We Can’t Go Back RAB

Isabelle S1 Comment

Summary: 

“We Can’t Go Back” is a statement that Ricardo Thornton made in front of the US Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. He starts off by explaining his own personal history with institutions for people with mental disabilities, and he goes on to focus his argument onto the detriment that this standard created. He explains that people wouldn’t treat him with respect, people believed that he would never have a life worth living, how people prevented him from living his own independent life, and controlled him. He then goes on to explain how, upon leaving the institution, he still faced similar issues in group homes, but that over time, with support from his community, he was able to learn and gain independence and reclaim his own life. He now lives with his wife Donna, who he also met in a group home, and they have a son, who also has grandkids. They are both financially stable and have had successful careers, but that is only through the support he received from his community and the tools that he was given to find this success, that he was able to achieve any of this. He ends the statement with a call to end institutions, and to support disabled people by protecting them from such places.

Quotes:

“I’ve seen people with severe disabilities who have grown and accomplished great things given the right support.” (Thornton 87)

“The time needs to be over for people to be sent to institutions because there aren’t opportunities in the community or because people think it’s cheaper or more protected.” (Thornton 88)

“The one things that is special about me is that people believed in me and in my potential to learn in spite of my disability, and they took the time to help me learn.” (Thornton 89)

Reflection:

One of the more powerful themes of this statement is how important community is and how external support systems are needed to solidify internal support systems. It is very clear that Thornton believes that anyone could achieve a great life if given the right tools and support, and he uses evidence from his own life and experiences to support this claim. I really like how he went about this because it directly contrasts the “support” that he received at institutions, it further shows to his audience how harmful institutions are, especially since a lot of his personal story has an underlying current of recovering from such an upbringing. I really like how he orchestrates his argument, it leaves little room for doubt on the harm of institutions. It does a really good job at the end to call the audience to action, to end institutions and forcing people against their will into programs, but to protect disabled people from this.

Nurturing Black Disabled Joy RAB

Isabelle S2 Comments

Summary: 

Keah Brown writes about her relationship with hope and joy, and the arguments and assumptions that she faces as a black disabled woman who many assume will never be happy because of her disability. She writes about how disability is almost always presented in the media as a cis white man in a wheelchair, and how she is never seen in the media, even though she very much exists in the real world. She discusses how she found joy in spite of her previously negative mindset that she had prior to the winter of 2016, and how joy is not something you could just expect someone to start feeling, but that it has to be nurtured, it’s work. She makes it clear to the audience that she does not feel joy everyday, that she doesn’t expect anyone to, but that associating disability with joy, pride, hope and love, will change public minds for the better. She explains her hashtag #disabledandcute, and how if focuses on finding joy in the little things, of continuously taking time out of your day to actively think positively about yourself.

Quotes:

“Instead they think of cis white male wheelchair users who hate themselves, because that is so often the way that pop culture depicts us.” (Brown 118)

“I may not find joy everyday. Some days will just be hard, and I will simply exist, and that’s okay, too. No one should have to be happy all the time — no one can be.” (Brown 119)

“I was once a very self-deprecating and angry person who scoffed at the idea of happiness and believed that I would die before I ever saw a day where I felt excited at the prospect of being alive” (Brown 119)

“Forcing myself to reroute negative thoughts with positive ones. Instead of saying what I hated about myself, I spoke aloud what I liked about myself.” (Brown 119)

Reflection:

Brown’s outlook on life, and her optimism is almost contagious in this essay. She does a really good job of setting the stage on the issue she sees and ends it with a very great call to action that encourages readers to think more positively about themselves and disability. I was impressed with how she predicted possible counter-arguments (or what nay-sayers would claim) by directly addressing them, and also explaining how important and necessary joy is. Her stance on joy having to be worked on and nurtured, and not just coming naturally to people, is very nice to hear. Instead of telling her audience to “Just feel joy, stop feeling upset”, which is what I have always worried about when it comes to essays on how to feel joy, Brown is realistic in her methods and expectations. This piece also works as a much more critical piece on the social expectations of disabled people, the expectation that disability equals misery and suffering. Her methods of tackling these issues are very efficient and well developed, and the personal aspects of her own story are used to further support this argument. 

Community Over Institutions

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“We Can’t Go Back” by Ricardo T. Thornton Sr.

