Reclaiming our humanity

Since that time I have been ruminating over about the whole disclosure issue. It is my opinion that if someone discloses their disability, it shouldn't’t be questioned, and certainly not questioned by someone who makes a snap judgment over whether we are disabled enough. This mindset is reflected in the way people with disabilities are treated when applying for governmental assistance such as Social Security or Workman’s Compensation. Where is it written that in order for a person to receive these services, they have to be taken down a painful and often punitive process? Is it not the truth that many people who are seeking these services have spent many years paying taxes in order to take advantage of this safety net? Why then are they universally treated with unbridled skepticism?

 

The examples of these experiences are numerous and rather tragic. Take for instance, the woman with Bi-Polar disorder who for the last four years has applied for SSDI four different times, only to be turned down four different times without an evaluation or an effective grievance process. She has been surviving on less than 300.00 a month, only due to what is left of her tenacity and luck. Take for instance, the man who suffered an injury while working at his job. Not only has this person had to deal with a system that starts from the premise that he is trying to cheat out the government, but has been followed around and videotaped, as well as being spoken to with utter contempt by these same officials. On a recent CBS news program, it was stated that over 2/3^rd of all applications for Social Security are denied, and that the system rewards those workers who deny claims. This is no surprise to those individuals who have applied, and re-applied, and have been denied with very little explanation.

 

What has happened to this country? Since when is it OK to treat people with disdain if they request assistance for something they have paid into with their labor, and toil? Where also did customer service go? It is time for all of us to reflect on just how society treats people with disabilities. We are often put in the box where we can’t get jobs because of stereotypes, and then when our brothers and sisters look for support, we are questioned about the validity of our disabilities. And let’s not forget the plight of our fighting men and women. One does not have to look far back in our history to remember what has been going on a Walter Reed Hospital. Injured solders have had to deal with a broken system for a long time, but to see the red tape and confusing bureaucracy that they had to endure was disgusting.