Disabilities & Discrimination

You know we hear an awful lot about discrimination
against other cultures, religions, the elderly, and women. And there is no question that this DOES happen
and must continue to be addressed.

But I was wondering how many have noticed the blatant discrimination against persons with disabilities and disorders- regardless of the "Americans with Disabilities Act". Bush's HealthCare package will also effect millions of disabled persons however, the president and media have skirted the issue.

www.commondreams.org...

Many seniors and disabled people will face a huge gap in drug coverage. In a bill that's marketed as providing choice to consumers, comprehensive drug coverage is not really an option.

Even the State Attorney General of Texas, who is disabled states that the Americans With Disabilities Act is unconstitutional:

www.tilrc.org...

In response to a lawsuit filed against the state, Abbott's office claims that the section of the federal law that prohibits public entities from discriminating against people with disabilities, Title II, is unconstitutional

There IS a lot more to say but this seems like a good start. As a person with functional autism, this frightens me simply because I wonder if camps are next.

AL

I actually did a good deed today that involved a handicapped person.

I was at the local shopping mall, looking for a place to park when, I see it, an older gentleman in his car, with the blue handicap sign hangin from his mirror, there he was parking...

I went over and beat the crap out of him !!!!

yeah that's right, that'll teach him to park in one of "OUR" regular spots again !!!

what was he thinking, just becuase people w/o disabilities park in the marked handicapped spots that he can display his "sign" and park where ever he wants ? I don't think so.

of course this is a joke, so please don't think that I go around picking on handicapped people or others for that matter.

Just poking some fun.

one must keep in mind that this bill
'with the Financial DoughNut'
which makes the middle class Pay more,

was fashioned, debated, compromised,
by the House & Senate...before Bush
signed it!!

...nothing like Kennedys'- et al, Health Plans, eh?

...but better than Clintons' nada-health plan that
was so-drastically needed 12 years ago, eh?
~~?~~

on accessability....it looks good on paper, but in practice?

which leads to the natural progression:
*non-combative military positions should be
available to disabled persons, too

-> sorry, but you can see thru the taddered edges of the
Democratic Rule...revealing the Corporate-Fascism Enterprise at the heart of the Gov't

Elevatedone- yes I caught the humor! And it is appreciated.

I wrote a satirical article about Handicapped parking a couple of months ago that I posted on another forum. Here's a portion:

As a person with disabilities with no special parking needs, I currently find myself in a position as observer to the various abled individuals who park in the �handicapped parking� slots. I see them at grocery stores, the bank, the library, the post office, etc... I�m not surprised that many individuals park without reading the sign or simply disregard it all together.

During my observations, most of the enabled are from all walks of life, with a deer caught in the headlights look as they climb out of the car, running hastily inside their coveted destination. Who are these people?

I even asked a friend of mine who uses a wheelchair; let�s call him �Fred�, if this appeared to be a concern. �Fred� had many choice words regarding this issue, some I cannot print. But he did elaborate on the following: �Many times I have had to park a long way out, while much abled people parked in disabled parking without a care in the world.�


So, I decided to do some investigating. Perhaps �Fred� is too emotionally involved regarding the subject. During this investigation, several occurrences presented themselves. A typical example happened just the day as I walked across the parking lot of my local post office . A woman in her 60�s slid her freshly washed car in front of a handicapped only sign. I couldn�t see a decal but remembering my conversation with �Fred� and recalling my city's stiff penalty laws, my curiosity peaked. I didn�t want to see her nice car become the victim of a tow truck�s wrath, nor see her get slapped with a $250 fine she could use for donating to her favorite charity.

Besides, that space is for �Fred�. So, like a Good Samaritan and friend, I waited for her to open the car door.

When a high heeled foot planted itself firmly on the concrete, I asked as nice as you please, �Can I help you, ma�am?�


For the first time she appeared to notice me, a nice looking woman with graying brown hair and brown eyes which darted left to right like a deer caught by some predator�s rifle. She paled and cleared her throat. �No thank you, dear.� She stammered and placed her leg within the safety of her Acura. I was about to reply when she closed the door, started the engine, pulled out of her coveted spot, and swiftly drove away.

In my investigation, I concluded that besides the disabled, two additional groups get first draft parking. There are the ones who think they are exceptions to the rule and secret societies. I don�t desire to accuse anyone of anything that I know little or nothing about. So, I wrote a list of potential suspects below so everyone may understand the phenomena more clearly.


Individuals voted as employee of the month at their workplace

Western writers and cowboy types who think their car is a horse.

A secret society that only parks in these spaces so they may recognize each other.

People who use their disabled friend or family member as a human shield to borrow their car and park.


But unfortunately Riff is right, it's more than wheelchair accesability but broader and deeper as Corporate fascists weed out the middle man- including all types of persons with disabilities and disorders.





ALL

Another for of discrimination is in the form of a medical information database that was created by/and maintained by the insurance industry. .. Go ahead and fill out one of those friendly HMO health history questionaire's... that info will be available to every HMO/Insurance agancy in the country.