NationStates Jolt Archive

I have been a member of NationStates for a considerable period of time now, and a fairly active member of the UN to boot. One of the resolutions I authored, "Rights of the Disabled," actually passed and is currently the law.

In real life, I am a disability activist, and a wheelchair-user. One of my latest efforts is working with a number of youth to pass legislation in the state of Connecticut mandating that a disability history and culture week be established, and that the educational curriculum includes the disability civil rights movement. People with disabilities are an integral part of the history of the American people, and we want to see that fact recognized in every school.

West Virginia recently did this, and we believe that Connecticut should do the same.

Our group has set up an online petition at http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/YLF_PROJECT/, and we would greatly appreciate any support we could get.

Thank you very much for your time,

-The Communitarian Republic of Tarmsden

No! smells like another holocaust class

So ... a bunch of citizens of Europe can sign your petition and that will carry weight with the State of Connecticut?

You did notice that this is jolt.co.uk, did you not?

I believe your heart is in the right place, but look, I'm handicapped too, and I don't know about you but I prefer to keep mine as hidden as possible, because I'm tired of people looking at me, tired of people feeling sorry for me and giving me special treatment. All I really want is to be treated as equal, not to be put on a pedistal just because I happen to be handicapped. My handicapped is just one part of who I am, and not a very significant part at that, I just don't see why we need to celebrate it.

There are much more impotant things Disability History and Culture.

I gave one kid in a wheelchair a wedgie and all of a sudden, I'm 'The Devil'. :(

Just so long as the people with the disability really do indeed have a disability. Hell, I screwed up my knee in a skiing accident four years ago, and I know people who got handicapped parking for similar injuries. I'm sorry, but a teensy bit of pain in my left knee isn't reason enough for me to take a parking spot from someone who really needs it.

I would sign, but I'm not a...um...uh...Connecticutter..er...ian...um.

I would sign, but I'm not a...um...uh...Connecticutter..er...ian...um.

I am.

So ... a bunch of citizens of Europe can sign your petition and that will carry weight with the State of Connecticut?

You did notice that this is jolt.co.uk, did you not?
I'm shocked that people still think internet petitions work

I gave one kid in a wheelchair a wedgie and all of a sudden, I'm 'The Devil'. :(

Hooray! LG is teh ebil! Wedgies all around!

*dances naked*

Hooray! LG is teh ebil! Wedgies all around!

*dances naked*

I'm not evil, I'm misunderstood. :)

*dances naked too*

Just so long as the people with the disability really do indeed have a disability. Hell, I screwed up my knee in a skiing accident four years ago, and I know people who got handicapped parking for similar injuries. I'm sorry, but a teensy bit of pain in my left knee isn't reason enough for me to take a parking spot from someone who really needs it.
there is a difference between being disabled and having a disability that would cause you to need a handicap parking space. There is also a difference between having a disability and being disabled.

I don't think that it's really fair of you either to assume that because your knee healed so nicely that everyone's did, or that they even had the exact same injury as you did.

I'm not convinced that it is in the best interests of disabled people to be recognized for their disabilities and not despite them.

But I'm not convinced otherwise, either.

there is a difference between being disabled and having a disability that would cause you to need a handicap parking space. There is also a difference between having a disability and being disabled.

I don't think that it's really fair of you either to assume that because your knee healed so nicely that everyone's did, or that they even had the exact same injury as you did.
Healed hardly. The doctor maintains that I need surgery on my knee, and that he thinks I'm totally crazy for not wanting to go under the knife.

Healed hardly. The doctor maintains that I need surgery on my knee, and that he thinks I'm totally crazy for not wanting to go under the knife.
:rolleyes: that isn't the point. You can not judge someone else's disabilty based on your experience with "something similar"

for example, my knee is pretty bad, it was crushed, the ligaments torn, it still pops out of place at least 3 times a month and has to be reduced (popped back into where it goes) I have been offered a handicap tag a few times, I don't have one, does that mean that I expect everyone with my same circumstances not to get one? no. I have an extremely high tolerance for pain, I don't expect other people to behave as I do, I know that they are not me, they are not the same as me.

:rolleyes: that isn't the point. You can not judge someone else's disabilty based on your experience with "something similar"

for example, my knee is pretty bad, it was crushed, the ligaments torn, it still pops out of place at least 3 times a month and has to be reduced (popped back into where it goes) I have been offered a handicap tag a few times, I don't have one, does that mean that I expect everyone with my same circumstances not to get one? no. I have an extremely high tolerance for pain, I don't expect other people to behave as I do, I know that they are not me, they are not the same as me.
I admit I am thinking of one person in particular.

I admit I am thinking of one person in particular.
oh, well then that changes things ;)

I get annoyed with specific people too.

"Disability history and cuture"? Sounds boring and pedantic. Even I wouldn't want to take that class. Please, I'm not "the dude in the chair", I'm just some guy.


I'm not convinced that it is in the best interests of disabled people to be recognized for their disabilities and not despite them.


Precisely.

I have been a member of NationStates for a considerable period of time now, and a fairly active member of the UN to boot. One of the resolutions I authored, "Rights of the Disabled," actually passed and is currently the law.

In real life, I am a disability activist, and a wheelchair-user. One of my latest efforts is working with a number of youth to pass legislation in the state of Connecticut mandating that a disability history and culture week be established, and that the educational curriculum includes the disability civil rights movement. People with disabilities are an integral part of the history of the American people, and we want to see that fact recognized in every school.

West Virginia recently did this, and we believe that Connecticut should do the same.

Our group has set up an online petition at http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/YLF_PROJECT/, and we would greatly appreciate any support we could get.

Thank you very much for your time,

-The Communitarian Republic of Tarmsden

Disabled people have never been denied their civil rights, except in cases of extreme mental illness. Human rights, possibly, positive rights of various sorts, possibly, but you still get voting, speech, religion, etc. The disabled have always gotten civil rights, even if they haven't gotten others.

"Disability history and cuture"? Sounds boring and pedantic. Even I wouldn't want to take that class. Please, I'm not "the dude in the chair", I'm just some guy.

Exactly. That is why I hate all those "____ history" things...Womens history month...black history month....disabled history week...

We should honor those who have done great things for us because of the things they have done...not because they're handicapped, black, a woman, et. al.

sorry, but I couldn't care less that someone invented the traffic light. Doesn't matter to me, be that person black or white...it's a fairly trivial invention.

On the other hand, I care quite a bit about Daniel Hale Williams' work in open heart surgery. This was an important advance, again, regardless of skin color.

The same applies to those who are disabled. We should not place their achievements upon a pedistal because of their disability any more than we should deminish their achievements for the same reason.

I gave one kid in a wheelchair a wedgie and all of a sudden, I'm 'The Devil'. :(
And that kid would grow up to be Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

And that kid would grow up to be Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

Minor technicality, he wasn't in a wheelchair when he was a kid...

Now, this is not to say that I don't think there should be handicapped parking, access ramps, TTY phone lines, closed captioning, exceptions made for guide dogs, or lifts for mass transit. I don't consider those "special priviledges", I consider that levelling the playing field. Big difference.

As a disabled veteran with a 20% service connected disability, I will not sign your petition. There are important things we need to teach our kids in school, things like math, science, government, history, English, etc. Those things are much more important than the "History and culture of the disabled in America. :(