I'm disabled and I've watched some events about disabled people but in my city they only call "parents of autistic kids/parents of disabled ppl" to speak at these events. Many events infantilize disabled people and ignore the fact that we grow up, we have less opportunity to get a job, finish a degree. I really wanted these events to invite disabled people and give space to everybody: lgbt+ disabled people, disabled of color, disabled immigrants, etc. Talk about lack of accessibility at work etc
It's a very serious problem tbh. Like a lack of accessibility at work, at school, in the city.
So at the library I work at its two story building and for over a month the elevator wasn't working. We tried to explain to patrons that because the stairs aren't ADA compliant without the elevator we closed the second floor. (The library staff could still bring down books from upstairs and we had a selectionofnew books for perusal downstairs)
LIKE 90% OF THE PATRON RESPONSES WERE ABLEIST. It was so eye opening even for me because I've had this blog for years!!! Like I'm not physically disabled I can walk but the stairs trigger my asthma and my bad knee. But it seriously got to the point That I sent an email to my bosses on the rare occasion that a patron was understanding of the situation.
It really kinda showed me that even though I'm very much disabled ( my glasses rx is very thick and I've got bipolar disorder). I still don't understand the day to day reality of being without physical accessibility options.
So all that to say basically that we hear from the able people all the time. We're actually more primed to extend sympathy to the able parents or caretakers of disabled ppl than we are to offer help/sympathy to disabled people.
And it wasn't always like this!!!! There's archeological evidence that disabled people have always existed and their communities took care of them anyways!!! It's only with the rise of capitalism that we've dehumanized disabled people to the point That we've invented laws to exterminate disabled ppl. (No I'm not just talking about nazi Germany, because actually Hitlers eugenics shit was actually not that different from existing laws and practices in the USA). /end rant
Please please please boost the voices of disabled people and when you see something happening like only focusing on the caretakers of disabled people speak up!!!