[bksvol-discuss] Re: How I read

  • From: Grandma Cindy <popularplace@xxxxxxxxx>
  • To: bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Sun, 3 Dec 2006 15:47:19 -0800 (PST)

You make some good points, Barbara. I'm Jewish, though
not religious any more, and I've been fortunate not to
run into overt antisemitism growing up. But I know
people who had very unpleasant experiences as children
and adolescents because of they were Jewish, and it's
colored their entire life view and attitudes. Growing
up during the Second World War, I'm quite aware that
if I weren't born here in the United States I probably
wouldn't even be alive today. I'm not a "survivor," by
which I mean I would have given up and not had a
strong will to live or done whatever was necessary to
survive--at least I don't think so. Actually, those of
you who are blind or physically disabled, if you were
born in that different time and place probably
wouldn't be alive either.

Cindy


--- barbarab65@xxxxxxx wrote:

> 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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