| According to wikipedia, disablism is defined as follows: | | | | non-disabled individuals, better attitudes can be |
| discriminatory, oppressive, or abusive behaviour arising | | | | manifested in ways that are less than helpful and |
| from the belief that disabled people are inferior to | | | | sometimes even obstacle-forming.Chiefly, this takes |
| others.I'll be honest. Until recently, I had never even | | | | the form of assumptions regarding what individuals |
| heard the term. Now, this might seem to be an odd | | | | with disabilities can or cannot do with regard to the |
| disconnect since I, myself, blog about disability issues. | | | | performance of ordinary and routine daily activities. |
| However, blogging about disability benefits tends to be | | | | Bracknell calls this "benevolent |
| a fairly narrow and restricted area of conversation. In | | | | discrimination".Benevolent discrimination (by family |
| other words, you may not see the forest for the | | | | members, friends, co-workers, and managers) may be |
| trees.Fortunately, for the interested yet uninformed, | | | | innocent in nature and intent since it is driven by |
| there exists a world of blogs authored by writers who | | | | subconscious motivations; however, the effect can be |
| have a vested (and sometimes very personal) interest | | | | such that opportunities for advancement can become |
| in their subject matter. One such blog is "The | | | | more limited for individuals with disabilities. And the road |
| Perorations of Lady Bracknell".I'm not quite sure just | | | | to advancement may, effectively, devolve into a lane |
| who Lady Bracknell is, but I found myself intrigued by | | | | that travels nowhere.How do you combat |
| her post on disablism. As she considers the issue, the | | | | discriminatory behavior of the benevolent kind? Well, |
| definition for disablism used by wikipedia is overly | | | | as this type of behavior is the "handiwork" of those |
| strong. Instead, it is her opinion that most discriminatory | | | | who mean well enough, most likely the best defense is |
| behavior that is directed towards the disabled (and this | | | | a good...channel of communication. And for this |
| itself is a point of contention among who would prefer | | | | purpose, each disability blog has been quite excellent in |
| to use the phrase "those with disabilities", but Lady | | | | providing a forum for individuals to exchange |
| Bracknell used the word disabled and so I'll use it as | | | | information and express viewpoints. As one blogger |
| well in this article) occurs on a subconscious level.I | | | | who was part of "Blogging against disablism Day" put |
| would have to agree. In nearly every society, you will | | | | it: "Crips of the world unite...we have nothing to lose but |
| find a small percentage of the population that is | | | | other people's misperceptions".The author of this article |
| capable of unsavory and malicious behavior. But, by | | | | is Tim Moore, who also publishes an FAQ on Disability |
| and large, most individuals are a bit more enlightened. | | | | benefits. |
| However, as Bracknell states, even among | | | | |