February 11, 2020 - 16:00
The flagrant disregard for truth and cruel embrace of hypocrisy that enabled the treatment of disabled folks through US history felt particularly difficult for me to read this week. As I learned about the immigrants who were deported due to a proclaimed inability to economically support themselves, even when they had explicit job offers, and the countless other individuals and communities who were the victims of pseudoscience and bigotry, I struggled with how to react. The type of cruelty described in these chapters felt so unfathomable, yet these were real events and people. Reading, I wished for a time machine, so that I could travel backwards and ask the "leaders" and "scientists" of those days "what could you possibly be basing that conclusion on? How can you justify your actions?"
My initial reaction is more emotional than intellectual, and I'm not sure exactly what to do with these feelings. Truly, this is a "rough draft" post! I am aware of the reality that disabilities rights, along with the rights of other marginalized groups, are still being fought for, and I feel itchy to productively respond to these past and present injustices. I look forward to continuing to hear from my peers about how they processed this week's reading, as I am struggling to orient my own thoughts in a productive way.