could become a life long career. This was until a couple weeks ago.

All of a sudden, opportunities began to open up. In the past couple of weeks, I have had the opportunity to speak on two different college campuses, one at Western Washington University (WWU), and one at Eastern Washington University (EWU). At WWU, I spoke to a class learning about accommodations and barriers; I answered questions, and then I took them on a tour of campus showing them accommodations and barriers! At EWU, I spoke to a class of potential teachers; I talked about my journey through the public school system, the accommodations I received, the barriers I faced, and recommendations I had for them. I have also been invited back by both of the professors to speak in future classes. I have also been asked by another professor -- who teaches at WWU -- to speak to her class next quarter as well!

A couple Friday's ago, I also had the chance to talk with a person who has been greatly involved with the organization, People First. He has been to Olympia many times and lobbied for people with disabilities. I also talked with another person who has been greatly involved in both the organizations Superior Alliance for Independent Living (SAIL) and the Center for Independence. Both of these people, as well as these three organizations strive to better the lives of people with disabilities through advocating for an equal opportunity and to be treated as people. 

I have also been blessed with the opportunity to volunteer in a Special Education classroom at Bellingham High School! On the first day, I told them a little about myself, and my experience as a student with a disability. We talked about the importance of self advocacy and knowing what accommodations one needs in order to have an equal opportunity. So far, volunteering in this class has been a challenging but amazing experience, and I look forward to many more days of working with the fabulous teacher (who gave me this opportunity), and her students!

This past Sunday, I  was blessed with the opportunity to run for Ms. Wheelchair 2016; it was one of the best experiences of my life, and I am so thankful that one of my amazing friends encouraged me to run! Though I finished as first-runner-up, I had an amazing time, learned so much, and made so many connections! Thank you to everyone who has made Ms. Wheelchair possible, and to everyone who came out and supported us! I looked forward to competing for the title next year!

When I participated in Ms. Wheelchair Washington, I met so many amazing people! Ms. Wheelchair America was there; she is fabulous, and shared so much of her knowledge with us. She taught us that Twitter is a great tool for advocating, as well as introduced us to an app called Camcard which scans business card information right into your contacts via a photo! It is a timesaver and is especially amazing for someone who has difficulty adding contacts or reading the small print on business cards. I am also looking forward to meeting up with Ms. Wheelchair America 2016, when she returns to Washington for a conference in June! Thank you Ms. Wheelchair America for encouraging me, and thank you for spreading your knowledge while advocating for people with disabilities! I am so honored and grateful to have met you!

Another person that I met is the President of Talk and Roll. He speaks and conducts himself with composure and confidence, and has an incredible story to share. Thank you for encouraging me as well, and thank you so much for MCing for Ms. Wheelchair Washington 2016! I am so glad to have met you as well!

In the past couple of weeks, I have learned so much, grown as an advocate, and I am now beginning to dream again about being a life long disability advocate.

Finally Treated as a Person, Not a Burden: A New Educational Experience

Today, I had a positive experience, one in which showed me that employees at a higher education facility really can care about their students. This experience made me contemplate why I went straight to a four year university; this is not because I was not academically ready, but because I probably would have enjoyed myself more while furthering my education.

In the past, I have had numerous experiences that have left me with a sour perspective on higher education, but today when I attended Whatcom Community College, my perspective began to change. During the process of signing up for an accounting class, I had encounters with numerous employees who all portrayed that they each cared for me and treated me as a person.

The first person that I talked to was a man at the information station. At first, I was not impressed as the window was above my head, however, my mind was quickly changed. When I spoke to the man in the window, he was quite kind and informative. He exited his office to hand me an admissions form; he also took the initiative to find me a clipboard to fill out my form (as I could not reach the window ledge); I was so impressed that I did not have to ask!

