Superiority and Exclusion

Yesterday was the worst day in America's history. The worst. It showed in full color, the ugliness of the underbelly of America. Superiority and exclusion. The domestic terrorists we saw ravaged our Capitol are "people" who wish things to be "back to the way they were" meaning, white, Christians should come before all others. They feel fear and violence is an acceptable way to ensure their supremacy. The words, justice, empathy, equity, diversity and inclusion are entirely lost on them.

Although not as overt, this same superiority is held by many abled-bodied people against people with disabilities. Mostly through subconscious bias, or the experience of a lifetime of being told/seeing people with disabilities being treated as less than.

The medical model - focused on what is wrong with a person, as opposed to the social model of seeing a person for their strengths and abilities has created a cycle of poverty and exclusion for people with disabilities.

The consequence of this exclusion is 60% of people with disabilities live on or below the poverty line, 85% under or unemployment and double the death rate from Covid due to no options--forcing many to live in institutions and group homes.

As a nation, we are going to have to take a long and very hard look at ourselves. I ask when you are talking about the future of America, and all of her citizens, the treatment and exclusion of people with disabilities makes it into your conversations about a better future for us all.