Summary:

This piece begins with speaker Ricardo T. Thornton Sr. stating the statistic that close to 92,000 people still live in institutions and large public and private facilities for people with intellectual disabilities despite their quality of life being so poor as a result of the harmful structure of these facilities. As someone who grew up in an institution, Thornton describes how no one ever attempted to teach the residents anything or all them to make any decisions for themselves. Even as basic information as who they were related to wasn’t something the staff thought they should know, and Thornton describes how he didn’t know he had a brother and sister living at the institution with him. Thornton goes more into depth about his life story, from leaving the institution to marrying his wife who is another person with an intellectual disability. Both him and his wife are important, active, and productive members of their communities and advocate for change, because all people are more able to thrive in community environments where they are supported by others, have a expectations placed on them, and are given opportunities to enjoy their lives in the way they want to and make their presence known to a community audience.

Quotes:

“People need to have high expectations for people with disabilities because then they’ll give them opportunities to learn and grow” (Wong, 87).

“When I was at Forest Haven, I had a chance to go to the cottage that had the people with the most severe disabilities, who mostly stayed in bed all day. Someone at Forest Haven got a grant so that we went in, gave people musical instruments, and played music while they played along. They loved it and never wanted to go back to their beds” (Wong, 88).

Reflection:

The section I most emotionally connected with in this piece is where Thornton describes how those living in the cottage who had the more severe disabilities at Forest Haven were given the opportunity to use musical instruments and engage with each other and others in a fun and expressive way. The fact that they were only able to do this because of a one time grant and afterwards they had to go back to their previous way of life is incredibly disturbing. I think a lot of nondisabled people don’t understand that for people with disabilities, their human desires for entertainment, expression, and connection are not eliminated. People might say that those with severe disabilities are safer and better off staying in bed all day, but refuse to recognize that many may only stay in their beds all day because their environment given them no compelling avenue to interacting with a community, nor the emotional bandwidth to fight against those in charge.

Institutions vs. Community

unsureunderwaterobot1 Comment
  1. The title and author of the source 

Ricardo T. Thornton, “We Can’t Go Back” 

  1. An objective summary of the reading 

Thornton begins by stating their credibility as someone who has lived in institutions and battles the inequitable (nonexistent) support system in the United States. They explain their experience in institutions, specifically Forest Haven. They explain the dangers of living in an isolating environment in which individuals are not encouraged to engage in the community. Thornton explains the transition out of the institution and into group homes, then family living. They explain their involvement with Special Olympics. They use this involvement as an example of just how capable disabled people are. Out in community, Thornton is capable of so much more than when they were at Forest Haven. The chapter is summed up and given agency. The author closes by explaining how essential support and opportunity is for folks (especially mentally disabled folks) to grow.  

  1. 3 or more quotations (with page numbers) 

“When people are given a chance to grow and contribute, they grow and contribute” (Thornton pg. 88). 

“Segregating people is always bad; people never grow in those places and are safer and happier in the community” (Thornton pg. 89). 

“In the institution I didn’t get to think for myself. The staff thought for me and made all my decisions. For a long time, no one expected anything of me” (Thornton pg. 85). 

  1. A personal reflection naming 2 or 3 take-aways from the reading 

I was drawn to the distinction that the author made between “the institution” and “the community.” Thornton makes a strong comparison between living institutionally and freely. I think I take advantage of the ways community comes so easily to me. I am given opportunity after opportunity to grow and contribute, which so many folks are not. I was struck by one of the authors closing remarks, “the only thing that is special about me (in comparison to other people with mental disabilities) is that people believed in me and in my potential to learn in spite of my disability, they took the time to help me learn” (Thornton pg. 89). This quote connects closely with the social model of disability. It is the world around the disabled that makes them that way. 

De-Centering Whiteness to Make Room for Black Joy

unsureunderwaterobot1 Comment
  1. The title and author of the source 

Keh Brown, “Nurturing Black Disabled Joy” 

  1. An objective summary of the reading 

Brown begins by identifying themselves as a Black woman with CP, who strives toward joy in a world that assumes its absence. She states her argument that emphasizes inclusion within (and outside) the disabled community, in a way that de-centers whiteness. Popular culture sees disability through the lens of a cishet white man who is a wheelchair user and hates his life. This image is a monolith and erases the author; she aims to combat this. Her end goal is joy and the agency to live fully. Using the hashtag #DisabledAndCute, Brown broadcasted her joy. She says that her perspectives often leave people angry or confused, but that. The quote is included below, but she states that days in which joy is absent, it is important to remember, feeling at all is a gift. 

