What you can do when targeted by someone who thinks you aren’t in a protected class

 In June, 2013, this blog posted (Imagine That America Had Its Consciousness Raised), about What We Can Do.

Today, if someone gets on your case: HUD/FHA oversees the 55+ place I live. The application asked if I was disabled. Their sites say that disabled, “impaired in a major life function,” includes:

1. Speech
2. Eating
3. Appearance 
4. And considered to be disabled, which addresses prejudice and stigma.

So, if you don’t want to just let it go - sometimes the politic solution - you can point out that the United States Government considers you disabled, and frowns on targeting disabled people. Such targeting is discriminatory and could be a civil rights violation.

If others are standing by doing nothing, ask if they would let race, gender, or religious discrimination happen without objecting.

Under the pandemic, a re-evaluation of “disability”

A Facebook post:
Things Covid has proved:

1. The job you were told couldn’t be done remotely can be done remotely 
2. Many disabled workers could have been working from home, but corporations just didn’t want them to 
3. Internet is a utility, not a luxury 
4. Universal healthcare is necessary 
5. Homelessness can be solved when it can affect the rich 
6. Childcare isn’t “doing nothing all day.”
7. Universal Credit is not enough to live on 
8. Wages have nothing to do with skills or value from fruit picker to nurse

Note No. 3

“Thank you for calling me out and giving me this opportunity”

I once went to a local comedy act and the comedian referred to me in front of the audience. I waved him off, feeling very uncomfortable, and the woman with me said, “Don’t be hostile.”

Here’s possibly a better response.

The disabled person could stand up, and say, “I’m glad you called on me, because I’m an advocate for the civil rights of the disabled. We were left out of the civil rights revolution. Hardly anyone thinks we are in a protected class, although we get targeted all the time.

“There’s even a special derogatory catch-phrase for people like me: ‘I don’t care if it harelips the Governor.’ So please remember, we have exactly the same rights as everyone else, even if social events like this don’t act like we do. Sir, thank you for calling me out and giving me this opportunity.”

Disability forms may not state correctly what qualifies as disability

I have been asked to fill out a “Disability Status Certification” by the 55+ apartment complex where I live. It says “‘Disability’ is defined as a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of the major life activities of an individual, such as not being able to care for oneself, performing manual tasks, walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, or learning.”

I added, “or a person who is perceived by others as having such impairment.” HUD.gov*

At the bottom of the one-page form I wrote:
(*) “This document stresses access disability. FHA.gov links to HUD.gov, which includes negative perception — stigma/social bias, which is the operative factor in my case.”

Last September, in Your landlord may not realize that the Fair Housing Act applies to such disabilities as cleft palate, the post notes that the person interviewing candidates for the housing complex appeared not to be aware that supervising Federal agencies such as FHA, HUD, ADA, and DOL regard physical conditions which affect appearance as qualifying disabilities.

What Others are Saying

Back in 2013 the post Imagine That America Had Its Consciousness Raised included the following among its recommendations:

Institutions (meeting places, organizations, "meet people like you" events, etc.) to counteract the social isolation of many disabled people.

An article in Huffington Post, iPhone App Connects People With Cerebral Palsy, introduces an interesting idea: a special-purpose communication app:

The idea for Candor CP materialized when Alexis learned the power of connecting with other people who have CP over social media. ... His main issue is that whatever he posted on existing social media was public, had his name associated with it and would often get viewed by a larger audience than he preferred. ... Candor CP lets users chat with each other anonymously. It encourages open, safe communication about issues that may be too private to talk about on public social media. The sign-up process is simple. You create an account using an email address and a password. You don't have to worry about usernames, avatars, share settings or linking to Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites. When you post a comment, the app assigns an avatar that is unique to each thread. ... Alexis interacts with adolescents and young adults who have CP on his blog. ... While sharing his story, he realized that young adults with CP would benefit from connecting with other people their age who have the same disability. There wasn't a supportive community with people like him years ago.

