As a retired SLP, I am well-aware of the controversy surrounding Deaf culture (which has raged for over 40 years). What I don't understand (referring to the whole article and "ableism") is when/how we became so black/white in our thinking. It seems to me (and I know this has been said before) that the "tolerant" have now become completel…
As a retired SLP, I am well-aware of the controversy surrounding Deaf culture (which has raged for over 40 years). What I don't understand (referring to the whole article and "ableism") is when/how we became so black/white in our thinking. It seems to me (and I know this has been said before) that the "tolerant" have now become completely intolerant! Since when is who we are about only one thing? When did we stop allowing people to decide what was best for them, given a myriad of factors such as personality, financial, cognitive ability etc.? For years, people have objected to labels such as "learning disabled" or "hearing impaired", but now it is OK to label everyone as "ableist" or "racist"? At least the label of "learning disabled" served a purpose in that it could open doors and provide services. What purpose does the label "ableist" serve?
As a retired SLP, I am well-aware of the controversy surrounding Deaf culture (which has raged for over 40 years). What I don't understand (referring to the whole article and "ableism") is when/how we became so black/white in our thinking. It seems to me (and I know this has been said before) that the "tolerant" have now become completely intolerant! Since when is who we are about only one thing? When did we stop allowing people to decide what was best for them, given a myriad of factors such as personality, financial, cognitive ability etc.? For years, people have objected to labels such as "learning disabled" or "hearing impaired", but now it is OK to label everyone as "ableist" or "racist"? At least the label of "learning disabled" served a purpose in that it could open doors and provide services. What purpose does the label "ableist" serve?