• About
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
  • Download App
  • Virtual Summit
  • Benefit Hub for Subscribers Only
SWHELPER | Social Work | Social Justice | Social Good
No Result
View All Result
  • Login
  • Register
  • Home
  • News
  • Culture
  • Mental Health
  • Politics
  • Tech
  • Disability
  • Webinars
  • Podcast
Find/Post Jobs
  • Home
  • News
  • Culture
  • Mental Health
  • Politics
  • Tech
  • Disability
  • Webinars
  • Podcast
No Result
View All Result
SWHELPER | Social Work | Social Justice | Social Good
No Result
View All Result
Home Disability

Hate Movements by Neighbors Against People With Disabilities

Vilissa ThompsonbyVilissa Thompson
January 5, 2023
in Disability, News
0
ADVERTISEMENT
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on LinkedinShare on PinterestShare via EmailShare on Reddit

There seems to be a hate movement by neighbors that is taking place in our communities against people with disabilities.  Two letters have spread across social media like wildfire that displayed the distasteful feelings some individuals harbored against those with disabilities who reside in their neighborhoods.

The first letter that surfaced on social media came from Portland, Oregon two weeks ago.  This particular letter disclosed the names of 19 individuals who received cash disability benefits.  There is reportedly a hate group in Portland that is targeting people with disabilities. This letter seemed to be one tactic undertaken to expose their discriminatory “message” to the masses.  The person(s) beyond the letter was perpetuating the stereotype that somehow people with disabilities are a “threat” to the liberties of the democracy of this country.  According to the letter, those who are taxpayers have the “right” to know who was receiving these benefits in their community.  The hate group believed that by exposing these 19 individuals, taxpayers would have the opportunity to judge for themselves who is “truly disabled.”

Letter-Against-Disabled-Neighbors-Voting

The letter is an example of the tug-of-war between “deserving versus undeserving” in regard to who truly “qualifies” for governmental assistance.  Spreading this kind of propaganda can potentially ostracize individuals who may not be physically disabled, but do indeed qualify for such assistance.  We cannot judge a person’s level of impairment based only on what our eyes can see.  There are many medical and psychological conditions that can qualify an individual for disability benefits that do not cause an individual to have a physical anomaly or use assistive devices to move about.  For example, those with debilitating types of bipolar disorder and schizophrenia can qualify for disability benefits, even though they may seem physically “well” or “able.”

The second letter that has gained social media and news media attention came from Ontario, Canada.  The letter showcased one mother’s disgust with an autistic child that she believed was responsible for “terrorizing” her neighborhood.  In the letter, the mother wrote about the “vile” behaviors this particular child displayed in front of her, her children, and others in the neighborhood.  One such “atrocious” offense was the “dreadful noises” the child made when he was outside that apparently “scared” her “normal” children.  The letter continued on to insult the child by calling him an “idiot,” stating that they “should take whatever non retarded body parts he possesses and donate it to science,” and that no employer would hire him and that he would never marry.  The letter also stated that the child’s mother should deal with her “retarded” child “properly,” and that working people in the community were “suffering” because her child was a nuisance.

@LENNONANDMAISY/VIA TWITTER
Courtesy of @LENNONANDMAISY / Via Twitter

Reading the letter left me, and apparently others online, at a loss for words by the level of insensitivity, disrespect, and hateful speech that came from someone who claimed to be a parent.  For an adult to target a child in any way is unacceptable, but to target a child that has severe developmental delays, and thus incapable of controlling himself is downright cruel.  There is tremendous outrage concerning the emotional distress the mother of the child has endured since she received the letter.  The mother of the targeted child stated in one interview, “Who says that about a child?”