Perhaps a Let's Talk app, or a You're Not Alone app, for those wrestling with the isolation and stigma of disability, would fit under the What We Can Do tag. Preliminary thinking is that it could have interest group areas (CP, those with Cleft Palate, Little People, etc.). A way for those interested to offer suggestions to the app designers.

On a related topic, Daniel J. Vance has a long-running newspaper column on disability topics. Here's something he said about The Loneliness of the Disabled Person:*

Especially for widowed or single people with any type of disability, the holiday season can become a very lonely stretch, often involving depression. ... People sometimes tell me they don't know anyone that has a disability, but statistically that isn't possible, unless, of course, you were raised by wolves and live alone in the mountains. Perhaps every individual residing in a nursing home, for instance, has a disability.

After they say they don't know anyone, I often ask something like this: So you don't know anyone with dementia, cerebral palsy, dyslexia, severe arthritis, renal failure, chronic illness, multiple sclerosis, an amputation, schizophrenia, lupus, traumatic brain injury, deafness, blindness, cerebral palsy, autism, Down syndrome, an intellectual disability, an ostomy, cleft lip or palate, epilepsy, glaucoma, spina bifida, paralysis, fetal alcohol syndrome, stroke, muscular dystrophy, or hundreds of other disabling conditions, or anyone with a significantly impaired ability to walk, talk, eat, sleep, drive or work?

Recently, I searched online for academic research to back up the claim people with disabilities experience more loneliness year around—not just during the holidays—and actually found too much information to fit into any one column. ...

So people with disabilities, in general, experience more loneliness than the rest of the population, sometimes because of being less verbal or unable to physically get out to meet others or just plain due to having fewer social skills.

Nicole Luongo tells My Cerebral Palsy Story:

My mom took me to the doctor for a follow up visit and expressed her concern. He looked at her straight in the eye and said, “she should not be walking at all. She is a miracle.” Learning to walk without assistance was not easy. First, I wore braces up to my knees. Then, just in time for Kindergarten, I wore full-length hip braces. As you can imagine, the other kids teased me constantly.

Eventually, I learned to walk on my own. Now, as an adult, I am experiencing problems associated with CP and the constant stress on my body. I tire easily when walking. If I walk too much, I can experience back pain. I have problems stepping up curbs with my right leg – something I never had problems doing until five years ago. This continued to be a such a problem that I asked my orthopedist for a cane. I couldn’t bring myself to use it. I could continue to have these problems and more as I age, possibly requiring the use of a wheelchair. I do not want this to happen to me!

Although I work out and try to stay active, my balance and flexibility are poor due to CP and the tightness (spasticity) it causes. Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy (SDR) is the only procedure that can permanently eliminate the tightness in my legs. This surgery will allow me to do things I’ve never even imagined – walk with greater ease and fluidity, have better balance and flexibility – just to name a few. One thing I’d love to do is ride a bike. SDR may make that possible!

Read her blog for the story of her SDR surgery.

Independencechick (read her blog!) exclaims:

Am I saying PWDs and their loved ones should just completely ditch all services meant to help them? That’s not my call. It’s an individual decision you must make based on where you live, what you need, and what you want. What I am saying to you is that I think we’re spending way too much time on programs, and not enough time helping PWDs acclimate to society and feel like a real part of it. Instead of shuffling from service to service, what if PWDs were born into their communities and became community members? And, if programs are absolutely necessary: what if the people running those programs started paying attention to the people they’re trying to serve?

Note that some disabilities don't have services and programs, beneficial or otherwise, particularly when they become adults. Imagine That America Had Its Consciousness Raised


(*) Alan Sillitoe's The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner is a classic published in 1959

From Around the Web, Ctd

This follows on a post from July 2013.

Sarah Blahovec posts on disability issues.

The Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund has informative articles and was the source of some of the following links.

The U.S. Department of Education posts Dear Colleague letter regarding disability harassment:

When harassing conduct is sufficiently severe, persistent, or pervasive that it creates a hostile environment, it can violate a student's rights under the Section 504 and Title II regulations. A hostile environment may exist even if there are no tangible effects on the student where the harassment is serious enough to adversely affect the student's ability to participate in or benefit from the educational program. Examples of harassment that could create a hostile environment follow.