My second encounter was with a student worker at the admissions office; he was kind and helped me accomplish what I needed to do, and then I went on my way. My third encounter was just as short, but the lady who helped me sign-up for a drop-in appointment with an advisor was also kind to me. Even though I had already felt welcomed by the staff I had already encountered, it was the advising counselor who I was most impressed with. She introduced herself and instantly started talking to me like I was any other potential student. She listened to me, made eye contact, and helped me not just find and sign up for classes, but also by reading and filling out paperwork. When she started pointing at and reading a paper that was sitting her on the desk (the paper positioned so we both could read it), I informed her that I was legally blind and could not read the information -- so she offered to read it more thoroughly to me. When it came time to fill out some paper work, she offered to fill it out. This is so uncommon for me, but seemed so natural to her; this was a small, kind gesture, but it made me feel welcome, and not as a burden.

After I finished my meeting with the advisor, I returned to the registrar's office to deliver the paper work that the advisor filled out. This brings me to my fifth and final encounter. This time I talked to a lady, rather than the student; she was kind and informative as well. However, when I dropped my ID number, she exited her office to pick it up for me. She also brought me my schedule as I could not reach it from behind the window; I did not have to ask.

I am amazed with my first impression of Whatcom Community College; I felt welcome, I felt like I belonged. For the first time in a long time, college seems like an enjoyable place. I look forward to furthering my education in a place that treats me like a person.  

More Than Just a Prop: The Controversy Behind the Symbolism of the Wheelchair

When Kylie Jenner posed in a wheelchair for the cover of Interview Magazine, she granted the world permission to interpret the symbolic meaning of a wheelchair. Jenner used a wheelchair as a prop in order to send a message, a message that expressed how she feels limited by her fame and profession. However, in order for Jenner's point of using a wheelchair to symbolize her limitations to be clear to viewers, the stereotypical belief has to already be engrained in the minds of society; in this case, a wheelchair is limiting and therefore, the person who uses the wheelchair is limited. Never the less, the reality is quite the contrary.

One person's perception of limitation is another person's reality of freedom. A wheelchair is a mobility device; it assists people to get from point A to point B that otherwise would not be able to do so. When I received my first wheelchair as a child, it opened up a world of possibilities. I could now freely explore my neighborhood for the first time like the other children on my block. I no longer became exhausted when going to the grocery store or walking through the halls at my elementary school. My wheelchair has since given me the ability to graduate from high school, earn a four year university degree, and travel out side of Washington state to twenty-three states, as well as travel outside the United States to seven countries. Today, my wheelchair grants me the freedom of leaving my house and going throughout my daily routine; without my wheelchair, I would be stuck in bed. The limitations that people who use wheelchairs face each day range from person to person, just like how people who do not use wheelchairs face a plethora of limitations. However, there are two limitations that people in wheelchairs share.. 

The lack of accessibility as well as people's ignorant perception about disability are the two limitations that are apart of the lives of people who use wheelchairs; it is not the wheelchair that is limiting -- it grants freedom -- it is the treatment of people that tags along side the use of the wheelchair that limits the person.

The irony of Jenner posing in a wheelchair to represent her limitation, is that ignorance -- like her's -- is what actually limits people in wheelchairs. Stereotyping a wheelchair as limiting, and therefore a person who uses a wheelchair as limited, spreads the perception that being in a wheelchair is a tragedy and therefore deserves being pitied. 

Believing a person is limited and pitying them does not allow a person to be looked at as whole, and not be pushed to their full potential. People in wheelchairs are people and their lives should not be stereotyped just because they have common wheels. Being in a wheelchair is a characteristic, but it should not be considered anymore of a defining factor than height, weight, and color of hair or eyes. Just like short people face similar limitations and tall people face similar limitations, people in wheelchairs face common limitations as well. And, being in a wheelchair is not one of those limitations. 

When Kylie Jenner posed in a wheelchair for the cover of Interview Magazine, she granted the world permission to interpret the symbolic meaning of a wheelchair. In doing so, a spark ignited a discussion about the perception of wheelchairs and the people who use them for mobility. Education is the key to eliminating ignorance; in talking about the symbolic interpretation of a wheelchair, one may be enlightened and draw the conclusion that a wheelchair is not limiting, but freeing. 

