Seriously, stop it!
- My son who has autism has an aide at school because he has "special needs."
- My wife has a custom van, equipped with hand controls because she has "Special needs."
- This lady I know had a seat installed in her shower, because she has "Special needs."
- We widened our bathroom doorway, so our daughter with "Special needs" could get her wheelchair through it.
As a child the term "special needs," felt isolating, and patronizing. As an adult it's downright infuriating!
Say it with me I have a DISABILITY! (if you want to get technical - I have a few disabilities). I am one of the 56.7 million people in the US living with a disability. As a community we don't have special needs...We have needs.
There's nothing special about independent daily hygiene. The girl whizzing past you in her hot pink wheelchair doesn't have special needs... she needs to get to class. Me sitting in my adapted car, in rush hour traffic is as normal and mundane as it gets. The amputee you saw open the Ketchup bottle with his teeth didn't do so because he has "special needs." He just didn't want to eat a dry hamburger. It was 89 degrees out today. I needed my ceiling fan on. That took a step stool, some acrobatics and a salad tong. ... not because I have special needs, but because I needed to cool off.
We live in a world that wasn't built for us, and we know it. We're innovators!
No one said Thomas Edison had "special needs" because he needed light after the sun set.
We can't promote inclusion, and gloss over a series of challenges by calling them "special needs." The two can't coexist. If you take my "average" and apply it to you "normal" my needs will always look "special," because they look DIFFERENT!
Just hearing the words "special needs" can send some people into a panic.
-Will I be able to teach him using my current teaching methods? Maybe he should be in a special ed class.
-If I hire her what type of accommodations will I need to make?
-Are you sure she can raise her child on her own?
-
Sure, the term"special needs," made our parents feel comfortable. It's a nice Politically correct term, that allows people, groups and organizations feel progressive.
But it's decisive. It discreetly categorizes us into those who can and those who can't!
We've all seen the feel good video of the small coffee shop that employs people with Down Syndrome. Aww isn't it so kind that, the shop owner wants to give people with "special needs" a job.
We swooned when we saw the picture of the football player taking the "special needs" girl in a wheelchair to the prom.
Stop smiling and swooning ....
Stop saying special needs!
No comments:
Post a Comment