Several students continually remark out loud to other students during class that a student with dyslexia is "retarded" or "deaf and dumb" and does not belong in the class; as a result, the harassed student has difficulty doing work in class and her grades decline.

A student repeatedly places classroom furniture or other objects in the path of classmates who use wheelchairs, impeding the classmates' ability to enter the classroom.

A teacher subjects a student to inappropriate physical restraint because of conduct related to his disability, with the result that the student tries to avoid school through increased absences.7

A school administrator repeatedly denies a student with a disability access to lunch, field trips, assemblies, and extracurricular activities as punishment for taking time off from school for required related to the student's disability.

A professor repeatedly belittles and criticizes a student with a disability for using accommodations in class, with the result that the student is so discouraged that she has great difficulty performing in class and learning.

Students continually taunt or belittle a student with mental retardation by mocking and intimidating him so he does not participate in class.

When disability harassment limits or denies a student's ability to participate in or benefit from an educational institution's programs or activities, the institution must respond effectively. Where the institution learns that disability harassment may have occurred, the institution must investigate the incident(s) promptly and respond appropriately.

Disability Harassment Also May Deny a Free Appropriate Public Education

Disability harassment that adversely affects an elementary or secondary student's education may also be a denial of FAPE

How to File a Discrimination Complaint with the Office for Civil Rights:

Discrimination on the basis of disability is prohibited by Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (Title II prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability by public entities, whether or not they receive federal financial assistance).

A complaint may be filed by mail, by email (ocr@ed.gov), or by online complaint form:  http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/complaintintro.html

Remember the reciprocity principle:

Reciprocity principle: If a remark or an action or an attitude would be seen as discriminatory if directed toward a minority, it is discriminatory for us. We have exactly the same civil rights, even if the justice system does not act as if we do. - Introduction: Social Attitudes and the Disability Cohort

Schools Must Offer Communication Supports, Feds Say

On November 13, 2014, Disability Scoop reported:

The Obama administration is reminding schools of their wide-ranging responsibilities to students with disabilities who struggle with speech and other communication difficulties.

In guidance [PDF] issued Wednesday, federal officials said the nation’s public schools have obligations under three separate laws to “ensure that communication with students with hearing, vision and speech disabilities is as effective as communication with all other students.”

An advocate for the civil rights of the disabled warned of cases where this process may be administered in a discriminatory fashion:

Denise Marshall at the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates, a special education advocacy organization, said her group welcomes the guidance to schools, but she worries that it is not clear enough and could lead to further hurdles for students.

“Our members have seen a lot of schools try to force a student to use a communication aid or service that is clearly not appropriate just to rule it out. This causes significant delays and makes many students feel like laboratory test subjects and robs them of their dignity,” Marshall said.

From previous posts on the causes of the tendency to subject the disabled to discriminatory treatment:

“Spoiled Identity”: When the Disabled Are Not In “A State of Society” - In Pauline Maier's American Scripture we find:

In June 1776 the Virginia Convention ... amended the ... draft so it said that "all men are by nature equally free and independent" and had "certain inherent rights" ... "when they enter into a state of society." The statement ... freed the state of Virginia from an obligation to recognize and protect the inherent rights of slaves since ... slaves had never entered Virginia's society, which was confined to whites. - Pauline Maier, American Scripture: Making the Declaration of Independence, p. 193 (Emphasis added)

The post continues:

What is significant here is that the basic human rights—normal human rights—are not guaranteed simply because a person is human, but only if society accepts the person. The "spoiled identity" which sociologists recognize in such stigmatized people as the disabled, and especially those with birth defects, often means a specific lifetime exclusion from society. The results, as implied by the following defamatory passage from the Time Magazine web site, can be devastating:

Another six months of Monica, have mercy; I don't care if it harelips the Governor. - Molly Ivins, Time.com

The sociologist notes that the effect is reduced "life chances": 

Goffman [says] “The term stigma, then, will be used to refer to ... a special kind of relationship between attribute and stereotype” (2). [1] Observing that “the person with stigma is not quite human” (3), Goffman explains that the our unconscious assumptions lead us to “exercise varieties of discrimination, through which we effectively, if often unthinkingly, reduce his life chances.”

