Ellar Bee from a south Indian city sent this in after her fearful experience of incarceration.
In a catchall category is the use of the term “Disability”. This lucky dip’s pick of prizes includes a medley of handicaps, physical and mental or both, but along a rainbow spectrum and long scale of different measures - depth and weight (physical as also metaphoric). These syndromes, often debilitating come could also bring elements of heightened ability – rarely though – and only a very small percentage of a large population sample. Genius is not a choice given to all for to choose or balance against the balance required for functioning that may be considered “normal”.
Physical + Mental disability is and early life detection – except perhaps of damage in later life because of illness, accidents, and most likely in old age . There has been much work in the teaching and “habilitation” in the case of such instances, and educational theory (Maria Montessori who was a doctor and whose practice was with “disabilied” children. Today, in India, there is a borderline acceptance and a popular scientific awareness and search for help, furthered by early identification and guidance. Care becomes more and more difficult to make possible, even as earlier social nestling and nesting come to naught – with today’s hero from this population is the genius extolled for overcoming and / or using the handicap to its best.
Institutionalisation, when such outstanding achievement is lacking – and certainly not blesses all – is an option that has been accepted and recommended and urged by friends and relatives. When the supply exists, the demand grows to meet it, as in the cases of population to food and roads to traffic. What is unfortunate in such institutions is not merely quality of residence but attitudes of suspicion, fear, hostility, and control(s) arising there from – have seen from the inside - experienced capture and the future in lifelong captivity – the impossible made true and seen in vivid photographs.
We have read with horror the horror stories of chains – healing walking on hot charcoal – lashings - dungeons and oracles. Know that there are important differences body – ministrations for control / cure of the ailing difference. Important also today is the seclusion and separation from the known social and physical worlds that shelter, into an all powerful, faceless bureaucracy. What makes the blood curdle is the all round easy judgement(s) meted out more easily ... about what is the condition, what the amelioration... And in this day and age that lump of burden should not live – probably that is why the death comes early to those.
Is being able to care and love and love and care, a blessing that makes us human – that to dream is human – sacrifice - Is that not the only humanity we can know?
In a catchall category is the use of the term “Disability”. This lucky dip’s pick of prizes includes a medley of handicaps, physical and mental or both, but along a rainbow spectrum and long scale of different measures - depth and weight (physical as also metaphoric). These syndromes, often debilitating come could also bring elements of heightened ability – rarely though – and only a very small percentage of a large population sample. Genius is not a choice given to all for to choose or balance against the balance required for functioning that may be considered “normal”.
Physical + Mental disability is and early life detection – except perhaps of damage in later life because of illness, accidents, and most likely in old age . There has been much work in the teaching and “habilitation” in the case of such instances, and educational theory (Maria Montessori who was a doctor and whose practice was with “disabilied” children. Today, in India, there is a borderline acceptance and a popular scientific awareness and search for help, furthered by early identification and guidance. Care becomes more and more difficult to make possible, even as earlier social nestling and nesting come to naught – with today’s hero from this population is the genius extolled for overcoming and / or using the handicap to its best.
Institutionalisation, when such outstanding achievement is lacking – and certainly not blesses all – is an option that has been accepted and recommended and urged by friends and relatives. When the supply exists, the demand grows to meet it, as in the cases of population to food and roads to traffic. What is unfortunate in such institutions is not merely quality of residence but attitudes of suspicion, fear, hostility, and control(s) arising there from – have seen from the inside - experienced capture and the future in lifelong captivity – the impossible made true and seen in vivid photographs.
We have read with horror the horror stories of chains – healing walking on hot charcoal – lashings - dungeons and oracles. Know that there are important differences body – ministrations for control / cure of the ailing difference. Important also today is the seclusion and separation from the known social and physical worlds that shelter, into an all powerful, faceless bureaucracy. What makes the blood curdle is the all round easy judgement(s) meted out more easily ... about what is the condition, what the amelioration... And in this day and age that lump of burden should not live – probably that is why the death comes early to those.
Is being able to care and love and love and care, a blessing that makes us human – that to dream is human – sacrifice - Is that not the only humanity we can know?