  1. 3 or more quotations (with page numbers) 

“No one should have to be happy all the time- no one can be, with all the ways in which life throws curveballs at us. On those days, it’s important not to mourn the lack of joy but to remember how it feels, to remember that to feel at all is one of the greatest gifts we have in life.” (Brown pg. 119) 

My joy is my freedom—it allows me to live my life as I see fit. I won’t leave this earth without the world knowning that I chose to live a life that made me happy, made me think, made me whole. I won’t leave this earth without the world knowing that I chose to live.” (Brown pg. 120) 

In response to readers who were confused, frightened, or angry, “… reacted defensively because they’re not centered in my story– because I am calling for inclusion that decenters whiteness.” (Brown pg. 118) 

  1. A personal reflection naming 2 or 3 take-aways from the reading 

I thought this reading was a brilliant depiction of intersectionality (intersectionality or die). The author takes note of their identity and experiences, then forms an educated notion that centers the lives of those who most frequently experience marginalization. She is aiming to reframe thinking; away from cishet white guys, to Black disabled womxn; away from the despair life may throw at you, to the joy that exists! I hate commenting on this, but this piece was very accessibly digestible (even my old-fart of a father could read this and gather something from it). Brown successfully drops knowledge and encouragement, while challenging the reader to be better. 

Communal Success

turtle1 Comment
  1. We Can’t Go Back by Ricardo T. Thornton Sr.
  2. At the beginning of the piece, Thornton recalls growing up in institutions where every decision was made for him. He talks about his sister died in an institution before talking about joining the community outside of it and what the adjustment was like. He met his wife, they had a child, and grandchildren. He goes on to talk about how he advocates for disability rights and is very successful in life because he was given the opportunity to grow.
  3. “Segregating people is always bad; people never grow in those places and are safer and happier in the community.” (89). “When you live in the community you make friends that support you and help in your advocacy.” (87). “I am here representing the ninety-two thousand people who are still living in institutions and large public and private facilities for people with intellectual disabilities” (85).
  4. This reading had a lot of solid takeaways. The main one being that institutions are ineffective and simply a way to segregate and separate people from the community. This was meant to be seen as a solution but it did more damage than good and it’s just a way to push ideas of who should and shouldn’t be involved with the community. I think another big takeaway I gathered was the importance of community when it comes to disability. The support, love, and opportunities are endless and help people live full lives full of the greatest things in this world.

Self Love and Fleeting Joy

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  1. Nurturing Black Disabled Joy by Keah Brown
  2. This reading was about Brown’s journey to finding joy in life. It is Brown’s journey to being unapologetic in terms of race and disability, fighting the stereotypes and choosing life instead of allowing misery and anger to take over. Throughout the piece, Brown also argues that joy and hope are precious and that they need to be held onto and found in every day life. We must choose to live.
  3. “Unfortunately, we live in a world that believes joy is impossible for disabled people” (117). “So I live as unapologetically as I can each day.” (118). “Instead of saying what I hate about myself, I spoke aloud what I liked about myself.” (119).
  4. I personally did not enjoy this reading as much as I enjoyed others within this collection. I thought it felt rather out of place. I understand self love and choosing to live life and find joy is a big part of the disability experience but I felt like it didn’t focus on the disability aspect as much. I felt like I didn’t get much out of it, the takeaways are ones we hear as children all the time. I understand that it’s different in terms of race and disability but that wasn’t spoken about much in this piece. So my first takeaway is that we don’t always look for joy in life, but we should. My second would be that happy, colored, people with disabilities need to be made prominent in pop culture in order to end stereotypes that people with disability are negative and not embracing life because of it.

The Necessity of #DisabledAndCute

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“Nurturing Black Disabled Joy” by Keah Brown

Summary:

This piece begins with the author Keah Brown explaining how the book she wrote “The Pretty One: On Life, Pop Culture, Disability, and Other Reasons to Fall in Love with Me” elicited far more negatives reactions than it was due, as a book about hope, inclusion, equal rights, and joy. She states that most of the people who sent her hate mail were people who were mad that the story was about someone whom they felt they couldn’t relate to as white people, even if they too were disabled. Brown details that media typically portrays disabled people as white men instead of people with intersectional identities and the hashtag she created, #DisabledAndCute, was a way for her to show her joy as someone who is a black, disabled woman. She says that she doesn’t expect herself or anyone else to always be happy, but knows that finding “small pockets of joy” as often as possible.

Quotes:

“When I created #DisabledAndCute in 2017, I did so to capture a moment, a moment of trust in myself to keep choosing joy every single day” (Wong, 118).

“I was once a very self-deprecating and angry person who scoffed at the idea of happiness and believed that I would die before I ever saw a day where I felt excited at the prospect of being alive” (Wong, 119).