More on the Virginia Declaration of Rights:

Edmund Pendleton proposed the line "when they enter into a state of society" which allowed slave holders to support the declaration of universal rights which would be understood not to apply to slaves as they were not part of civil society.

Molly Ivins' "Governor," if he could actually wake up with a widely scapegoated birth defect, would find everything profoundly changed. He would suddenly find himself outside of society.
And to be outside of society would be, as the framers of the Virginia Declaration of Rights implied, to be denied the "universal rights" which normal, decent people accord to each other. “The person with stigma is not quite human.”

 From Here and There in Disability Discrimination:

Some time ago ABC News reported another cerebral palsy discrimination case: “An Ohio man faces one month of jail time for teasing and taunting a 10-year-old girl with cerebral palsy after a video of the incident went viral.”:

Jennifer Fitzsimmons, the chief assistant city prosecutor for this case, says in the three years she's been in this role, she's never seen anything like this.

"I think when we look at cases, there's case law out there regarding people commenting and gesturing against race and religion. But when there's nothing out there regarding disabilities, it took me a little bit longer to come to a decision."

After Fitzsimmons reviewed the Knight family's complaint, a police report based on a phone call from the Knight family, and the video captured by [her mother-in-law] Prince, she decided to press charges. ...

Bailey, who works as a truck driver, was charged twice. He was originally charged for aggravated menacing, a misdemeanor of the first degree. In this charge, the victim was Knight, an incident she says took place the same day as the bus stop scene.

Bailey, she said, "was swinging a tow chain on his porch, saying he was going to choke me until I stopped twitching. I sent my kids with my mother-in-law to leave with them. My husband called the sheriff." ...

"I don't think this sentence will change things because it hasn't so far," said Knight.

Knight says living next door to the Baileys affects their everyday lives.

Just last summer, said Knight, 9-year-old Joseph Bailey came over to play with Knight's children and brought over a pocket knife, threatening to "cut [Hope] up," followed by name calling. That harassment continued into the school year.

Since the bus stop incident, Knight has spoken with the bus driver and the school's principal. Knight now drives Hope to school every day while her other two children ride another bus to school.

Hope was born 29 weeks premature after Knight was involved in a head-on auto collision. When she was born, Hope weighed only two pounds, 12 ounces, which caused several medical problems resulting in two brain surgeries. Knight says her daughter fought for her life the first two years.

As for whether this case presents a new precedent in Ohio is another debate.

"I don't know if it sets a precedent so much maybe as it begins a conversation between people," said Fitzsimmons. "I think conversation starts progress, and I think if it can bring something else to light, it would be good." (Emphasis added)

We reported on previous cerebral palsy cases here and here.

We noted the double standard in respect to the civil rights of minorities and the civil rights of the disabled here.

Here we asked for a landmark disability civil rights case.

Is Stigma Just Prejudice Given the Imprimatur of Social Necessity?

Another six months of Monica, have mercy; I don't care if it harelips the Governor. - Molly Ivins, Time.com

Stigma: Notes on the Management of Spoiled Identity - Erving Goffman

There's case law out there regarding people commenting and gesturing against race and religion. But ... there's nothing out there regarding disabilities. - Assistant City Prosecutor Jennifer Fitsimmons

In Stigma: Notes on the Management of Spoiled Identity, Sociologist Erving Goffman wrote:

The dwarf, the disfigured, the blind man, the homosexual, the ex-mental patient and the member of a racial or religious minority all share one characteristic: they are all socially "abnormal", and therefore in danger of being considered less than human. Whether ordinary people react by rejection, by over-hearty acceptance or by plain embarrassment, their main concern is with such an individual's deviance, not with the whole of his personality. "Stigma" is a study of situations where normal and abnormal meet, and of the ways in which a stigmatized person can develop a more positive social and personal identity. (Emphasis added)

An entry by Deborah Fallows in James Fallows' column three years ago illustrates this:

The real story here is about the situation of dwarves in China. Airen, 矮人, or small people. When we lived in Shanghai a few years ago, I happened to be walking behind a dwarf, on a lane near where we lived. Everyone coming our way slowed down to point and laugh at him. Later many people explained to me that laughing is the behavior of embarrassment, and that the Chinese were uncomfortable and embarrassed at seeing someone who looked unusual and so different from the norm. (Emphasis added)

The rules of behavior in middle class America tend to prevent such openly discriminatory behavior on the street.* But as many of the previous posts on this weblog demonstrate, disability discrimination—a violation of our own professed values—is prevalent throughout our society. The sociologist notes that the effect is reduced "life chances": 

Goffman [says] “The term stigma, then, will be used to refer to ... a special kind of relationship between attribute and stereotype” (2). [1] Observing that “the person with stigma is not quite human” (3), Goffman explains that the our unconscious assumptions lead us to “exercise varieties of discrimination, through which we effectively, if often unthinkingly, reduce his life chances.”

Goffman's work, dating from 1963, lists "racial ... minority" as a stigmatizing abnormality. In the last half century, our civil society, in a historic political, legal, and social effort, achieved a moral revolution which rendered the great sociologist's conclusion no longer correct. (See Civil Rights Act, Martin Luther King, Selma, etc.)

At a party for state government employees in the sixties, an accountant apologized for driving a Falcon. "[N-word's] car," he said. He wouldn't say that today, because the underlying attitude is no longer socially acceptable.

Stigma is not fate. Nor is disability stigma "the way things are." As Imagine That America Had Its Consciousness Raised argued, such public measures as "A civil rights act for the disabled, since the disabled were omitted from the Civil Rights Act" could do for the stigmatized disabled what the Civil Rights Act did for racial minorities.

Consider stigma to be nothing more or less than prejudice dressed up in academic jargon.


(*) To violate cultural values of equality and tolerance is the sign of a bigoted individual, as in the "case law" epigraph above, or of a subculture which does not share mainstream values concerning civility. (A person with a cleft palate reports that, while waiting for a bus, he noticed a group of minority youth pointing and snickering, giving each other high fives, etc.)

Imagine That America Had Its Consciousness Raised (Repost)

This is a repost from June 27, 2013.

Another six months of Monica, have mercy; I don't care if it harelips the Governor. - Molly Ivins, Time.com

Stigma: Notes on the Management of Spoiled Identity - Erving Goffman

There's case law out there regarding people commenting and gesturing against race and religion. But ... there's nothing out there regarding disabilities. - Assistant City Prosecutor Jennifer Fitsimmons

Needed:

• A landmark disability discrimination civil rights case. ACLU, where are you? Ada.gov, where are you?
• Anti-defamation campaign (Time.com, take note!).
• A civil rights act for the disabled, since the disabled were omitted from the Civil Rights Act.
• A disability ombudsman in each state and each school district to which any adult, and any student, respectively, can go when disability discrimination occurs.
• The addition of specific disability harassment language to the existing anti-harassment guidelines.
• For Shame! campaign.  
• Ad showing a minority being bullied beside one showing disabled being bullied, saying one is just as wrong as the other.
• Spots showing celebrities saying “I'm against disability discrimination, are you?”
• Ad showing teacher rebuking student for slighting disabled classmate. 
• A speech by a national leader citing instances of disability discrimination and calling for change. 
• National leader describing incidents such as Ivins' remark as the product of irrational animus and calling for change. 
• Counseling for the disabled, to deal with the pressure to feel shame, guilt, social inadequacy, etc.
• Proactive response training, such as how to respond if someone says, “How nice you're in the choir—it must help with your speech.”
• The addition of ethical training to the training of physicians and other medical staff, to remind them that it is unprofessional to treat disability as a social sin rather than a morally neutral medical condition.
• Institutions (meeting places, organizations, "meet people like you" events, etc.) to counteract the social isolation of many disabled people.