The world needs to understand that the wheelchair is only stereotyped as a symbol of limitation because the world was not built for the wheelchair. If accessibility and the mindset about the wheelchair changed, then people who use wheelchairs will no longer be viewed as limited. 

Hypocrisy at its Finest: Taking Safety on Campus Seriously

The fourth of December will mark one year from the day my friend and I were trapped on the sixth floor of Wilson Library at Western Washington University during a fire that broke out on the second floor. Fortunately, it was small, but the safety of both my friend and I was put in jeopardy. The building that we were in was, and still is, not up to code. The floor warden was uninformed about what to do with two people, who could not flee the building, during the fire, and to my knowledge, there is still yet to be a written and distributed plan (I was told that I would receive the plan by the first of March -- over eight months ago -- but I never did). I addressed the potential tragedy that a fire, and lack of prevention could cause, with the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) a year prior to this incident, and then e-mailed OCR within a couple hours after the fire. Even though the OCR seemed to care about the safety of students with disabilities, I do not feel as if WWU took our safety seriously. 

So, last Tuesday, when President Shepard addressed the community about the safety of students of color on campus and canceled classes, I felt compelled to address the population of Facebook with the hypocrisy that I have experienced first hand when it comes to WWU's and President Shepard''s beliefs and actions. Here is the post that I shared that day. 

"Today, President Shepard suspended classes at WWU due to hate speech directed towards students of color; he is concerned with the safety of students on campus, and wants people to pause in order to take the time and unite. This is quite noble of him to take a stand for his students of color, and express the concern for their safety, but when it comes to the safety of disabled students, President Shepard's stance does not even come close to reflecting the same compassion. Every day that I attended classes or an event on WWU's campus that involved me using an elevator, I always had a concern for my safety. I have a concern for the safety of all students with disabilities who attend WWU as well. This is due to the fact that not all of WWU's buildings are up to code nor do they have a fire safety plan implemented in order to keep students with disabilities as safe as possible if there happens to be an emergency (such as a fire or an earthquake). Three years ago, when I had a class on the fifth floor of Old Main, I addressed this issue with the DisAbility Resources for Students. Since there was not an accessible safety zone, I did not feel safe in the classroom that my history class had been assigned, so I requested that my class be moved. Nothing happened. Two years ago, I took this concern -- along with others -- to the Office of Civil Rights on campus. I had the opportunity to meet with one of WWU's six Vice Presidents and express my concerns to her as well. The DRS began doing everything I asked, but for all other physically disabled students, nothing happened.

Then, last December, a friend and I attended a book fair on the sixth floor of Wilson Library. Long story short, we were both trapped there for ten minutes with the belief that the building could be burning down; we were stuck in a smoky building, that is not up to code and staffed with an uninformed and panicked floor warden that had no idea what the protocol was when it came to disabled students who could not flee the building during a fire. Fortunately, the fire was small, and was put out quickly; however, the fire department was called off due to the fire being small, but my friend and I were not informed of this nor was the fire department told that there were people trapped in the building. For those ten minutes, I felt extremely unsafe! I contacted the OCR and the Vice President, they did not contact me; I had to reach out to them, they did not reach out to me. When I expressed my concerns about the safety of all students on WWU's campus, the VP reassured me that the safety of all their students was their number one priority.

Today, WWU's concern for the safety of their students has been expressed for persons of color, but a resolution has still yet to come to fruition when it comes to persons with disabilities. I never received a statement from President Shepard stating that the safety of students with disabilities on campus matter; he never said he personally would make sure that all the buildings would be brought up to code, and that a plan
would be made in case of an emergency. If WWU is concerned about the safety of all their students, then this should include the safety for their disabled students as well. So, Western Washington University, please do not forget about your physically disabled students who cannot flee a building during an emergency; even though there may just be eight or nine of us, our safety and lives matter too!"

