I Am Disabled and People Tell Me On a Regular Basis That They Would Rather Die Than Be Like Me

[liberal_at_heart]

77. Who said that? Any individual should have the right to make that choice for themselves, but

there is a culture in America that devalues the disabled. There are many happy, productive disabled people in this country who have to face dirty looks and nasty comments from both conservatives and liberals because they cannot do everything that everyone else does. Just look at our education policy toward the disabled. Our own Democratic administration says that all special education students should be able to make marked improvements. These are ignorant statements about the disabled. Yes, there are some who can make improvements, and there are some who cannot. Why is our Democratic government trying to force disabled students to perform at that same level as the general education students? Because our society does not value the disabled they tell them either get up and do what we do or screw you. I have an autistic son. There is a lot of research going on right now and eventually we will probably be able to test for it in utero and then people will probably start aborting them like most Down Syndrome fetuses are now and I find that a shame. Autistic people are incredible. Many are creative, resourceful, and think outside the box which is probably what makes them such a target. If you don't fit the model of what society says is valuable you mean nothing. I support a woman's right to have an abortion. I had an abortion when I was 16. But at the same time I would love to see a change in the attitude toward the disabled because they can lead productive and happy lives. To just assume they will be miserable and need not be alive is a wrong assumption.