Winter Paralympics - March 14

Snowboarding

3:00 AM Eastern

NBC Sports Network

Paralympics Day 7 Coverage

11:30 PM Eastern

NBC Sports Network

Paralympics Impressions

I watched a taped broadcast of the USA vs. Canada Semifinal Sled Hockey game today. It was fun. It was exciting. The USA won 3-0. They even showed some very brief highlights from other Winter Paralympic sports during the period breaks. All in all, I'm very impressed with NBC Sports Network's coverage. Even if I discount my "special" interest in the Paralympics, this is really better coverage than what we saw for the Winter Olympics.

Usually, media coverage of disabled people starts out empowering, and gradually backslides into sentimentality. It’s as if writers, actors, and commentators start out with good intentions, but can’t help themselves from falling back on the same old narratives, no matter who is being depicted.

With the Paralympics, it seems to go the opposite way. It feels like both announcers and the sponsors who write the accompanying ads featuring Paralympians, try at first to use the familiar sentimentality appeal. But they can't keep up the syrupy tone because the athletes are so capable, vibrant, and individual that they become full human beings despite efforts to pigeonhole them or make them faceless icons. Even when an ad series salutes Paralympic athletes for “defining themselves by what they can do, not what they can’t”, the actual athlete’s appearance and words are so inherently interesting and three dimensional that it becomes doubly clear how unnecessary that tired phrasing really is.

In fact, I would say that there is less sentimentality and cliché in the Winter Paralympics coverage than there was in the Winter Olympics last month. Maybe it’s because the athletes, themselves, steer things in a better direction. It is also possible that NBC Sports knows that the "tragedy to triumph" narratives they rely on to make the Olympics interesting to non-sports fans is problematic in a very particular way for disabled people. They still mention how each athlete became disabled, and when applicable, how getting involved in Paralympic sports helped them recover. But they seem to take care not to make these tearjerker stories. The stories come off instead as interesting and informative. We are left to decide on our own how and to what extent they are inspirational.

By the way, I never got the impression that any of the sled hockey players was "inspirational". They seem skilled, committed, and tough. The real narratives I picked up on were a bitter team rivalry between the USA and Canada, and the huge age range within Team USA ... from mid 30s to a 15 year old player who made two of the three goals.

In other words, the players' disabilities were the third most interesting things about them.

I'm anxious to see more!

Best Advice For Wheelchair Users Looking For Work

Demonically Disabled gives the best employment advice I have ever seen to a new wheelchair user:

"Ultimately, kill them with kindness and confidence. They won’t expect it. You are brilliant. You are disabled. And you are badass. Make sure they know it."

Read the whole thing. It isn’t long, and there are good specific ideas in there. It is beautiful and brief. I have nothing to add. That is all.

Shared Abilities: The ABLE Act - Worth Fighting For

Read my second blog post at Shared Abilities:

The ABLE Act - Worth Fighting For!

"I am sure we can all come up with other examples where money really can buy … if not happiness … then at least a better, easier, more independent life for a person with a disability."

Winter Paralympics - Thursday, March 13

Sled Hockey Semifinal (live)

5:00 AM Eastern

NBC Sports Network

Sled Hockey Semifinal

Noon Eastern

NBC Sports Network

I confess, I haven't watched any of the Winter Paralympics since seeing the Opening Ceremony. I don't know why. Each day there's something available to watch during the waking hours. I've been blogging the event times for others. I guess each day I forget and because the broadcasts are too short, the event is usually over by the time I remember. I even missed the Wheelchair Curling this afternoon ... Wheelchair. F-ing. Curling!

I am determined to watch the Sled Hockey Semifinal tomorrow though. If that turns out to be fun, then I'll try to watch whenever I can until the games are over.

Meanwhile, here's a link to the medal standings so far. Briefly, Russia is in first place, Germany in second, Ukraine in third, Canada is in fourth, and the USA is in ... 13th place with 4 Silver and 4 Bronze medals.