From Around the Web

Another six months of Monica, have mercy; I don't care if it harelips the Governor. - Molly Ivins, Time.com

Stigma: Notes on the Management of Spoiled Identity - Erving Goffman

There's case law out there regarding people commenting and gesturing against race and religion. But ... there's nothing out there regarding disabilities. - Assistant City Prosecutor Jennifer Fitsimmons

Take off your hat to nothing known or unknown or to any man or number of men, ... re-examine all you have been told at school or church or in any book, dismiss whatever insults your own soul - Walt Whitman, Preface to first edition of Leaves of Grass

Ta-Nehisi Coates, in The Atlantic:

It is wrong to make war on people because you can not get over yourself. And though today we may say that we have advanced, through much of this country, the wrong continues unabated. (Emphasis added.)

Andrew Sullivan in The Dish:

The term “stereotype threat” is used to describe how negative stereotypes cause members of a stereotyped group to underperform. (See Reduced Life Chances)

insideakronchildrens.org:

As with most kids, all Kelsey wanted was to “fit in.” But there were times she had to endure stares and questions about her appearance – some simply inquisitive while others malicious and intended to embarrass.

Cleft Palate Girl to Toss Coin at Start of Men's Tennis Final 

["Cleft Palate Girl?" Reminds one of the scene in the movie “Goodfellas,” when Joe Pesci says to Ray Liotta, “I amuse you? I make you laugh?”]

The following are from valuable cleft palate resource websites:

http://www.cleftsmile.org/what-are-cleft-lip-and-palate/ 

Teens with cleft lip and palate may have had to cope with bullying or teasing. For many people, this can play havoc with self-esteem. ...
Your friends, family, and medical team can be a source of support. Talk to them about how you’re feeling. You might also want to talk to a counselor or therapist because these health professionals are trained to help people deal with difficult situations and improve self-esteem.
And if you’ve had cleft lip and palate, you’re not alone. Your medical team may be able to help you get in touch with other people with cleft lip or palate or support groups in your area.

http://www.patchofpuddles.co.uk/archives/9931/having-a-cleft-lip-palate-by-fran 

I didn’t really care what people thought about my looks or speech because I knew that I wouldn’t let other people’s opinions change who I was and what things were important to me. Now, in year ten I’ve got good friends who will stick up for me and have stuck up for me when people are being completely unreasonable! They like me for who I am and understand about my cleft and never let me underestimate myself, in fact I am most severely told off if I ever say a word against myself!

From English cleft lip and palate association:

cleftaware2013.wordpress.com/bullying-and-self-image/

It’s important to remember that bullying is bullying, no matter who it’s coming from, and that the best way to stop bullying is to call it what it is and ask for help.
If someone is deliberately hurtful to others over a period of time, that person is a bully, even if they aren’t aware of how much their actions hurt others. Some myths about bullying include the idea that ‘it’s harmless fun’, it ‘builds character’, it’s ‘just teasing’ or that the best way to deal with it is to fight back. If friends and relatives say these kinds of things to you, they may mean well but that doesn’t mean they’re right! Bullying is never acceptable, and hurts both the victim and the bully in the long term.

http://cleftaware2013.wordpress.com/2013/05/17/carmit-bachar-answers-your-questions/

Worth watching: Carmit Bachar (formerly of the Pussycat Dolls) was born with a cleft lip and palate. Here, she answers some questions submitted by some children and young people who have a cleft themselves, and talks a little about growing up, bullying, fame, and developing self-confidence.

An American resource:

http://cleftline.org/docs/Booklets/TEN-01.pdf

Shawna: I really wanted to know how to make the teasing stop, so this is what she told me. “Every time someone starts to make fun of your cleft lip and palate, ask them if they have a question about it.” Well, the next day, the kids made their usual comments, but this time I was ready. I turned around and confronted them, and I asked, “Do you have a question about my lip?” They didn't expect me (quiet and shy as I was) to say anything back to them at all. So, to my surprise, they started to ask questions about what happened and why I looked different. They were not expecting me to be able to answer them, but I did, and gradually the teasing stopped.

A woman with a cleft palate: http://cleftline.org/docs/Booklets/ADT-01.pdf

Like many of you, I experienced many hospitalizations due to my cleft, as well as the stares, teasing, and confused looks of others when they could not understand my speech. I grew up in an environment where those in my family and community did not openly discuss my responses to these moments, so others did not know the pain and isolation I felt throughout my youth.

