MCIL’s response to the Administration for Community Living concerning “significant” disability.
By Christina Clift
In discussing people with
disabilities and the role of centers for independent living, the word “significant”
when used to describe the people served or who should be on staff should be
taken out of any future rules. The word
“significant” implies that there is a hierarchy or value placed on types of
disabilities.
Does that mean a person who
cannot see is less disabled than someone who cannot walk? Is someone who cannot walk more disabled than
someone with an intellectual disability?
The answer should be no. A person
with a disability regardless of its nature faces the same discrimination and
barriers. So why put more of a label on them
than their diagnosis already does?
Even within disability categories
the way in which they manifest is different for every person. Some people with Cerebral Palsy can walk,
talk without difficulty, are of average intelligence and have normal vision,
while many are not or manifest varying combinations. Should one person with Cerebral Palsy be more
“significant” than another just because in manifests in more ways?
The language should reflect that
we are people with disabilities and we are equally valued and should receive
equal service. Not that some of us are
less or more valued just because of our diagnosis’s. A simple definition of disability is that a
person has a body parts that work differently, but that doesn’t mean we wanted
to be looked at that way.
CIL’s fight for equality, equal
access, and to knock down barriers that society has regarding people with disabilities.
We don’t need to add to our struggle the continuing the use of “significant”
when talking about our people and their disability.
