Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!cs.utexas.edu!yale!bunker!hcap!hnews!260!204!Ann.Parsons
From: Ann.Parsons@f204.n260.z1.fidonet.org (Ann Parsons)
Newsgroups: misc.handicap
Subject: Sink or Swim?
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Date: 7 Jun 90 15:38:57 GMT
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Hi Greg,

 FW>> Yes, I think many times those tests are complete rubbish. The only 
 FW>> true way is to let the individual try and then let them sink or
 FW>> swim based on their own merits.
>"
>"You haven't seen the "results" of this kind of philosophy.
>"Depressed, bitter disabled people, waiting to die.

Hmmm, well, that may be true in some cases, Greg, but there is
something deffinitely wrong with The System. I have seen disabled
people so trodden down by The System that they will believe
whatever the Social Service Provider says they should do. These
people are mousy, non-assertive people who get plugged into jobs
and positions be their  non-disabled service providers because they
fit the image of The Perfect Disabled Person.

>"When I talk to them, eventually I get a whole life history of
>"their attempts at self-directed rehabilitation.
>"
>"In hindsight, some of them realize the mistakes they made,
>"because now they can see that there were alternatives at the
>"time.

Sure there were. It's the job of the Service Provider to teach the
disabled person to fish, not to fish for them. It is the job of a
teacher of the visually impaired, for example, to teach their
students where to get materials in special media, how to talk to
teachers about what they need, how to distinguish between tokenism
and a real job, in short how to cope. I feel that it is not the
teacher's job to spoon feed anyone!!!!  If your contacts said that
they'd made bad decisions, they probablly had. They had free will.
The job of the service provider is to provide information, not
pablem.

>" "sink or swim based on their own merits"
>"
>"is very cruel and uncaring.  Hopefully, we can somehow devise
>"these unnecessary "trials-by-torture".

One of the things that I do wish that people would realize is that
a person with a disability has the right to fail at something!
Yes, you heard me, fail! The problem with all these agencies is
that they want assurances that their "clients won't fail"!
Bosh!!!!!  Human beings learn from their failures! Or at least the
sensible ones do!

>"If possible, I'd like this conference to devise rational and
>"deliberate strategies, so that disabled people will no longer be
>"so deprived of alternatives.

Look into The Independent Living movement in the USA. Their philosophy fits 
yours. Sometimes these programs fail, but most of them are well-run.

>"If we can stop the emotional-masturbators, perhaps we can finally
>"get around to very deliberate and very definite long-term
>"solutions.

Do wish you would quit being so damned crude, Old Curmudgeon.

Ann P.

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