Photo Of The Day

From the Perks Of Being Disabled Tumblr blog.

Best Article On Sub-Minimum Wage

When Should Disabled People Be Paid Less Than Minimum Wage? Curtis Decker Says Never

Angelo Young, International Business Times - March 11, 2014

This is the best article I have ever read explaining the issue of sheltered workshops and the 14(c) certificates, which employers to pay certain disabled people less than minimum wage. In addition to underscoring what’s wrong with the practice, the man interviewed, Curtis Decker, does a great job of explaining why anyone still supports this. Here is an excerpt:

"IBTIMES: What do families think of their disabled relatives working in an environment where the employer determines the minimum wage in accordance to the Section 14(c) rules?

DECKER: Some want their disabled relatives integrated [working in a non-segregated environment for a private employer] and making at least minimum wage. But you have others who say, “Listen, leave it alone. It’s OK. She gets her social security check. She makes a little extra money. She gets out of the house every day. She’s not sitting at home watching television. I can go to work and this is a place she can go to. And you come along and want to disrupt this thing, you’re going to make my life miserable.”

IBTIMES: How do you answer that?

DECKER: I have to tell them that this isn’t about them. Our job is to represent the person with the disability. You can go into a sheltered workshop any day of the week and go up to workers and find someone saying they like the job, and that their friends are there. Like anybody else, you’ve been doing the same job for 10 or 15 years. You can’t make an informed decision if you haven’t experienced anything else. We would have the same issue when going into institutions – you find people who are asking you to get them out of there, and others who don’t know what the alternative is, or where you want to take them, or whether they’ll be separated from their friends if they get out."

I have just a couple of quibbles about the article.

Decker correctly points out that the biggest users and defenders of the 14(c) program are other disability-repeated non-profits. However, he fails to distinguish between old-line, paternalistic oriented service agencies and the more advocacy oriented, modern, consumer-driven disability organizations that don’t use the program or anything like it, and are fighting hard against it. That includes the National Council on Independent living and the hundreds of local Centers for Independent Living around the U.S., the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network, the National Federation for the Blind, and the National Council on Disability. In fact, whether an organization supports or opposes sheltered workshops and the 14(c) certificates program is a good way to tell what kind of disability organization you are looking at.

I also think it is important in articles like this to remind readers that this isn’t about a handful of large corporations. There are similar sheltered workshop programs in large, medium, and small communities all over the country. One way to start working on this issue is check to see if your local disability agencies use the practice, or if they oppose it.

Other than that, I’d say this is essential reading for anyone with an interest in disability issues.

Winter Paralympics - Wednesday, March 12

Wheelchair Curling, USA vs. China (live)

1:30 AM Eastern

NBC Sports Network

Paralympics Day 5 Coverage

3:00 PM Eastern

NBC Sports Network

Great Video On Employment

This is a really outstanding TV news story about employment of disabled people, from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). There are only two points I think should have been hit more solidly:

1. The profitability of hiring disabled workers, at least in the businesses shown, isn’t because they are paid less than non-disabled workers. The story notes that they are paid the same as other workers. I just wish they had repeated that a few more times.

2. The story also notes that these businesses aren’t sheltered or disability-only workplaces. The largest percentage I heard was, I think, 40% disabled workers at the Walgreens distribution center. That means that the majority of workers are non-disabled, so these are competitive, integrated jobs.

Via the Autistic Self Advocacy Network.

Give Us Valets

I'm not feeling too well today, so I'm spending the day with some streaming entertainment from Netflix and Hulu. I am finally watching a fairly famous British TV show from the early '90s, Jeeves and Wooster, starring Hugh Laurie (who later played Dr. House on House), and Stephen Fry. Laurie plays a young, single, upper class flibbertigibbet named Bertie Wooster, and Frye plays his suave, outwardly deferential, but benignly cunning Valet, Jeeves.

