[bksvol-discuss] Re: How I read

  • From: barbarab65@xxxxxxx
  • To: bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Sun, 3 Dec 2006 18:37:06 EST

A long time ago, I read a book called Physical Disability a  Psychological 
Approach. It was written by Beatrice Wright. It is  really a great book. I did 
not see it on Bookshare but people can get it on  tape from RFB&D. Anyway, the 
psychologist explained that there are basically  three ways that people react 
to people with any kind of physical  challenge.
 
1. Deprecatory attitude -- feel sorry for you, think you cannot  do anything, 
etc.
2. Salutatory -- think that you are heroic, awe inspiring, etc.
3. Neutral -- don't think about it, don't care, treat you like everybody  
else, etc.
 
The question is how to deal with the people in the first two categories. I  
guess one of the ways that I deal with them is to categorize the negative  
responses. When I experience these negative responses, it is difficult for me 
to  
remember that most of the response that I get from people are in the neutral  
category, and thus, I tend to dwell on the negative ones.  But, it is  
important to remember that people have other problems that you cannot see and  
are 
struggling with them. Therefore, when they react to physical differences, it  
is 
because of their own problems. In other words, people with disabilities are  
OK and if we can remember that, we will be happier. Also, attitudes toward  
disability have become more positive or neutral since 1985. Unfortunately, 
there 
 are still some ignorant people around. I am amazed that in the year 2006 
that  there is still prejudice against people of color and other kinds of 
prejudice.  There is prejudice of everything. What I am trying to say is that 
because 
we  often experience negative reactions because of our physical differences, 
even if  we did not have these differences, we would probably still feel some 
kind of  discrimination because of the nature of the world. I think that it 
helps to view  people who have physical challenges as just another minority 
group who are  struggling in this chaotic, confusing society in which people 
are 
getting killed  in other parts of the world because of racial, religious, and 
economic hatred  and jealously. I realize that it hurts when people treat us 
differently because  of our physical differences. It is hard because to us 
having physical challenges  are normal. We see them like wearing a pair of eye 
glasses. I think it helps to  try to normalize our disability experiences. 
Maybe, 
Cindy and Jamie can help us  do that. If anyone wants to read the physical 
disability book through Bookshare,  I will be happy to scan it.
 
Barbara

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