Never Walked In High Heels

In a culture when special interest groups and campaigns seem to dominate our understanding of value, people confuse the importance of disability rights, putting it on par with the save the Australian ostrich movement. It seems to my friends that issues, such as environmentalism, are somehow more important simply because its actually seen as an issue on CNN. So when I start talking about how it isn’t fair that I can’t get in to a pub, and my friends roll their eyes and tell me to come back when the campaign has a colored ribbon. 

I fight for disability rights by default, not because I have nothing better to do. Actually, I fight for my own rights first, and if that happens to help others behind me, so be it. It would be a lie to say I want to make the world better for all because I know that in paving the road for myself as an artist and businesswoman, I can do more to expand opportunity for others than if I just focused on disability rights. This is why I will never be a lobbyist or activist. I fight for my rights only for my own advancement. It is up to everyone else to take advantage of that progress.

However, the issue of disability rights is one worth plowing a new road for in my mind. It is not a stand alone topic that attempts to rescue a certain group, often at the expense of others. It is a good old battleground in a war that should have never needed to be fought in the first place. Like the Women’s Suffrage movement and Abolition, this is an issue which, in 200 years time, people will look back at and wonder how such a large majority could be so barbaric. 

When I look for equal treatment, I’m not looking for special treatment… as some  have accused me of in the past. I’m not even looking for my dignity as some activists shout about. My dignity can only be given to me by myself. My freedom is mine only because I fight to protect it, not because anybody else chose to give it to me. But when I am looking for is the willingness to improve the world which you will soon inherit. The world needs to be changed not just for me, but for you. Your body will soon break down and fail you and the standards of living you allow for me are the ones you will have to deal with in your aged years. It is only then that you may see the misconceived assumptions of the able-bodied world.

Here’s hoping my friends will catch on before it’s too late for them.