I bet there are a lot of disabled people who would give up quite a lot of other supports if they could be replaced by a fully paid, full-time Valet. Or, to be completely proper about it, a Valet for men, and a Lady's Maid for women.

Imagine how much physically disabled people and chronically ill people would be able to accomplish with someone who would not only make us our breakfasts and help us get ready in the morning, but also make our transportation arrangements and either accompany us on our daily travels, or else stay behind, tidy up, and have a cup of tea ready for us when we come home exhausted. It's not just an amusing fantasy. Lots of severely disabled people have personal care aides that do some of these things. But a Valet or Lady's Made is different, and this Jeeves fellow seems like the perfect model. Among other things, he subtly sets his employer right when he's not at his best, (face it, we've all been there), but he never scolds, never lectures. Above all, Jeeves is always on the alert to make his employer's life go more smoothly.

I think that this old-fashioned model of personal service is a better model for most home care situations than, say, nursing. What most of us need every day is facilitation, not treatment. If this is "privilege", I think we disabled people need more of it.

Winter Paralympics - Tuesday, March 11

Biathalon (live)

2:00 AM Eastern

NBC Sports Network

Sled Hockey, Team US vs. Russia

3:00 PM Eastern

NBC Sports Network

Necessary But Not Sufficient

I heard a phrase the other day that struck a chord with me, that I think can help us deal with the idea behind that infamous Scott Hamilton quote:

“The only disability in life is a bad attitude.”

The phrase I heard was, “… necessary, but not sufficient.”

I think this more properly expresses the role of mental attitude for disabled people. Having a positive, optimistic attitude is probably necessary for achieving independence, happiness, or whatever is your definition of success. But attitude alone isn’t enough to overcome the real barriers we encounter. A positive attitude may be necessary, but it is not, by itself, sufficient.

Now, what constitutes a “positive attitude”? That is another question entirely.

Oscar Pistorius: Which Kind Of Horrible Person Is He?

Pistorius vomits during graphic testimony

Associated Press - March 10, 2014

It has been a year and a few weeks since Oscar Pistorius was arrested for the alleged premeditated murder of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp. The trial is finally fully underway, so we are hearing again about what was either a massively tragic accident, or a terrible, barbaric crime. I don’t have much to say that’s relevant to a disability blog, and only a few thoughts of any kind:

1. I am more persuaded than I was at first that it might really have been an accident. That Pistorius vomited in court on hearing the details of his girlfriend’s wounds doesn’t sound like the reaction of a deliberate murderer. In fact, his overall behavior in court seems exactly like how a person would react if they had accidentally killed their significant other in a bloody and gruesome way. I am not saying that I’d be ready to acquit him yet, but his story seems more plausible to me now than it did right after Steenkamp was killed.

2. If it was an “accident”, it certainly won’t be what anyone would call an “innocent mistake”. It seems like whatever else he is, Oscar Pistorius is a gun nut … and a reckless one at that. It sounds like he is exactly the kind of guy who loves to show off his newest firearm to friends, family, and maybe especially slightly horrified pretty women. Evidence mounts that Pistorius is the kind of guy who will act all reverent and masterly about his weapons, assuring people that they are perfectly harmless if you know what you’re doing … “See, it’s not loaded, here, I’ll show you …” BANG.

3. Also, I understand that South Africa has a lot of violent crime including “home invasions”, but what kind of siege mentality causes someone to fire multiple shots into a bathroom with a closed door, when you never actually saw who is on the other side … and you know your girlfriend is in the house with you?

So, unless he’s a cold-blooded murderer, or a man with a hair-trigger temper and a gun fetish, then he’s one of those massive assholes who mostly go through life doing no more damage than pissing people off, but who occasionally run into situations where their toxic obsessions, fears, and arrogance … plus the right weaponized tools … combine to produce life-taking and life-ruining results.

All of which probably has noting at all to do with his disability, or his athletic abilities. We say it all the time. Disability doesn’t make people noble or angelic. We come in all varieties, good, bad, and tragically stupid.