Since this post on Facebook, the student responsible for the hate speech has been arrested. However, it has been a year since I have dealt with feeling unsafe on campus, and nothing has been accomplished. Yesterday, I was on campus visiting a friend. I just so happened to pass the Communications building as the fire alarm began to sound. I had the opportunity to speak to the person in charge of coordinating fire drills and other safety evacuation plans. This lady never sat in on the Fire Safety Committee that I was apart of, nor seems to care about the safety of disabled students. To every single question I asked her, she responded with an excuse. I asked her if there really was a plan the day that I was stuck in the library, she said yes. So, I asked her why the floor warden told us she did not know what to do. Her answer was that the floor warden did what she was supposed to do (really?! Not knowing what to do, was what she was supposed to do?). I asked her why the fire department was called off, but we were not told that we were not really in danger. I also said that even if the fire is taken care of, the fire department is still supposed to check on anyone who is trapped in the building. She said that the people sweeping the building did not know we where there. How did they not know we were there?  I asked how then could they call off the fire department if they had not swept the entire building. We were in the fire safety zone WHERE WE WERE SUPPOSED TO BE. So, why did they not know we were there? I told her that I was most disappointed with the lack of communication. She said at least five times that they were trying. 

TRYING? Would this have been an acceptable response to the girl who felt threatened by hate speech posted on social media? She claimed that WWU and the police were not doing enough; President Shepard canceled classes, an investigation was going on, and right after she said this, the guy responsible was arrested. Is a potential threat floating around in cyber space really more dangerous than an actual threat of being caught in a burning building?

If you would like more information about the incident that occurred last December, please check out my blog post from December 14, 2014, "In Like a Lamb, Out Like a Lion: Final Fall Quarter Review".

A Taste of Disability History: When Oppressors Use Disability to Legitimize Their Actions

Here in the United States, school curriculum is greatly lacking in the area of disability history; however, the term disability, terms that can be used interchangeably with disability, or terms that fall under the category of disability, are not completely scarce from History text books. Ironically, when these terms appear, they are not describing events that have happened to the disabled population as a whole, what it was like to have a disability in past eras, what policies greatly impacted the lives of people with disabilities, nor how these past events have and continue to effect those with disabilities today. Maybe the disabled will surface when talking about the veterans that returned home from the First and Second World Wars, but nothing in detail beyond that. Maybe students are informed that FDR -- the 32nd President of the United States -- used a wheelchair due to contracting polio, but not about the stigma that surrounded him and others at that time, nor his pride that kept the world from knowing the extent of his disability. Instead, these terms appear when studying the history of other people groups.

Historically, people mistreated blacks, immigrants, and women through identifying skin color or gender as a disability. Slavery was rationalized by portraying blacks as inferior due to their lesser mental capability and by the belief that blacks were at a higher risk of becoming disabled if they were set free. People were also afraid of those who were unknown, thus they were considered to be defective and termed disabled; this rationalization was used to keep undesired immigrants out of the country. The United States used the stigma of disability to rationalize their behavior. Men were also successful in arguing against women’s suffrage by threatening the acquisition of a disability upon any woman stepping outside the set gender roles established by society; women, afraid of being labelled disabled, assimilated into this role imposed upon them. Women were also determined to be feeble minded and frail in relativity to men, which can be translated into women being disabled simply due to their gender. The oppressors used the negative stigma of people with disabilities with the intention of controlling those they considered to be lesser than themselves.

Today, society does not outwardly express that people of color and women are disabled due to their skin color or gender, but the historical residue still, subtly but surely, continues to resonate in the mindsets of society that both people of color and women are inferior. However, there is a deeper issue; if an oppressor can use disability to legitimize their actions, then people who have a disability are automatically inferior no matter the color of their skin or their gender.  

