People with disabilities are not Disposable.

The following letter was published on August 21, 2013 in the National Post and the Hamilton Spectator.

Steve Passmore

By Steve Passmore

Growing up with Cerebral Palsy, I know for a fact that negative attitudes towards people with disabilities, such as myself have always existed.

I remember overhearing, when I was 14, someone saying: 

“how he walks makes me sick.” 

When I enter a room, people feel uncomfortable.

In the same way the letter stated that Maxwell made her children feel uncomfortable.

When I was in my 30’s and talking to someone about an issue, I was told that because I was disabled that my opinion didn’t matter.

I face an underlying prejudice from people in society.

The only way to make a difference in society is to address the elephant in the room which is the underlying prejudice toward people with disabilities.

There is a prevalent attitude within society that I and other people with disabilities are disposable.

We will never have equality, value and acceptance unless the underlying attitude of discrimination is eliminated within society.

The comments made by the woman in the letter are comments that would not be made publicly but represent the views of many people in our culture.

These attitudes towards people with disabilities lead to the support for euthanasia and assisted suicide within society and therefore these prejudices cannot be swept under the rug anymore because it will lead to the death of people with disabilities.

Society has created access to institutions and services for people with disabilities. The letter writer states that as a hard working person:

"I hate people like you ... just because you have a special needs kid you are entitled to special treatment"

I regularly experience this type of resentment in my life.

In the past, people with disabilities were institutionalized. Now we are living in the community. Because we are visible in society and demanding equality, many people resent people with disabilities.

It is not my pain and suffering that people want to eliminate, it is theirs, because they feel uncomfortable with people with disabilities, even to look upon us. 

This is a human rights issue.

We need the media to produce programming that exposes the elephant in the room.

I would like to thank the media for bringing this story to the attention of the public.

Steve Passmore is a disability activist who lives in Hamilton Ontario

Link to: Family receives letter telling them to euthanize Autistic son.