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Disability Etiquette: a New Attitude

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Disability Etiquette: a New Attitude
Disability Etiquette: A New Attitude

by
Phillip C. “Otiss” Brown

Instructor David Legere
Community College of Vermont
HUM-2010-VO01
03 May 2008
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Phillip C. “Otiss” Brown
Instructor David Legere
Hum-2010-VO01
03 May 2008
Disability Etiquette: A New Attitude The United States of America is a land of opportunity, a land of freedom, and a land of equality, but the sad fact is that one out of every five Americans has a form of disability, which renders them unequal. Some are born with a disability, others acquire a disability in consequence of an accident or sickness, and others become disabled from the aging process. Disability is not discriminatory in any way and affects all ages, newborns through the elderly, and both sexes, male and female. Disability knows no difference in social or economic class, takes no rational thought to religion or skin color. People with disabilities, like other groups, are seeking full civil rights, and they “must be” accepted in their communities as equal. The United States Developmental Disabilities and Bill of Rights Act of 2000 clarifies that disability is a natural part of life. Vermont native and former United States Senator, James “Jim” Jeffords, introduced and fought through the decree that has changed many lives, known as S.1809 [106th]:
Disability is a natural part of the human experience that does not diminish the right of individuals with developmental disabilities to enjoy the opportunity to live independently, enjoy self-determination, make choices, contribute to society, and experience full integration and inclusion in the economic, political, social, cultural, and educational mainstream of American society (“S.1809”).
If one were to explain the Disability Bill of Rights for the nonprofessional, it would state that disability is simply a facet from the characteristics of being human. Each human being different from the next as some are born with lighter or darker skin tone, with different


Cited: “ADA.” United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. “The Americans with Disabilities Act, (1990-2002).” U.S.A.: Washington D.C. 15 Oct. 2002. 24 March 2008. . Bush, George H Bowe, Frank. Making Inclusion Work. Indiana: Lebanon, Prentice Hall Publishing. 2004. Covington, George A., and Bruce Hannah. Access By Design. NY: New York, John Wiley & Sons, 1997. 17. Covington, George A ---. E-mail interview. 14-21 Nov. 2007, 11 March 2008. --- “DE.” “Disability Etiquette: A Guide to Respectful Communication.” Vermont Secretary of State Office. Deborah L. Markowitz. VT: Montpelier. 2004. 2 March 2008. . Holmes, Martha Stoddard. Embodied Rhetorics: Disability in Language and Culture. First Edition. USA: Southern Illinois University Press, 2001. (200-229). Johnson, Wendell A. L. People in Quandaries: The Semantics of Personal Adjustments. NY: New York, HarperCollins Publishers, 1946. Oliver, Michael. The Politics of Disablement: A Sociological Approach, Critical texts in Social Work and the Welfare System. CD-Book on Tape: RFB&D, NJ, Princeton. 2002. London: Palgrave Macmillan, 15 March 1997. (113-116). Silverstein, Robert. “Emerging Disability Policy Framework to Support Community-Based Change Initiatives.” CSADP: Center for the Study and Advancement of Disability Policy. Feb. 2007. 21 April 2008. . General Policy 4. “S.1809.” GovTrack.us. S. 1809--106th Congress (1999): Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act of 2000, GovTrack.us. 25 March 2008. . (Section: Title 1, section 101, a, 1. 25). Switzer, Jacqueline Vaughn. Disabled Rights: American Disability Policy and the Fight for Equality. Washington DC: Georgetown University Press. March 2003. CD-ROM RFB&D, 2006. Twain, Mark
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