This coming January will mark my eighth year on the Net. During that time I've noticed many changes to the amount of information available on line about disabilities. Originally, it was very difficult to find educational and/or support material about disabilities anywhere on the Internet. Information sources that were available, such as Medline, were geared more for the medical professional rather than the person with the disability. Thankfully, over the years more generalized information services geared towards lay people have become available.
But lately I have noticed something unsettling has been occuring. Over the past year, I've seen an increase in news group and message board postings that seem to be playing a game I've decided to call "Beat my Disability." You may have noticed that in your travels on the Net as well.
Usually what happens is personal messages are posted on message boards or in newsgroups claiming that certain disabilities are more important in some way, that they deserve more attention than other disabilities, for whatever reason. This generates a thread of responses that ultimately end up in a huge on-line argument. Very often the threads turn into personal attacks and many people end up being hurt and confused.
I've also noticed an increase in the number of complaints about services provided for "other" disabled people, claiming unfairness in some fashion. Often these complaints are aimed at people with hidden disabilities.
Now I've always been of the mindset that a disability is a disability. Those of us with a disability have difficulty in some or all areas of daily living. Do we really need the additional challenge of "proving and validating" our disability to others who are themselves disabled? What do we have to gain from such an exercise?
I question why people involve themselves in playing "Beat my Disabilty"? The message threads and newsgroups that carry this controversy seem to generate a lot of attention, and I am concerned that these arguments and attacks on one another's disabilities could negatively influence the public's view of those of us who suffer from these life-altering conditions, never mind the stress and anxiety it causes to people with disabilities.
In my opinion, I believe these "games" can only lead to negative public response to the disabled community. The old saying "united we stand, divided we fall" comes to mind. There are laws in some countries (e.g. United States) that protect the disabled, but in other countries there is still a long way to go. Public sentiment has a bearing on whether or not laws are passed. If the general public sees the disabled community attacking each other on-line, perhaps they will be less likely to view these laws as being necessary.
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