Three major struggles of the disability community are 1) the able bodied community’s misconceptions regarding the abilities of people affected by disabilities. I recently applied for a counseling job and was asked by the interviewer,” Do you think you are healthy enough to do this job?” I thought: what does the fact that I use a wheelchair have to do with my ability to counsel people? My answer was nothing, To be a counselor I have to listen to my clients and when necessary open my month and talk to them. A counselor must have education degrees credentials and experience. I have those, but all my interviewer could see was my wheelchair. After the interview ended I thought how many other interviews have I had where other employers thought the same thing this person did but knew that to ask me whether I was healthy enough to perform the essential duties of a counseling job was an illegal question under the Americans with Disabilities Act? We can pass the ADA to make discrimination against people affected by disabilities illegal but we need to change people’s attitudes about us so the able bodied community can see we may use wheelchairs to move around but we are as capable as they are of getting a job done. We are not disabled we are differently enabled. Why does this first struggle need to be brought to attention? If it’s not qualified workers affected by disabilities will be forced to live on SSI/SSDI for the rest their lives instead of working just because prejudice in the able bodied community against us!
2) The second major struggle of the disability community is health care. The able bodied community may argue : Thanks to Obama care we all able bodied and disabled now have health care. I would argue what we got was not health care but health care rationing! When everyone gets limited to one plan, one doctor one hospital instead of being able to go to any medi cal provider like I could before Obama care, I am now limited to one doctor one hospital I as a 50 year old woman with Cerebral Palsy, have less health care than I did a year ago! If people affected by disabilities don’t have adequate health care they will lose the mobility they have and die sooner than they otherwise would have.
3) The third major struggle is of the disability community is related to the second the cuts in In Home Supportive Services hours by medi cal. Due to those cuts it makes it nearly impossible to train new personal care attendants, because no one wants the job! PCAs must work additional jobs just to pay their rent! If people affected by disabilities don’t have PCA to get them up in the morning and put them to bed at night, they cannot live in their own home!
I want to be chosen Ms Wheelchair California 2015 because, I want to lobby for these struggles and I hope to change people’s attitudes so that when little miss wheelchair California 20ll, 2012, 2013 and 2014 are adults living with a disability will be easier for them than it has been for me.
mswheelchaircalifornia2015 