This will fall off the front page fast, but is the most thought provoking thing I've read in a while...

[Nole Lou]

I don't follow this guy, he's a right of center/"classical liberal" substack type, and so I'm not endorsing anything he's ever said (because I don't know). But this got tweeted into my timeline and it was a good read.

The Gentrification of Disability

It's something I never thought about, but clearly sensed in an amorphous way, and he really puts it in relief for me. I think its something to be reckoned with.

I'd go a little further even. I feel like the very well-meaning and laudable campaign against the "R-word" has had the unintentional but very real effect of largely erasing an entire class of people most in need of help. We used to say horrible things about people using the R word, but also a lot of non-horrible things. Now they aren't referred to much at all.

My daughter is a speech therapist and has an endless supply of autistic kids who at four and five years old are receiving intensive therapy in hopes that they can vocalize a single word some day, or even gesture something. It's a good thing that they may never be called a R-word, but I'm not sure they are served by a world in which people mostly associate their condition with being good with tasks or math or having a hard time talking to girls.

I would be interested in a take on this from people who deal with this more closely every day in themselves or their families than I do.

 

[THE_DEVIL]

Seems like a fair take. The one thing I might nitpick on is that is this a growing problem or is it a minor, let's say "irritating" subsection of the disabilities community?

Good article to make one think though.

 

[BioHawk]

Saying someone has autism is about the same as saying someone has cancer. Sure, people know what it is, but they really don't know much about the specific case you are talking about. Every case of autism is unique and the capabilities of one person maybe wildly different than another person.

 

[Nole Lou]

Seems like a fair take. The one thing I might nitpick on is that is this a growing problem or is it a minor, let's say "irritating" subsection of the disabilities community?

Good article to make one think though.

Yeah, I don't know if it matters if the people who would be hurt by this shift of focus don't feel its hurting them.

He makes the point that the people most hurt by it aren't able to take part in the conversation, sometimes quite literally. They do have families though, like the mother of the child he references in the beginning of the piece. That's why I'd be interested in the experiences of those closer to it.

 

[Hawki97]

Good article. Worthy of reading and spending a few thought cycles on.

I don't mean to make this sound bad by using the term, but I often think about when do-gooders cross the line and actually negatively impact those they're passionate about helping.

 

[seminole97]

Good article. Worthy of reading and spending a few thought cycles on.

I don't mean to make this sound bad by using the term, but I often think about when do-gooders cross the line and actually negatively impact those they're passionate about helping.

Your comment reminded me of this:

“Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.”
C. S. Lewis

 

[SSG T]

We know two people whose sons have autism.

One was diagnosed early and his parents worked with specialists and the school to try to get him all of the therapy and help he could get. He just graduated from ISU with a Master's in Mechanical Engineering and will live a (fairly) normal life. If you talk to him, you know there's something slightly off, but you'd most likely think he's just a nerdy dude.

The other family completely ignored the diagnosis. They did nothing to help and actually argued with specialists and the school, making the argument that there is nothing wrong with him. At this point, he's 21, he's ok if nothing out of the ordinary happens, everything goes along as planned. However, if something even minor happens, he can't handle it. Ex. His parents let him get his driver's license. He was driving through town (small town, no stoplights) and had to detour unexpectedly because of a water main break. He stopped in the street where the street was blocked and sat there for around 20 minutes before someone came over and checked on him because he had no clue what to do.

Now, would the 2nd kid have been at the level the 1st one is with therapy and working with professionals and the school? Maybe, maybe not. But they didn't even try because they would rather ignore it than acknowledge his needs and the (perception?) stigma attached.

 

[HawkeyeShawn]

Seems like a fair take. The one thing I might nitpick on is that is this a growing problem or is it a minor, let's say "irritating" subsection of the disabilities community?

Good article to make one think though.

I don’t think the problem is growing, it’s always been here. With better knowledge and resources it’s more easily recognized and diagnosed.

 

[Hawki97]

Your comment reminded me of this:

“Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.”
C. S. Lewis

I have no doubt many do-gooders transition from helping prop up others to propping up themselves and climbing on the backs of those they initially advocated for while doing so. It’s actually a line I can see easily being crossed which is why I will occasionally spend some time looking into it. It’s a fascinating albeit very human transition.

 

[BioHawk]

We know two people whose sons have autism.

One was diagnosed early and his parents worked with specialists and the school to try to get him all of the therapy and help he could get. He just graduated from ISU with a Master's in Mechanical Engineering and will live a (fairly) normal life. If you talk to him, you know there's something slightly off, but you'd most likely think he's just a nerdy dude.

The other family completely ignored the diagnosis. They did nothing to help and actually argued with specialists and the school, making the argument that there is nothing wrong with him. At this point, he's 21, he's ok if nothing out of the ordinary happens, everything goes along as planned. However, if something even minor happens, he can't handle it. Ex. His parents let him get his driver's license. He was driving through town (small town, no stoplights) and had to detour unexpectedly because of a water main break. He stopped in the street where the street was blocked and sat there for around 20 minutes before someone came over and checked on him because he had no clue what to do.

Now, would the 2nd kid have been at the level the 1st one is with therapy and working with professionals and the school? Maybe, maybe not. But they didn't even try because they would rather ignore it than acknowledge his needs and the (perception?) stigma attached.

That's the thing, there have been major changes in the way people with learning disabilities are handled by schools and the perception has changed with it. The stigma, at least among students, is no longer there. In part because as the effort to focus on learning disabilities increased, the number of students that have them skyrocketed. Kids are just used to other kids having IEP's now. I suppose if you are at some super affluent school or a private school they would still be rare, but most schools they are very common.

The only place a negative stigma really still exists is with parents who went to school 30-40 years ago and people with IEP's were hidden away in a corner of the school and nobody ever had contact with them. It really is sad to see a student whose biggest barrier is their own parents blocking paths to success.