Students at Saginaw Valley State University in Michigan received a history lesson about the progress people with disabilities have made in America from a leading scholar in the field; providing context for a future where these people are empowered to make more decisions for themselves.
Dr. Michael Wehmeyer has done as much as any academic to advance the spirit of inclusiveness for people with disabilities. A professor of special education at Kansas University and associate director of the school’s Beach Center on Disability, Wehmeyer has spearheaded numerous government studies on improving access and opportunities for people with disabilities and contributed his expertise on the topic to hundreds of publications.
His visit to Michigan was attended by a capacity crowd, according to the article by Midland Daily News reporter Jon Becker, and the message of his lecture, entitled “Whose Future is it Anyway? Self-Determination and Quality of Life for People With or Without Disabilities,” was loud and clear:
‘We’re in the dignity business,’ Wehmeyer said of parents and professionals who work with persons with disabilities. ‘The road to empowerment leads to an effort to allow people to live more self-determined lives.’
Wehmeyer’s talk traced perceptions of people with disabilities all the way back to the Revolutionary War. But he says it wasn’t until the 20th century that they were viewed as anything but the individuals in need of continuous professional care. Wehmeyer credited Eunice Shriver, sister of President John F. Kennedy, as a key figure in helping these people “live more independent lives;” which in turn triggered the notion that people with disabilities could make their own decisions and led to reforms in laws governing societal treatment of these people.
But even while treatment of people with disabilities has become more “humane,” Wehmeyer said society still has a ways to go. He condemned mental health treatment as “a national crime” and characterized health care access for people with disabilities as “abysmal.” He urged the students to change their mindset from the idea that one day they may be working on behalf of people with disabilities to the notion that they may one day be working alongside these people to achieve better treatment:
‘Disability is a state of functioning, not a personal characteristic,’ Wehmeyer said. ‘The focus shifts from a ‘fix-me’ mentality to one that emphasizes resources and strategies to enhance quality of life.’
Whether those resources focus on independent living, career training, or some other area that makes life matter, it’s critical that people who are being served have their voice heard. Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
Image by Sergio Goncalves Chicago, used under its Creative Commons license.