Reach Out on Inspiration

"Reach Out on Inspiration"

" Physically Disabled not Second Class Citizens"

By Cynthia Hartsen

Hi , for those of you who don't know me, my name's Cynthia (Cindy), I live in Nova Scotia, Canada. I'm 22/have FA! I've written a newspaper article which I'd like to share:

Physically Disabled not Second Class Citizens

I'm a 22 year old woman who has Friedreich's Ataxia, a neurological disorder which handicaps me in more ways than one, but none of those ways is mental. The reason I'm writing is that I am very tired of being treated as a second-class person. It's not new to be treated like I'm dumb or spoken down to like a child; but now because of my deterioration, especially the loss of my ability to speak well, it's becoming frequent, too frequent. I am not a genius by any means, but I am far from stupid.

It hurts to be treated this way by strangers and especially by people who I've known for years, whom I went to school with. I try to ignore it but then people think I'm stuck up. It's a catch 22, I'm damned if I do speak and it doesn't come out perfect and damned if I don't say a word!

People have to realize that whether a person uses a wheelchair or whatever their physical situation happens to be, it does not determine their mental capacity, and if you think it does, well then we know who has the mental problems

Cindy Hartson
(AuntyCin on IRC)

Editor's note: I agree wholeheartedly with Cindy's letter. I would like to make a suggestion that everyone write such a letter. I believe a lot of people with disABILITIES can relate to Cindy's words. They are more than words though, but the frustration of not being treated equal. And, while I may not go around mad or with a chip on my shoulder (and I hope no one else does), I have experienced similar incidences as Cindy's and get very frustrated by it as well. The one thing we must not be is bitter, but we must EDUCATE. So please, write a little similar to Cindy's to your local newspaper. We have over 300 members in all parts of the US and abroad, so we will have good coverage, geographically.

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