In the recent decades, the increased advocation for the acceptance and equality of all people has brought about awareness to the subtleties of racism and sexism that still exist in our culture today. However, ablism -- which constitutes any form of discrimination against a person with a disability and stems from a long line of generations hiding and exterminating the disabled -- is generally shoved under the rug and ignored. Leaving ableism out of discussions about discrimination does not allow for a solution to this underlying problem; oppressing and discriminating the disabled has become second-nature to society through the false understanding that disabled people are inherently unable to contribute to society, therefore, are a burden and a liability, and ultimately inferior. This negative stigma placed on people with disabilities creates the tendency to not award people with disabilities the same rights as able-bodied people forcing the disabled to have to fight for their dignity and respect. It has become so deeply ingrained in the back of people’s minds that people with disabilities are not able to contribute to society as a normal person. The rights of people with disabilities are often seen as privileges rather than just human rights; this dehumanizes people with disabilities. If someone is treated of lesser value, they inevitably begin to psychologically internalize these lies and draw the conclusion that they are inadequate. If people with disabilities believe the disabled community to be inadequate, it will continue to be easy for stereotypes to be placed on the disabled community, and for disability to be used as a justification for racism and sexism.

Even though people have used disability as a justification for the discrimination of minorities, historians have failed to see disability as something to be explored and have ignored its cultural construct; they instead consider disability a tragedy. This fallacy needs to be exposed; the topic of disability can no longer be a taboo so that people understand that disability is not bad. Disability history needs to be taught and the stigma of disability needs to be erased in order for people with disabilities to be treated as people. Until disability is no longer a legitimate reasoning behind treating those of a supposed lesser race or gender as inferior, racism and sexism will continue to exist; racism and sexism will not cease until ablism is eliminated first. 

One Step Forward, Two Steps Back: The Irony of Eliminating Ablism

This past week I was perusing my papers from my studies as an undergrad at Western Washington University. There is one paper that I particularly liked. I wrote this paper for an American Studies course that mainly focused on race and gender in the United States, but greatly lacked in the area of disability studies (in the hundred or so articles that we read, there were only three that touched on disability in the US). I took the opportunity to write a paper on disability in the United States, and would like to share it with you. So here it is.

One Step Forward, Two Steps Back: The Irony of Eliminating Ablism

Since the dawn of the United States, people with disabilities have been discriminated against in a wide range of forms as it has simply been a justified social concept. This discrimination, termed ableism, has impacted people with disabilities; ableism is to favor people who are able-bodied and in turn be prejudice against persons with disabilities. This prejudice has been seen in many different forms and can only start to be removed through eliminating ignorance of disability history and discrimination that continues today as we can examine the past to evaluate the present and in turn, create a better future with regard to accessibility of public places and education, transportation, housing and social treatment.

Disability is a universal condition in that anyone at any time could acquire a disability of any varying degree; in fact, as the majority of people age, they most assuredly could become a member of the disability community (Davis, 502). This label applies a stigma to the disabled person as disability is viewed as “merely as personal tragedy ... rather than as a cultural construct to be questioned and explored...” (Baynton, 101). This tragedy allowed for the hiding away of disabled people in order for the world to not be burdened by them. Today, people with disabilities have escaped attics and basements in which they had been hidden due to embarrassment, but they still remain invisible through the identity society has placed upon them (Davis, 500). Historically, society had created a “normality” being one that symbolizes the perfect, moral, good-looking person; the disabled were not viewed as normal but rather as an object of pity or as a villain (Davis, 510). People have been discriminated against as it has been a justified social concept as people with disabilities are considered insignificant (Baynton, 100).

This discrimination comes in the form of unintentionally and unconsciously (Livingston, 186) unaccessible physical barriers that appear in architectural designs; these architectural barriers are considered compliant with the American with Disabilities Act (ADA). This has to do with the fact that the ADA allows for accommodations to only be made if they are considered “reasonable” and without any undue hardship on the party fulfilling the accommodation (Livingston, 186). “Reasonable” and undue hardship are relative terms; what is reasonable to an able-bodied person is probably not going to comply with what is reasonable for a person with a disability, and in terms of claiming to not have to follow the necessary accessibility terms as it would be an undue hardship in turn create a hardship for persons with disabilities. Another reason is that “[t]he ADA requires all government programs, not all government buildings, to be accessible (Livingston, 186). When buildings are not accessible, people with disabilities become discouraged as the responsibility of fighting for accessibility falls on their shoulders as government programs do not automatically provide accommodations to persons with disabilities.

