By Katherine Schneider, for the Chippewa Valley Post
Editor’s note: This is the middle of the second week for a new CVPost feature by Kathie Schneider. You will find three of her columns a week in this space.
Disabled and Proud; Disabled and Scared
In July we’ll celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) that gave rights to government and public services to the 19% of us who have disabilities. The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire will have an exhibit about what we’ve done in the Chippewa Valley to fulfill this law.
After the Apr. 7 election (please vote one way or another, and regardless of who you vote for) I’ll ask the County Board to pass a resolution about ADA and the full inclusion of those of us with disabilities in community life.
Why all the fuss about a law? Because those of us with disabilities live in fear that our needs will be met last, perhaps especially in times of crisis.
Will important information about where and how many coronavirus cases there are also be presented in a form I can read with my screen reader, not just as a graph or map? Not usually. Will Health Department briefings be sign language interpreted? Not yet. Will elderly people get ventilators when they’re in short supply? Stay tuned.
What kind of society are we? Are we a bunch of lone wolves or are we like the elephants, who put the most vulnerable in the middle of the herd?
Suggested reading: Two recent memoirs by powerful women with disabilities, one from my generation:
1. Being HEUmann: An Unrepentant Memoir of a Disability Rights Activist, by Judith Heumann and Kristen Joiner.
2. Haben: The Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law, by Haben Girma
NOTE: Comments and ideas can be emailed to schneiks@uwec.edu.
To read previous instalments of “The Corona Chronicles,” click here.
The home page image is a representation of a coronavirus cell.