I really hate having to write this. I really hate that I believe this too. But I truly believe most people without disabilities don’t see those of us with disabilities as their equal.
So many things are still inaccessible. This is true even when there are no technical reasons for much of the inaccessibility. Nearly 35 years after adoption of the ADA, there isn’t a single government that fully complies with Title II. Most governments are so far out of compliance that they should be embarrassed. I would be willing to bet there isn’t a single company that fully complies with Title III. Just about everyone in the ADA field knows of the horrific noncompliance with the ADA, but almost nothing is done to enforce the ADA.
Most of the jobs supposedly dedicated to serving us are not and never have been held by us. Most leadership positions in organizations supposedly dedicated to assisting us aren’t held by us and have never been held by us.
It’s hard to imagine a corporation putting a white man in charge of their racial equity program. It’s hard to imagine a government agency putting a man in charge of its gender equity program. Yet, most leadership positions in the disability field are held by people who aren’t disabled.
This incredibly sad reality, in my view, is largely the result of the truth that most nondisabled people simply do not see disabled people as their equal.
Let’s face it, most nondisabled people are afraid of being disabled. Most nondisabled people believe much of what they appreciate about their life would be lost if they became disabled.
When someone is literally afraid of living like we do, there is no chance they will ever see us as their equal. When someone believes much of what they appreciate about their life would be gone if they were like us, they will never see us as their equal.
When someone doesn’t see us as their equal, they will never see us as a partner, friend, or an employee. Sure, most nondisabled people and maybe most disabled people cannot admit how prevalent ableism is today. But until those of us with disabilities acknowledge this reality, we can never work to change this reality. We cannot work to change this reality until we accept this sad reality and approach the world with the goal of changing it.
I am not sure how we can make nondisabled people who don’t see us as their equal see us as their equal. But I believe the best path forward is for us to demand our access. Whether we like it or not, asking nicely has never achieved greater civil rights. When most of the majority doesn’t see you as their equal, appealing to their hearts and minds will never work. So, we need to use the laws, as limited as they are, to demand the rights that should automatically be granted to us just as they are taken for granted by most nondisabled people.