Disabled People's Rights

Reading about the history of how Western countries have dealt with the disabled populations makes me think about a job I had during my undergrad studies at CU Boulder. I took a job with the Center for People with Disabilities because it was relatively high-paying. I worked with people who had disabilities running the gamut from very high-functioning adults who worked at jobs like bagging groceries or cleaning offices to those who were unable to speak or care for themselves. I would take them on outings using public transportation, changed more than a few diapers and learned to teach clients life skills such as street safety or kitchen proficiency.

What the concise history of Western perception of disable people reminds me in particular about the Center for People with Disabilities is their focus on moving disabled people from being sequestered in institutions and generally out of sight from the general population to joining it by living in supported group homes, working and traveling on public transportation. Literally just seeing disabled people on the street, in stores or on public transportation is a form of activism to combat the lingering effects and practices from the decades of eugenics dominating the debate about and decision making for disabled people.

At first, I felt uncomfortable working with these disabled adults, but then I grew accustomed to our differences and it became more normal for me; this is an important, beneficial side effect when disabled people are allowed and supported to live with the general population and not in institutions from childhood.