Another example of barriers in public spaces is the lack of access that students with disabilities have in the educational system. Even though the Education for all Handicapped Children Act passed in 1975 mandating public schools to allow access to an education for children with disabilities, in 1995, the majority of public schools still were not physically accessible to students with disabilities (Longmore, Location 353, Kindle Edition). The inaccessibility of schools is counterproductive when it come to mandating that public schools accommodate students with disabilities as even if schools are willing to follow the law, they cannot do so if a student cannot physically enter or travel throughout the building. This leads to forcing students to go to a different school. It also causes students who are capable of being in a mainstream classroom to be placed in special education when it is the only accessible option. This is due to the fact that architectural barriers only have to be removed if their removal is "readily achievable" and without "undue financial and administrative burden" (Livingston, 186).   If universal design was to be utilized, barriers would be removed from the disabled person’s path, thus allowing them to live a more independent life and not leave them to depend on “...the mercy of others” (Livingston, 184). 

Another place that universal design should come into play is the transportation system as when it comes to using public transportation such as riding busses, planes and trains, people with disabilities are discriminated against. Many Americans with disabilities rely on public transportation in order to get around; they may not be able to drive themselves due to physical impairments or the lack of a handicapped accessible vehicle. Even though public transportation is a large part of many disabled people’s lives, people with disabilities often find that their mobility rights are denied; this can be seen in the denial to the access to a bus either by the choice of a driver or the lack of a working lift. People with disabilities have the option of utilizing paratransit over the city bus; however, many disability advocates argue that the paratransit system is “separate but not equal” (Longmore, Location 297, Kindle Edition) as it is time consuming and inconvenient. Before even gaining access to a paratransit bus, a disabled person must apply. If they are accepted, they must make an appointment twenty-four hours to even two weeks in advance to receive a ride and they must be ready to be picked up any time up to two hours before their chosen arrival time. The paratransit will guarantee that the rider will get to their destination on time. However, this is a different story for returning home; the paratransit will get the rider back home at paratransit’s convenience. 

The bus system is not the only transportation system that is lacking with respect to equality. “The ADA overlooks airline travel altogether, and the Air Carrier Access Act of 1986, the federal law that supposedly ensures disabled Americans' right to fly commercial airlines, in fact contains no guarantee of equal access” (Longmore, Locations 307-308, Kindle Edition). This same law does not even require terminals to be retrofitted for access until they are being updated (Longmore, Locations 310, Kindle Edition). Though bus systems and airlines are frustrating, subways are the worst offenders of accessibility simply because they were not built to be handicap accessible and the fact that it would be very difficult to make it accessible due to it being expensive to retrofit. 

In New York City (NYC), the subway system has 28 key stations out of 594 total stations which meet the legal access requirements of handicap accessibility; however, NYC claims that they have 104 key stations that meet these requirements (Longmore, 290). NYC has deemed their key stations as the most necessary stations to be handicap accessible; however, deeming only one-sixth of the stations as key stations is demeaning to a person with a disability as this action implies that a person with a disability does not intend on utilizing the remaining five-sixths stations and if one was to take into consideration that only 28 stations are completely handicap accessible, this means that 1/24 of the stations in NYC are actually usable to all people with disabilities. This does not even come close to “separate but equal” but is flat out unequal.

