You don’t have to go through it to understand people with disabilities needs
E is for empathy not sympathy. One of the most difficult things as a person with disabilities is not that I have mobility issues or have to do just about everything a little bit differently, or even that I’ve had eight major surgeries in the last three years, it is when others pity, stare, or otherwise talk about my life as a tragedy.
People with disabilities do not need your sympathy (meaning that you do not have to share my disability) we need empathy (for you to understand that my needs and other people with disabilities’ needs can be different than yours). Check out this article from The Mighty on How to treat people with disabilities with empathy and check out the TED talk from the author within the article.
E is for Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975. Prior to this bill passing, public schools were not required to provide education for students with disabilities. Institutionalization was very common and we’ll cover that more later this month.
E is also for:
**EEOC and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission which ensures that business with 25 or more employees adhere to ADA regulations. The EEOC and the Justice department are who enforces ADA regulations
*Electric Shock Devices are/were still used as controversial treatment methods for people with disabilities, including as a treatment for autism, developmental disabilities, and learning disabilities. There is only one place in the US that still uses this type of treatment. March 4, 2020, the FDA banned the Education Center of Canton, Massachusetts from using electric shock devices. The latest update was on July 8th, 2021: FDA ban was overturned as the FDA has no jurisdiction over medical treatment. Disability rights activists continue to fight against this inhumane treatment.