In both cases, investigations are underway to discover the person(s) responsible for spreading such hateful messages about people with disabilities in these communities.  My concern is, where else is such hateful ideology about people with disabilities being shared that is NOT trending on social media?  How common are such incidences in our communities?  If such messages are running rampant in our areas, what can we, as neighbors and advocates, do about it?  Reading both letters fired me up both as a person with a disability and as a Disability Rights Consultant and Advocate.  We should not tolerate such offenses in our neighborhoods. Neighbors are supposed to help each other, not spread hatred, fear, and isolation.  Such discriminatory and hateful actions must be taken seriously and extinguished, in order to show perpetrators that there is absolutely NO room for hate in our communities.

I have decided to stick with love.  Hate is too great a burden to bear.

– Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

(Featured headline image:  Courtesy of whatsortsofpeople.wordpress.com.)

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
ADVERTISEMENT
Previous Post

NC NAACP President Key Note Speaker For NC State Wide Fast Food Worker Strike

Next Post

The Importance of Social Work and Politics: A Social Worker’s Call to Arms

Vilissa Thompson

Vilissa Thompson

Vilissa Thompson, LMSW is the Disability and Advocacy Staff Writer for Social Work Helper, and she is also the Founder of Ramp Your Voice! In addition to being a Disability Rights Consultant and Advocate, Vilissa seeks to propel the faces and voices of people of color with disabilities both within the disability community and in the general public. Vilissa can be contacted via email at [email protected], or by visiting the Ramp Your Voice! website at http://www.rampyourvoice.com/.

Related Posts

5 Ways To Boost Employee Wellbeing
Health

5 Ways To Boost Employee Wellbeing

January 7, 2023
What is High Performance Culture and How to Create It
Business

What is High Performance Culture and How to Create It

January 7, 2023
Morgan State University Professor Anthony Estreet to be next CEO of NASW
News

Morgan State University Professor Anthony Estreet to be next CEO of NASW

January 5, 2023
Sex Trafficking Survivor Files Lawsuit Against Red Roof Inns
Human Rights

Sex Trafficking Survivor Files Lawsuit Against Red Roof Inns

January 4, 2023
When Reporters of Sexual Harassment Are Silenced By Advocacy Institutions the Harm is Far Worst
Education

When Reporters of Sexual Harassment Are Silenced By Advocacy Institutions the Harm is Far Worst

January 3, 2023
How White Consumers Helped Drive Discrimination by Businesses
Economy

How White Consumers Helped Drive Discrimination by Businesses

September 21, 2022
Next Post
The Importance of Social Work and Politics: A Social Worker’s Call to Arms

The Importance of Social Work and Politics: A Social Worker's Call to Arms

Reflecting on the March on Washington 50 Years Later

Reflecting on the March on Washington 50 Years Later

Leave Comment
ADVERTISEMENT
What Can Be Done To Solve The Foster Care Crisis?

Ending the Therapeutic Relationship: Creative Termination Activities

June 24, 2022
What Feelings Are In Your Heart: An Art Therapy Exercise for Kids

What Feelings Are In Your Heart: An Art Therapy Exercise for Kids

June 19, 2022
Want to Work With Children: 5 Skills and Qualities You Should Be Working On

Want to Work With Children: 5 Skills and Qualities You Should Be Working On

April 7, 2019

Connect With Us

Twitter
FlipboardInstagram
ADVERTISEMENT
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Instagram TikTok
SWHELPER | Social Work | Social Justice | Social Good

  • Contact
  • Subscribe
  • Buy Merch
  • Download App
  • Terms of Service

© 2022 Social Work Helper, PBC

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
    • News
    • Culture
    • Technology
    • Politics
    • Criminal Justice
    • Social Work
    • Education
    • LGBTQ
    • Technology
    • Disability
  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Webinars
  • Virtual Summit
  • Career Center
  • Download App
  • Subscriber Benefit Hub
  • Subscribe
  • Login
  • Sign Up
  • Cart

© 2022 Social Work Helper, PBC

Welcome Back!

Sign In with Facebook
Sign In with Google
Sign In with Linked In
OR

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Sign Up with Facebook
Sign Up with Google
Sign Up with Linked In
OR

Fill the forms below to register

*By registering into our website, you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.
All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.
Go to mobile version