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Wednesday, May 30, 2018

Physixal Disability

All of us have disabilities in that we are not physically ideal. I don't have the traits required to play center in the NBA. My Dad was severely near sighted. My Mon shook constantly from Parkinson's Disease. My friend and companion of 34 years has been totally blind from birth. All of these are physical defects that are disabling to certain degrees.
Recently, I have experienced disability more directly. I go through bouts of near crippling arthritis and have lost a good bit of my vision. Okay, that's just how it is.
Folks with disabilities need help, but they do not need to be babied. They are not helpless children. they just need a bit of help. Instead, all too often they are shunned left to languish in a dark, lonely place. Families all too often say,' let the Government take care of them." Why? Well, they are afraid they might have to spend a dollar or two. That is some of it. They are afraid that they will have to give up a few minutes of fun and games. And, they are scared to death that they might end up the same way.
I have known many people with a variety of disabilities, blind, deaf, paraplegic, missing limbs, neuro-muscular diseases, and guess what? They are just people. Not saints, not children, just people. Some are rotten SOBs, to be blunt. Some are talented and brilliant, Mist are just folks, with the same hopes and dreams, the sane joys and angers, and the same desire to be included , to be productive members of the human race and pushing them aside, ignoring and excluding them is perhaps the worst mortal sin a person can commit.
Some say, 'well, the Government takes care of them.' The Government cannot agree on what color the sky is. Disability pays a bit of money to those who worked at some time, but it is not a lot. Those who did not work are stuck with SSI and trust me, it is a pittance, which then makes them reliant on Medicaid, food stamps and subsidized housing, Not a good way to live, just mere survival. The Government programs are necessary, but that fact is not acceptable.
We have Vets coming home broken and Trump, despite all of his effort, cannot get Congress to vote for enough money to really care for them.
. Churches should help, but I know from personal experience that they generally only help members and that they do reluctantly. This is not what Jesus taught and they should be ashamed
especially the mega Churches who are getting richer by the second and, yes, I include the Roman Catholic Church.
Private organizations try but are woefully underfunded. There are people and corporations in this Country who are enormously wealthy. I do not begrudge them a nickel  of their profits, but they could do more. Not so much in cash, but in a better way.. In our modern world, there are many devices that allow the disabled to function about as well as anyone. With such equipment and a bit of training, the disabled, with the exception of severe cases, like quadriplegia, can become employed. It may be a bit rocky at first, but with a little time and patience, fine employees can be found. I, everyday day, run across able bodied workers who do not really want to do their jibs, They whine and complain. Most disabled folks I have met would be over joyed at having those jobs and would work hard to keep them.
The rest of the solution lies with us. We must start including folks with physical issues in all the activities we engage in. This is especially vital for children. Isolation warps all people but it is especially, damaging to kids. The disabled are exactly like us. Cranky at times. Warm and funny at times. Intelligent, at times and not so much at others. They have all of the assets and liablities that we do. They are human beings and, again, I ask, Are you?.

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