Mein Fuhrer!
Posted on 07/05/2013 9:10:36 AM PDT by Deadeye Division
A local self-advocacy group for people with developmental disabilities is asking Columbus and Franklin County to officially retire the word handicap whenever new accessibility signs are erected.
The advocates want the old description replaced with accessible, the wheelchair symbol or, perhaps even better, a zippy new icon recently adopted in New York City that looks like a wheelchair figure on the move.
“With handicap, that sounds like they’re making fun of us,” said Marci Straughter, a member of the Self-Advocate Advisory Council of the Franklin County Board of Developmental Disabilities. “It’s time for a change, and we want to make this happen.”
Language is often at the forefront of the self-advocacy movement, which scored a big victory in 2009 when the words mental retardation were dropped from the names of state and county agencies that serve Ohioans with developmental disabilities.
“Language does hurt,” said Sadie Hunter, executive director of People First of Ohio. “Taking the word handicap away strengthens people. And it just takes a little bit of effort to make these changes.”
Columbus and Franklin County officials say they are willing to make sure that new and replacement signs for parking areas, buildings, bathrooms and other areas do not include the word handicap or handicapped.
Advocates say they hope the public stand will prompt private-sector signs to change, too.
In a letter sent to the city and county about a week ago, the self-advocate council forwarded resolutions passed in Cincinnati and Hamilton County to eliminate handicapped on public signs.
On newer signs and buildings, the changes already have been made, local officials said. But some old signs, such as those posted at the Franklin County Courthouse, 373 S. High St., still use the word handicap.
County Commissioner Marilyn Brown said she’ll push to make the phase-in official.
“We have to be welcoming in our language,” said Brown, whose adult daughter uses a wheelchair. “ It seems like a natural for us to just continue as we change signage, to change it to be far more positive and use the contemporary verbiage.”
Hunter said some Ohioans want to trade the rigid wheelchair symbol for the active icon developed by the Accessibility Icon Project and make it available on license plates.
That icon meets federal standards and has been adopted in cities in New York, Massachusetts, Texas, Canada and western Europe, said Boston-area professor Brian Glenney, project co-founder.
“We haven’t gotten any pushback, and we’ve been going for three years,” Glenney said. “It’s a slow phase-in, like how words are being changed. As the words evolve, symbols should evolve as well.”
rprice@dispatch.com
Mein Fuhrer!
Not to mention the morbidly obese people parking in the handicap spots....
I was thinking of just posting a picture of Jaun McLaim would suffice. The very definition of a handicap.
You can practically get a handicapped placard these days just by asking for one. I was thinking that they might as well take the wheelchair symbol off the sign. I can't recall the last time I saw someone parking in these spots who actually used one.
I don't know.
About 10 years ago I asked some coworkers at a retail store, "Did you see where that Oriental couple I was talking to went?"
All of a sudden I am read the riot act and being told the term was now 'asian'
As Steve Martin once said, Exxxccccuuuussseee ME!"
I’d be happy if Democrats were forced to wear handicapped signs.
Maybe one with a brain in the wheelchair?
Differently abled.
Maybe they thought Man Hole was a gay reference.
No, it was Chauvinistic. There were three Dykes on the city council at the time. The other members of the City Council were intimidated by the Engineer Boots they wore. LOL
Your right about that. In N.Y. all you need is a doctors note or signature on the application to get a two year renewable permit that hangs on the rear view mirror of a car. There are very few doctors that refuse doing this for their patients even though there really isn't anything wrong with them.
Just do away with handicap spots altogether, then. Or better yet, have designated handicap spots that aren't actually designated or restricted.
You know what would really empower people and make them stronger is to have them walk from the far end of the lot. </s>
Obese parking spots should be way at the other end of the parking lot. (Spoken as someone who could use that long walk more often)
That should properly identify the spaces in question.
“And...and some of this stuff is just silly, we all know that, like on the airlines, they say want to pre- board. Well, what the hell is pre-board, what does that mean? To get on before you get on? They say they’re going to pre-board those passengers in need of special assistance. Cripples! Simple honest direct language. There is no shame attached to the word cripple that I can find in any dictionary. No shame attached to it, in fact it’s a word used in bible translations. Jesus healed the cripples. Doesn’t take seven words to describe that condition. But we don’t have any cripples in this country anymore. We have The physically challenged. Is that a grotesque enough evasion for you? How about differently abled. I’ve heard them called that. Differently abled! You can’t even call these people handicapped anymore. They’ll say, “Were not handicapped. Were handicapable!” These poor people have been bullshitted by the system into believing that if you change the name of the condition, somehow you’ll change the condition. Well, hey cousin, ppsssspptttttt. Doesn’t happen. Doesn’t happen.
We have no more deaf people in this country, hearing impaired. No ones blind anymore, partially sighted or visually impaired. We have no more stupid people. Everyone has a learning disorder...or he’s minimally exceptional. How would you like to be told that about your child? “He’s minimally exceptional.” “Oohh, thank god for that.” Psychologists actually have started calling ugly people, those with severe appearance deficits. It’s getting so bad, that any day now I expect to hear a rape victim referred to as an unwilling sperm recipient.”
-George Carlin
Go to Walmart and you can't even find a handicapped spot available. Makes me feel sorry for those in wheelchairs who have to park at the far end of the lot where there are enough empty spaces to accommodate them because all the close ones are taken up by the depressed and morbidly obese.
You don't want the drugged up people getting lost in the parking lot. Here in CO we're going to dedicate a few more spaces in every lot for them. We'll call them Pot Spots.
“a zippy new icon”
Well, of course. Are we having fun yet?
Can someone with the requisite skills post a picture or cartoon strip of Zippy the Pinhead?
Great if they aren’t handicapped, they can take their chances finding a parking space like the rest of us.
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