Re: Can't

June 12, 2003

>I also have to wonder how much greed >and selfishness play a part ih

this.<snip> I

>say this because I am wondering if the

>motivation behind some of these

> " disabled " groups is to get special

>accommodations just for themselves.

>Accommodating other disabilities would just

>take away resources from their cause.

I've run into this problem repeatedly because of my Assistance Dog.

I've gotten it from both the physically disabled AND (more often) the

able bodied. I have PTSD, depression and panic disorder. I need my dog

so I can go out on my own. Yet, he doesn't " appear " to " do " anything

for me, and I don't " appear " disabled. I've had so many people question

my need for him and try to deny me access. They say things to me like,

" You don't look disabled. " Oh really? " I say. " And just WHAT does a

disabled person look like? " The answer is always, " They're in a

wheelchair or blind. "

There's a group called the Delta SocIety:

www.deltasociety.org

that advocates for Service Dog owners. For many years, they never

mentioned psychiatric service dogs, and pretty much poo-pooed the whole

idea of them. Only in the last few years have they done a 180 and

started advocating for PSDs. I used to be on a few service dog lists,

and dropped off because the physically disabled would attack the psych

people. I think their twisted reasoning was that if a person who wasn't

obviously disabled, ie: not in a wheelchair or blind, walked into a

store with a Service Dog, then " the public " (meaning the non-disabled)

would start bringing in their dogs and and saying they were Service

Dogs. Then these untrained pets would give real Service Dogs a bad

name, and the people who REALLY needed them, ie: the physically

disabled, would lose the right to have them.

As far as the non-disabled go, I REALLY can't even come up with an

excuse for their reasoning. Here's an accommodation that costs them

absolutely nothing, and they still have trouble with it. Sometimes I

think the human race is just plain mean spirited.

Lori

" We're all equal, but some of us are MORE equal than others " .

--- Orwell

June 12, 2003

> I've gotten it from both the physically disabled AND (more often) the

> able bodied. I have PTSD, depression and panic disorder. I need my dog

> so I can go out on my own. Yet, he doesn't " appear " to " do " anything

> for me, and I don't " appear " disabled. I've had so many people question

> my need for him and try to deny me access. They say things to me like,

> " You don't look disabled. " Oh really? " I say. " And just WHAT does a

> disabled person look like? " The answer is always, " They're in a

> wheelchair or blind. "

I used to get this kind of attitude from people if I happened to mention I

was receiving housekeeping assistance. I don't know if it's because of my

depression or because I have some sort of organizational impairment, but I

simply cannot do housework. The dirty dishes pile up, the carpet goes

un-cleaned, various items pile up around the house. I was able to get some

temporary assistance with my housekeeping, but when I made the mistake of

mentioning it on-line, I was blasted for " Taking services away from those

who really need them " and " letting other people do your housework while

you go off riding your bike and having a good time. " That was not the way

it worked -- I did my best to assist the housekeepers, because I can do

some housework *with supervision.* After the housekeepers left, I might go

out and ride my bike because it helped to alleviate my depression. But

people just saw that I was able to ride a bike, and therefore not

disabled, and therefore should not be getting help with my housekeeping.

Iris

Iris Gray, Puff, Calli and Munchkin

The man gave a shrug which indicated that, although the world did

indeed have many problems, this was one of them that was not his.

-- (Terry Pratchett, Soul Music)

Personal website: http://victoria.tc.ca/~rainbow/

Toastmasters website: http://victoria.tc.ca/Community/Bb/

June 12, 2003

Ironically, I can't get assistance in cleaning my apartment at all, although I'm

clearly unable to do so entirely on my own. I was actually turned down by the

county for an aide, on the grounds that I was " too independent. " What?? I have

to pay for someone out of my own pocket...

I'm not begrudging you your assistance--I'm sure you probably need it. I'm just

baffled by the attitude of the officials I have to deal with here.

Re: Re: Can't