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From: James.Womack@f14.n300.z1.fidonet.org (James Womack)
Newsgroups: misc.handicap
Subject: NCF Disabled New Word Contest
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Date: 24 Oct 90 04:43:18 GMT
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Index Number: 11270

I read you gals' comments on that new word contest with interest. I 
think I am rather partial to Vixen's comment on the degrading view 
of it. When I posted it, I thought it was a good idea. i still do. 
The basic premise behind the contest was that this group felt that:

    1. People looked too much at what they assumed disabled people 
could not do and not enough at what we "can" do.

    2. People's attitude of focusing more on our disabilities rather 
than our abilities might change if theterm(s) used to describe us carried 
a more positive connotation.

    3. A contest with such a significant prize might actually provoke 
people into actually re-thinking their presumptions about disabled 
people.
 
I think the motivations for the contest were noble and not meant to 
degrade. I can see why you two could see it as degrading. I can even 
kind of agree with you on that. But, please be easy on the sponsors. 
they meant nothing but the best. Of course, it might have helped of 
they had consulted with how disabled people viewed the contest before 
sponsoring it, but they meant no harm. They meant well. Besides, having 
50,000 pocket change isn't a bad idea.

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