Reflection:

I had never heard of the hashtag #DisabledAndCute until I read this piece and so I looked it up online and really enjoyed reading more Keah Brown’s intentions with the hashtag. I read a quote where she explains that oftentimes when disabled people are called cute, it is from nondisabled people who are infantilizing people with disabilities, whether they mean to or not. By calling herself cute, she is working to take ownership of how people with disabilities are represented, because its giving a platform for people to represent themselves rather than other people doing it. A quote from this reading I really appreciated was her words on how she used to be a very self-deprecating and angry person but realized one day that that sort of mentality and outlook on life wasn’t worth it and started redirecting her negative thoughts into productive and positive ones. I liked this because I think its very true that in order to stop utilizing a negative mentality, a person has to use that energy towards something else or else they can never break out of the cycle.

Brown, Keah, “Nurturing Black Disabled Joy”

Tuesday2 Comments

Disability Visibility: First-Person Stories from The Twenty-First Century, edited by Alice Wong, Vintage, June30th, 2020. (pp. 117-120)

Summary:

Brown starts by explaining her relationship with joy and how society expects her relationship to joy to be. She explains that disabled people are expected to not feel positive emotion, making anytime she experience joy much more profound. Brown is a disabled woman of color, a person often excluded from representations of disability. She discusses how she aims to decentralize the notions of heterosexuality and whiteness that are often associated with the disabled community. Sometimes her efforts such as the viral hashtag, #DisabledandCute, have been criticized as inspiration porn. Brown maintains that her efforts good outweighs the harm as they make POC and LGBTQ+ members of the disability community more visible. Basically, she is validating her and others’ existences in a society that had been actively erasing tor ignoring them. She concludes by acknowledging that she has not always being able to feel joy, but she has had to fight to feel her current joy.

Quotes:

“So my joy –the joy of professional and personal wins, of pop culture and books, of expressing platonic love out loud — is revolutionary in a body like mine.” Pp.117

“Instead, they think of cis white male wheelchair users who hate themselves, because that is so often the pop culture depicts us.” Pp.118

“I championed the act of effort and patience with myself by forcing myself to reroute negative thoughts with positive ones. Instead of saying what I hated about myself, I spoke aloud what I liked about myself.” Pp.119

Reflection:

Brown efforts are very admirable. I think finding joy is something a lot of people are struggling with. I really like that she chose to continue pushing forward with her projects despite criticism. This sounds very basic, but it takes a strong person to do this, even without the added social and cultural pressures of being part of multiple minorities. Brown is focusing mostly on the positives which I consider a smart move, when rallying for change. It keeps those involved in the movement engaged and energized. She does not promote ignorance of any negative aspects of the disabled community and disabled rights movement which allow a healthy movement to flourish. It is important to be reflective but hopeful when advocating for social change.

Thornton Sr., Ricardo T., “We Can’t Go Back”

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Disability Visibility: First-Person Stories from The Twenty-First Century, edited by Alice Wong, Vintage, June30th, 2020. (pp. 85-89)

Summary:

Ricardo Thornton begins by introducing himself and his purpose, to represent the ninety-two thousand institutionalized people with intellectual disabilities. Thornton explains that he grew up in institutions with a special focus on Forest Haven, an institution where his siblings and wife were placed. He takes the time to explain how the institution residents were controlled and denied independence. For example, he was never told his siblings were in the same facility or that he had siblings while in Forest Haven. Thornton was one of the first people to be allowed to leave Forest Haven. He remarks on the surrounding community’s attitude toward the former Forest Haven residents, unwelcoming and hostile. Thornton moved into a group home where he began dating his wife and worked to establish himself. Thornton reflects upon doubt and discouragement he received throughout his life, most people believing he could not be a functional member of society. He states this is the reason he advocates for institutionalized people; He wants to give them a voice because he knows that they are denied their own voices. He acknowledges the changes that have been made and presses that we cannot go back to institutional structures of the past. He concludes that segregating people based upon intellectual abilities is only harmful and the only reason he stands before the audience is because people believed in his potential. He leaves the audience with the task of protecting and giving the people still in institutions the chance to grow.

Quotes:

“Segregating People is always bad; people never grow in [institutions]and are safer and happier in the community.” Pp.89

“We can’t go back to a time when people are moved against their will to places where they have n opportunities to learn, grow and contribute.” Pp.88

“…I didn’t get to think for myself. The staff thought for me and made all of my decisions.” Pp.85

Reflection:

This made me cry.

I am more familiar with intellectual disabilities than any other category of disability, so this speech hit a bit close to home. The interesting thing here is Thornton is not using any novel arguments. I have seen his main point hundreds of times before, but the fact that it needs to be made still is heartbreaking. While we as a culture/society have improved our awareness and treatment of mental differences, People like Thornton still need to fight to be seen as deserving of a life. Though He never explicitly stated this, I feel like the central message of this piece was “there is a difference between being alive and living”. Being alive is not enough. The person who is just being kept alive is being robbed of their person-hood and that is just a step away from killing them. Why is that okay?