Another inequality for people with disabilities that greatly impacts their economic status is the inability to purchase or rent an accessible home. However, skyrocketing home prices and ridiculously high rent are not the sole barriers in finding a living place of choice for people with disabilities rather the barriers result from the lack of physical accessibility. Only a small percentage of houses and apartments in the US are readily adaptable or even accessible for people with disabilities (Longmore, Location 337, Kindle Edition). And while the Fair Housing Amendment Act of 1988 mandates owners allow alterations to be made by disabled tenants, these alterations place a burden upon the shoulders of the disabled person that would not otherwise be put upon a tenant without a disability. The 1988 act also mandates accessibility in new housing; yet, authorities typically do not follow through in enforcing these provisions (Longmore, Location 341-343, Kindle Edition). On top of having to find an affordable place, a disabled person has to face “[d]iscrimination—by landlords, real estate agents and mortgage lenders” (Turner, Electronic Copy). These barriers block the ability for people with disabilities to acquire a home (Turner, Electronic Copy) and the lack of accessible housing often leads to putting a disabled person in an institution (Longmore, Location 340, Kindle Edition). “People who may be victims of discrimination need to know their rights; landlords and real estate agents need to understand what actions are prohibited; and all of us need to speak out against practices that limit freedom of choice” (Turner, Electronic Copy). Until able-bodied people come to realize that people with disabilities have just as much right to live in an affordable home of choice, the discrimination towards people with disabilities will continue and it will be easier for a person with a disability to lose a portion or all of their independence by having to resort to an institution like a nursing home. 

If people with disabilities are not able to acquire housing which forces them into an institution and if they cannot access the public and are not integrated into society, it is easy for their rights to be stripped and no ally will be able to come along side to help fight for their rights. In Sharon’s Kowalski’s case, she did have an ally, Karen Thompson; however, this ally was only one voice against the world. Kowalski’s father and the institution that he placed Kowalski in did not care for Kowalski as a person but as a patient; Kowalski desired to live in her own home and with her own partner, Thompson. Yet, Kowalski ha[d] lost the right to choose whom she may see, who she may like, and who she may love” (Griscom, Electronic Copy). From the time Kowalski entered the institution to the time that she was freed, her body had significantly deteriorated from the lack of care (Griscom, Electronic Copy) that she would have otherwise received if she was allowed to live with Thompson. “The same system that disabled [Kowalski] by allowing her body to degrade, stamped the stereotype of disability upon her forehead and therefore gained the ability to take away her rights because she was disabled” (Griscom, Electronic Copy).

Ableism is reinforced when public places are inaccessible for people with disabilities, these people become invisible and are not give social rights (Livingston, 184). People with disabilities are often marginalized which leaves them behind. “Disabled people, ... are all to some degree denied their full personhood by the structures of our society” (Griscom, Electronic Copy) whether it is being denied accessibility of public places and education, transportation, housing or social treatment. If people with disabilities are not treated with the same equality every able-bodied person is afforded, then how should they be expected to assimilate into the mainstream culture? People with disabilities will not be able to completely integrate into society until ableism has been eliminated; however, there is an irony to this as ableism will not completely be eradicated until people with disabilities begin to integrate into society.

Work Cited

Douglas C. Baynton, “Disability and the Justification of Inequality in American History,” 

Paula S. Rothenberg, Race, Class and Gender in the United States: An Integrated Study, Ninth Ed., Part 1, Art. 9, (New York: Worth Publishers, 2013), Electronic Copy.

Joan L. Griscom, “The Case of Sharon Kowalski and Karen Thompson: Ableism, Heterosexism 

and Sexism,” Paula S. Rothenberg, Race, Class and Gender in the United States: An Integrated Study, Ninth Ed., Part 6, Art. 25, (New York: Worth Publishers, 2013), Electronic Copy.

Kathy Livingston, “Architecture Disables: Teaching Undergraduates to Perceive Ableism in 

the Built Environment,” Teaching Sociology, Vol. 28, No. 3 (Jul., 2000), 182-191.

Lennard J. Davis, “Crips Strike Back: The Rise of Disability Studies,” American Literary 

History, Vol. 11, No. 3 (Autumn, 1999), 500-512.

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