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The Dream: Equality for the Disabled

Matthew Purinton, MSW, LSW
January 19, 2009

When Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King stood in front of the Lincoln Memorial and told the world of his dream, it was not just his dream he spoke of, but the dream of all disenfranchised people yearning for freedom. Dr. King talked about a day when people will be judged by the content of their character rather than superficial differences. We have made a lot of progress since the marches in Selma, and yet the innate dignity endowed to all human beings that Dr. King talked about is still denied to many of our fellow citizens. It is difficult to believe that in the 21st century there are Americans who remain segregated and are denied even the most basic freedoms. A single step is all that is required to segregate millions of Americans.

Dr. King has had a great influence over the disability rights movement. For the Paralympics, which stands for parallel Olympics, which is held in the same facilities as its better-known Olympic brethren, we do not take our flame from Mount Olympus as does the Olympics. Instead it comes from Dr. King's tomb. Rev. Dr. King reminds us justice cannot be denied for long. Separate is always inherently unequal. Dr. King also taught us that the powerful choose what is valued. The differences of our bodies are deemed more important than our capacity for empathy, justice, and tolerance. Our need for help is highlighted, while our capacity to give help is overshadowed. Dr. King knew what is possible once the yoke of inferiority is thrown off.

There are everyday Americans who live their lives segregated. There are Americans who are not free. They are segregated from the places that most Americans enter without a second thought. They are not able to choose where they live or if they work. They are not permitted to use many of this country's systems of travel. Americans with disabilities are often classified as unemployable, and even if they obtain advanced degrees, they are often forced to choose subsistence and the medical care they need to survive, versus a job that they love, which makes a difference and brings meaning to their lives. With the medical care comes a disability check that in no way can realistically cover an American's living expenses. When people who have disabilities enquire what their recourse is, they are told that they can live in an institution-a place with gates that keeps them segregated, away from their families and the simple everyday joys of which others freely partake. They have no right to privacy in their small rooms in isolated wards-places where far too few help care for far too many.

Some of these places even threaten people with removal of aid. Their space can be searched by any authority without even a knock. Many have lived in these places their entire lives because of a lack of accessible housing and employment. When people walk into these places, they see an unfortunate necessity. However, if you wheel in, you see bars on the windows, which are only visible to those who live there. A cage is a cage no matter how gilded. Even though it costs America up to 10 times the amount in tax dollars to institutionalize someone with a disability than to support them in the community, millions are confined. For those who must live in a group home, affirming their innate dignity must be the highest priority of the entire healthcare system.

Perhaps the saddest thing is that growing numbers of our fellow citizens who are separated from full participation are our heroes. They've lost limbs and the control of the functioning of parts of their body because we as a nation asked them to defend our freedoms. We now have boys and girls returning from Afghanistan and Iraq who have sacrificed for us, yet they will be segregated from their favorite places by a single step. They can no longer enter the buildings that housed the jobs that they loved so much. The people that they encounter will fumble for words, the familiarity gone, replaced with awkwardness.

What can I do to honor Dr. King's memory? I can insist on acknowledging the innate dignity of the people that I encounter. I can refuse to have my own dignity denied. I will work for a day that children who use wheels and those who walk will do so hand-in-hand. I shall express to others that we are all better off when we search past superficial differences and honor the character of every individual. I shall refuse to hide my face in the shadows of shame. I will hold my head high. I will honor my wholeness; I do not need an orthodox body to contribute, I need access. Our bodies are not aberrant; we are variant. There is no need to perpetuate the archaic obstacles that exact a heavy toll on all of us. We as a nation continue to lack a comprehensive system of accessibility. Everyday Americans fall through the cracks. Our hometowns remain inhospitable wildernesses. There are far too few wheelchair accessible buildings, homes, jobs, transit ways, and grocery stores. The gaps in coverage leave us stranded in precarious positions. Herded by fear and shame, we live life on the periphery. As an American, it is my responsibility to fight to remove the barriers that prevent any citizen from full inclusion.

There are 56 million Americans with disabilities. There are many who shut themselves in because the stares/stairs that render them invisible bore straight to their souls. Our friends, our brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers are locked away, either in their homes or in institutions, their contributions judged irrelevant.

The dream is the song of the caged bird. The song sung by all those who are disenfranchised. It is not my body that diminishes my freedom; it is the belief of others that I am diminished by my body. I believe that if Rev. Dr. King were alive today, he would see us as brethren. He would recognize that we are doing our part to realize his dream, the dream of all those yearning for freedom.

The dream lives on.

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Matthew Purinton, MSW, LSW is a Staff Therapist in CFR's University City office and can be reached at 215-382-6680 ext. 3135.

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