Spot the Ableist Assholes
Via FAIL Blog:
Wow, seriously? Spot the disabled kids on campus and win free shit! This is right up there with Shoot the Freak in terms of sophistication and ethics. It's not only wildly misguided, but dehumanizing.
I don't what university it originates from, but someone needs to check their Disability Resource Office. Maybe they could run a contest called "Spot the Assholes" where students take pictures of the administrators and win tuition waivers.
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Good News: It's always encouraging to see that Failblog.org can spot such blatant ableism, considering a lot of people are unaware of its existence.
Bad News: The fucking Disability Resource Office thought this up! Seriously!
Do I get two chances of drawing for a certificate if I find a person who's in a wheelchair AND is visually impaired?
This is beyond fail. What, are we supposed to become aware of the fact that disable people even exist? Because usually scavenger hunts are for impossibly hard to find objects. And all this time I thought disabled people were actually PEOPLE...
Good Lord. Just when I explained handicapped parking spaces to my little cousin. This is going to undo the advances made in the last 20 years.
Disgusting.
This is just like the "spot the tranny" website that was shut down a few months ago. Good to see failblog pointing stuff like this out!
I was just thinking exactly that.
Here's the real link to it:
http://failblog.org/2009/10/22/sensitivity-fail-2/
Sensitivity fail indeed.
Ah, just because it came from a Disability Resource Office does not mean everyone who was employed there was enlightened. When trying to get my room in my sorority house fitted with some accomodations (I'm hearing impaired and need special setups for things like the fire alarm), the woman who was my contact at my school's DRO snapped at me, "Well, how disabled can you be if you're able to be in a sorority?"
Um, yeah, thanks.
Seconding the "disability resource offices can really suck" sentiment. I'm currently ineligible for standard financial aid, and have to file a medical appeal in order to re-qualify, in large part because Accessibility Services at the University of Toronto treated me badly enough last year that I was too anxious to do my schoolwork.
Are you also supposed to pick them up and carry them around?
Yes. Part of the entire scheme is to not only photograph them, but to manhandle wheelchair users to several designated locations on campus for a prize. This is following the tradition of "helping" "disabled" people. If you see a wheelchair user on the street, the correct thing to do is to offer a push or a lift. Nah, don't even offer. Just throw them over your shoulder and say, "WHERE TO, BOSS?" This will delight ANY person who uses wheels. Honestly, moving your body around with arms must be so pesky.
Raising awareness of the differently abled should be about sensitivity and understanding, not simply how to spot them in a crowd. Do they even at least suggest people get permission before taking these photos?
At least "Shoot The Freak" consists of a sideshow performer who has signed up for the paintball job. This, in contrast, seems to encourage harassing people just trying to go about their daily business as opposed to entertainers.
Why the assumption that `it's on FailBlog, so it must be true?' I'd think it's more likely this a photoshop than an actual photo.
Agreed. Considering that the name of the school isn't visible on the sign, I'm going to remain skeptical until I'm shown more definitive proof.
The university name appears to be blacked out, actually. If you look closely, the space before "University" seems to be a darker black than the black in the rest of the image.
I want to believe this isn't true, but I don't know if I have that kind of faith in humanity :\
Just a note - the term for discrimination against people on the basis of their disability status is "ableist," not "abelist." The root is "able" or "ability," as the discrimination is often based on perceptions of lack of ability in folks with disabilities.
Also, preferred terminology varies (largely based on geography), but the preferred term in the United States community of people with disabilites is "people with disabilities," not "disabled kids" or "disabled people." This is called "people first" language in which the person, not their disability, is centered. (This differs from UK usage). You can find more background on this here:
http://www.txddc.state.tx.us/resources/publications/pfanguage.asp
Since you started the language discussion, I should mention that people have thought further about the labeling language and now prefer "persons with disabilities" to "people with disabilities". I don't see a huge difference between the two, but it's not my label to define.
"Persons" rather than "people?"? Are you serious?! Speaking as a disabled person, I think that idea is bullshit. "People" is what ordinary people use when we discuss other human beings. "Persons" is ridiculous, dehumanizing, bureaucratic language. I also dislike person-centered language because advocating it implies that referring to someone as "disabled" is somehow derogatory--which is in itself ableist. My understanding is that while I'm in the minority position on this, at least one disability advocacy group (the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network) agrees with me and deliberately uses "autistic people" rather than "people with autism".
Oh, I thought this thread was about discrimination against Cain's brother.
I'd bet money that that's just a typo.
Thanks Abby. Sloppy spelling on my part as far as ableist goes. Didn't know about the "people first" language issue. Thanks.
Ooh, I see that now. It's incredible that an office that's meant to be an advocate for students could come up with something like this.
Whoops! I meant to reply to delilahfantastic.
What is this a fucking pokemon hunt? I want to know what braintrust is responsible for this.
Disability Resource Offices tend to suck. The hassle I've gone through with mine has been crazy. How dare I not be visually disabled!
Honestly college are some of the least accessible places, so this comes as no surprise.
Just like to point out, because this sign reminded me...that disability doesn't automatically equal wheelchair...not all disabilities are clearly visible, some aren't even visible from the outside at all.