Some are just more equal than others. When I was in junior high school, we were assigned Animal Farm. Even at the tender age of 13, I “got it” about the dangers of group think and about governments that were not controlled in a democratic way by serving and protecting the people.

Today is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, a day of remembrance of all King contributed toward equality. The news is filled with praises for how far we’ve come. And we have. But there is still a huge minority that is without equality on many levels. That minority is the disabled population. And it is a very interesting minority for sure, as it crosses all racial, economic and cultural barriers. And it’s a minority that some are born into; but some acquire it later in life. We all have the possibility of joining this minority, or of having family members who are in this minority.

And it is the minority most underrepresented in society today…the ones who are truly “less equal” than the rest of us.

Yesterday, as I was “listening” to talk on one of the support lists I read, I heard a mom talk about the ways in which people didn’t treat her son with autism the way they would treat him if he didn’t have autism. One example was in a doctor’s office where they decided not to stitch a cut that really needs stitches because her son was “howling” over the pain. So they placed a butterfly bandage over the cut that was nearly impossible for the mother to keep on, and the wound didn’t heal properly.

The point is, the child’s symptoms of his disability – howling—prevented him from getting the same treatment he might have gotten.

I hear other stories, and have experienced some situations with LuLu, where the child didn’t receive the same comforting, pain relievers, or attentive care because the care giver discounted the value of the child. Parents report that “professionals” tell them all the time things their children will “never” do…all in the name of being “honest” and “realistic”. I’m all for honesty; but at what point does all this crystal-ball predicting become just a way of devaluing the person with disabilities?

I realize, just like with the racial equality that Dr. King so ardently fought, that we can’t legislate people’s behaviors, thoughts and values. Racial discrimination still exists in this country and probably always will in many people’s hearts and minds. But the country as a whole has shifted, because the government has committed itself to protecting the rights of people of all races. How about people with all disabilities?

Therein lies even more of my frustration. Some disabilities qualify you to be “more equal” than others. Some disabilities are just more acceptable in our society – problems with your eyesight and hearing are great examples…much more acceptable than mental illness, autism, or even intellectual impairments. I know that some people who have lost their eyesight and have guide dogs probably face system barriers, but I suspect those using guide or therapy dogs for their children with “hidden disabilities” are more likely to get resistance from stores and other public places about the presence of the dog. After all, the kid doesn’t “look” disabled.

Yesterday, I was reading an open letter to Dr. King written by Bishop Woodie White, a United Methodist Bishop. It was a wonderfully positive letter about how our country’s ethos has shifted in terms of not always defining people by their skin color or gender, but by the content of their character. I was particularly struck by these words:

“Rights are not the product of one’s character or extended because they are earned. Rights are guaranteed because of one’s existence – the fruits of citizenship of the nation.”

If this is true regardless of color or gender…it should also be true regardless of ability or disability. Something tells me Dr. King would agree.

Photo Credit