Dear Accessibility Advocates:

I guess one moral of the 5-4 U.S. Supreme Court decision to limit The A.D.A.
(see, today's news stories, for instance:
http://www.cnn.com/2001/LAW/02/21/scotus.disability.ap/index.html) is it is in
one's best interest, if at all possible, to avoid having a differability in the
first place - as long as one can. Yes, everyone joins the crowd sooner or
later. One can become a member of this universal club at any age.  All it takes
is accidentally slipping on the ice ....

With the negative, depersonalizing "dis"/"disabled" language well embedded in
our cultures, languages, and laws, I am not surprised at the decision. One of
the reasons given for the decision was the conclusion in the majority opinion
that there is no "pattern of discrimination" against people with
differabilities. This belief echoes an opinion I heard expressed in a
discussion prior to the passage of the accessibility policy by the American
Library Association [ALA] Council at ALA Midwinter (Jan. 2001-see:
http://www.ala.org/ascla/access_policy.html) that "the ADA is not civil rights
legislation" and that discrimination against people with differabilities does
not exist. Translation: We who have differabilities are not people
[civil=people]. After all, the commonly-used negative descriptor "disabled" by
dictionary definition means "non-functioning, inoperable," as in a disabled
vehicle, airplane smoke detector, or other inanimate object. Based on the terms
that are commonly used to describe us, it seems logical that we are viewed as
inanimate objects.  Inanimate objects do not suffer discrimination.

Until we are considered by society as PEOPLE, we will not have civil rights.

Until our language and terminology describe us as PEOPLE, we will not be
considered by society as PEOPLE.

This is why I advocate so strongly for the adoption of positive terminology
such as "accessibility policies/offices/officers," "people with [learning,
mobility, hearing, vision, etc.] differences." and "people with
differabilities."  Yes, it takes time for new [positive] terminology to become
part of our culture, our language, and our legal language. Why not start now.

Happy effective date [2/21/2001] of the new Section 508 accessibility
standards.

-----------------

Ellen Perlow
Chair, ALA ASCLA Century Scholarship Committee
The ALA ASCLA Century Scholarship Diversity Initiative
"Celebrating a New Century that Celebrates Diversity"
http://www.ala.org/ascla/centuryscholarship.html
Application Submission Deadline: March 1, 2001-NEXT THURSDAY!
ALA 2001 Scholarship Application page:
http://www.ala.org/work/awards/scholars.html
Have YOU recruited/applied to be a Century Scholarship applicant today?
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