Public Comment

Non-disabled (some would term them "neuro-typical") people often make erroneous presumptions about mentally disabled (sometimes termed "neuro-atypical") people. Many affluent people believe that can't do anything that entails brains. 

But this is not accurate. 

I'm badly misunderstood by a lot of people, and it baffles me. Some people seem to judge me by how I look: people who don't know me, who've never seen me before and who haven't ever spoken to me seem to assume I'm dumb. And I can tell when I'm being treated as an idiot--it is fully apparent. 

Others might judge me by believing unfounded, defaming talk. People may form a consensus that I'm of low I.Q. And people are generally sure of themselves when everyone in their group agree on a belief. Then, when I do something that shows I'm not an idiot, that I'm actually damned smart, people seem to flip out. 

Yet, I want to talk about the belief of superiority among those who work, versus those who can't. I have heard people boost their self-worth at the expense of disabled people by boasting, "I went to college, I work for a living, I have children to look after." This is supposedly a badge of being better. The reality is they ought to feel privileged and grateful, they can do this, because most people with disabilities would do this if we could, and we are denied the joys and challenges of it. A professional job seems to make life worth living. And if we are locked out of it, we have lives of doing without. 

Professional employment is everything. It provides not just money, but self-worth, social status, meaningful experiences, and a reason to wake up in the morning. If you have a professional job, it brings respect from others and it brings self-respect. 

Being denied a professional job is a major blow that can ruin the lives of people with disabilities. I met a man in a mental health self-help group who was newly diagnosed with a psych condition. For a living he was an airline mechanic. At a guess, a person would be fired from such a job if they exhibited any indication of a mental illness. I later heard of the man's suicide. 

I need to tell you here that suicide is not a solution. Even when it seems as though there is no hope, I suggest you keep trying, and you will find good things to live for. 

Many people believe they are better than other people because of having more money. The believe you are defined by your "net worth." Affluent, well-educated people are more prone to classism. If you are poor and lack formal education, you could harbor reverse classism. And I get flak from both sides. 

In our laps, as people with disabilities, is the possibility that some kinds of work are within reach. And while it could be humiliating in some instances to be helped to work, through the channels of the mental health treatment system, it might be worth doing despite this. Maybe it just isn't worth it to try and compete against well-educated, professionally employed people. Instead, doing something within reach might be the answer. 

When some friend, relative, acquaintance, or other individual wants to get their satisfaction of them being better than us, let them. Don't resent it, just focus on what you're doing. 

I'm not after the whole pie, just a piece of it. If I can get some of the good things that come with working, it makes my quality of life better than it would otherwise be. I don't believe for a moment that I could handle full-time work. My history for the past forty years has shown limited success in part time work, with some of the work involving brainpower and other jobs doing tasks that no one else wants to do. 

There are jobs where you can be paid to do something simply because no one wants to do this stuff. And there are top notch jobs that require a level of expertise and skill, where few would be capable enough. Those are two ends of the employment spectrum. I have been to the lower end. I've also done jobs that involve a fair amount of brainpower. It is not so much that no one else could do the jobs. It is just that not every person could do them, and they require some amount of training. 

The presumption of superiority is condescending and inaccurate. But we don't have the power to force others to see it our way. When someone wants to feel superior, we can do nothing about it other than ignore it.