Adult male:

If you have feelings which you believe interfere with your ability to get along with other people, be successful at work, or interact comfortably in romantic relationships, you are not alone. Joining a support group may provide you with the opportunity to interact with individuals who have had similar experiences. Professional counseling, often available through your local cleft/craniofacial team, may also be of benefit to you.

Reduced Life Chances

Another six months of Monica, have mercy; I don't care if it harelips the Governor. - Molly Ivins, Time.com

Stigma: Notes on the Management of Spoiled Identity - Erving Goffman

There's case law out there regarding people commenting and gesturing against race and religion. But ... there's nothing out there regarding disabilities. - Assistant City Prosecutor Jennifer Fitsimmons

Sociological studies, if they have been done, comparing the income level of the stigmatized disabled of given levels of education with comparable statistics for the general population, would probably show "underachievement," such as people with graduate degrees working as clerk-typists. It should be remembered that our society's treatment of the class of people the late Ms. Ivins' remark, above, refers to, is always a crucial element in the picture their life story presents. "Bellatricksy" writes:

Goffman [says] “The term stigma, then, will be used to refer to ... a special kind of relationship between attribute and stereotype” (2). [1] Observing that “the person with stigma is not quite human” (3), Goffman explains that the our unconscious assumptions lead us to “exercise varieties of discrimination, through which we effectively, if often unthinkingly, reduce his life chances.”
Goffman also echoes Rosemarie Garland-Thompson, noting that stigma reduces a person in the mind from being a “whole and usual person to a tainted, discounted one” ... stigmatized people are vulnerable to invasions of privacy, with perfect strangers feeling comfortable starting personal conversations.

A familiar experience of our people is the case where our family, friends, or co-workers imply that we should have done better, considering our background; and completely ignore the crucial fact of our lives: Discriminatory social attitudes reduce our life chances. Repeating (emphasis added):

Our unconscious assumptions [about the disabled] lead us to “exercise varieties of discrimination, through which we effectively, if often unthinkingly, reduce his life chances.”

The previous post asked for "A landmark disability discrimination civil rights case." Also needed is a landmark (and widely publicized) sociological study detailing comparative education/income statistics for the targeted disabled as contrasted with the general population.

Imagine That America Had Its Consciousness Raised

Another six months of Monica, have mercy; I don't care if it harelips the Governor. - Molly Ivins, Time.com

Stigma: Notes on the Management of Spoiled Identity - Erving Goffman

There's case law out there regarding people commenting and gesturing against race and religion. But ... there's nothing out there regarding disabilities. - Assistant City Prosecutor Jennifer Fitsimmons

Needed:

• A landmark disability discrimination civil rights case. ACLU, where are you? Ada.gov, where are you?
• Anti-defamation campaign (Time.com, take note!).
• A civil rights act for the disabled, since the disabled were omitted from the Civil Rights Act.
• A disability ombudsman in each state and each school district to which any adult, and any student, respectively, can go when disability discrimination occurs.
• The addition of specific disability harassment language to the existing anti-harassment guidelines.
• For Shame! campaign.  
• Ad showing a minority being bullied beside one showing disabled being bullied, saying one is just as wrong as the other.
• Spots showing celebrities saying “I'm against disability discrimination, are you?”
• Ad showing teacher rebuking student for slighting disabled classmate. 
• A speech by a national leader citing instances of disability discrimination and calling for change. 
• National leader describing incidents such as Ivins' remark as the product of irrational animus and calling for change. 
• Counseling for the disabled, to deal with the pressure to feel shame, guilt, social inadequacy, etc.
• Proactive response training, such as how to respond if someone says, “How nice you're in the choir—it must help with your speech.”
• The addition of ethical training to the training of physicians and other medical staff, to remind them that it is unprofessional to treat disability as a social sin rather than a morally neutral medical condition.
• Institutions (meeting places, organizations, "meet people like you" events, etc.) to counteract the social isolation of many disabled people.