The blog is written by Eva, a woman with a signficant disability. She says, "I have Cerebral Palsy, which for me means I can’t walk, speak, or use muscles in traditional ways. I use a power wheelchair to get around and spell out what I want to say on a letterboard. This blog will be videos of people treating me bizarrely. My video camera is mounted to my wheelchair (very discreetly) and I basically just press record whenever I go out and then edit the good stuff for you! I will then write my comments on the event, which is usually what was playing in my inner monologue while these insensitive people were talking."
Eva's blog is a VERY powerful commentary on life with a significant disability and power of words and images in exploring her experience. DI will be adding "The Deal with Disability" to the "Links" section at the bottom of the page. Cheers, Eva!
23 comments:
Eva, I must say this blog is by far one of the most informative due to the personal perspective and video footage. I am an able-bodied individual who tries to treat every individual with respect and dignity but as I see these videos I see a blatant lack of courtesy, for the most part. Basic and common courtesy is a thing of the past for some individuals. I guess the one that got me the most was the table full of 16 year old girls who would not acknowledge the need of another individual. I will not pretend to know what you go through everyday but I want to tell you that this blog is changing people. As I was viewing your videos my 14 year old son and 6 year old daughter were watching and learning as well. Continue to share your story and now I know that even when you mean well you can mess up. Today I can say I HAVE A BETTER PERSPECTIVE THAN YESTURDAY.
Gloria Perez
Wow, Eva’s blog is awesome. I just checked out her videos that she posted. I like the one where the barista from Starbucks calls her, “Mister.” Eva tries her best not to laugh. I like how she comments that people need to “talk to adults as adults.” Her message is simple, but so very powerful. There is also the video where a cashier does not even glance her way during the transaction between her aide and him. Finally, when Eva is leaving he waves at her in an exaggerated manner. What I get from these videos is that people need to learn how to be more sensitive to people who have disabilities. We cannot use ignorance as an excuse. We need to educate ourselves. Honestly, I do not even know that much about cerebral palsy, but I have this habit of looking up things in Wikipedia when I am unsure about something. The point is that we cannot ignore something just because it makes us uncomfortable. We can only overcome that feeling when we better ourselves by learning something new.
Vanessa C. (6345)
Wow! If this is not a touching blog on reality for persons with disabilities then i do not know what is. Honestly, I cried when I viewed some of these videos not because I pity persons with disabilies, but because I have a mother who became disabled at age 45 due to a severe stroke and was paralyzed from half of her body. Luckily with lots and lots of therapies and surgeries, altough she is still disabled and unable to work, she is now able to walk and do basic activities of daily living. I was bothered in how ignorant and rude some individuals were in her videos, but more so because its real and its sad. Sometimes when I'm out shopping I get so upset at how people do not respect that my mother is disabled and has trouble walking, but instead she has been pushed out of the way, called names and made faces because some people are so rushed in life, they forget to slow down and appreciate what they have. I like this blog and will look forward to seeing new videos and will also inform some of my friends and co-workers. I work for the school with the special education department and sadely encounter many acts like these or even worse and am constantly having to get after other students who do not respect individuals with disabilities, but at least now i know alot has to be with being poorly educated by adults.
adriana correa
The situation that caught my attention most was when Eva was at Starbucks. As a former barista and waitress, I understand how Eva may have felt insulted; however, every service industry job requires a quick evaluation of who the customer is and how to interact with them. Have I ever called a man "Ma'am" or a woman "sir"? Sure I have. The mistake has been made on me as well.
I don't think you can really blame someone for thinking she is a child when she admittedly looks like a child. In an ideal world, we would take more time to really make sure our generalizations are correct, but when there is a line of 20 impatient people glaring at you to get their caramel macchiatos and double chocolate chip fraps out NOW--person with a disability or not--mistakes just happen.
Sylvia Morales
I think it awesome that Eva has gotten the courage to place a video camera in her wheelchair to show the treatment of not only her, but people with disabilities. I’m sure that if more people with disabilities did this, we would see an array of disappointing behaviors towards people with disabilities. Although she may look like a young boy, it is the responsibility of every individual to treat her with the respect she and everyone else deserves. I think if the Barista would have just stuck to her casual greeting in the beginning Eva would have not been so offended.
I have to admit that the most upsetting video to me of them all was the one where Eva could not move and the group full of 16 year old girls did not care to acknowledge her, or have the respect and courtesy to move the chair in order for her to get by. I am not a parent now, but that is something I will definitely make a point to teach my children; respect people with disabilities as they are equals.
Amy G.
Eva’s blog is truly an insightful view in the life of a person with a disability. Being in the Rehab program (become aware of “first-person” language and learning of the many disabilities) and being a person without a disability I still do not know what is like to “walk in a PWD shoes.”
It is just another great resource for us to learn about PWDs (not just from a book.)
The blog is awesome it is able to show people the stupid things we do to PWD in a way where we can’t say oh I don’t remember being that way well there is the proof. I think the blog could be an excellent training tool on how people treat PWD and the changes we need to make in our society today.
I can really appreciate how she tried to get amusement out of it. I agree, when you know that someone is just trying to be nice but completely overdoing it, it is hard to correct them or tell them no without hurting their feeling or offending that person. Although she was just trying to be nice, it was all too much. It was a complete invasion of privacy and personal space. Adult, child, elderly, disability or not, I do not think anyone is every comfortable trying to be fed by a complete stranger. Sippy cup? Seriously? That would complete aggravate me! Unless someone asks for a kiddie object, then one should not be given. I think maybe the waitress was worried that she might get in trouble if she was not accommodating enough, but I do not think she should have hovered or been at the table the whole time. Whether she’s trying to or not she completely singles her out and brings more attention to Eva than necessary.
A. Arellano
Eva's blog has great insight, and the video's are awesome! The camera is positioned exactly right to where anyone can imagine themselves as Eva. The simple things like having the cashier look at me when I talk to them, and the simple courtesy of others to move their chair are things that most people don't think about. I am definitely going to reccommend this blog to everyone.
Angela R. Bazaldua
Eva’s blog is a good tool to help people understand the way individuals with disabilities feel with the treatment they received from others.
It is also helpful to the general public because it shows in several occasions that we have a lot to learn in how to approach, treat, empathize and respect individuals with disabilities in different situations.
Looking at the different videos helped me realize that I want to learn more, and avoid as many mistakes as possible.
Mary Carmen T.
As a future rehabilitation counselor I feel that Eva's blog and video's can be used to see how much improvement and education needs to be done in our society. I believe that educating people about disability can help prevent some of the negative behaviors and stereotype she faced in her videos. I truly believe that if those 16 year old girls knew anything about people who use wheelchairs, or even respect for other people, they would have gotten up to move the chair. I think that the more we learn and know about people with disabilities the more comfortable we feel being around them. My belief is that educating children at a young age will help prevent them from being scared to meet someone who is different from them and ultimately help prevent some of the events Eva faced.
Eva’s blog was AMAZING!! I had never really viewed disability from the people with disabilities’’ perspective. I enjoyed watching some the videos that she had posted. I found it very funny that she laughs at the fact that most people she came in contact with thought she was a male. She was great in telling us her immediate reactions to what it going on. It was interesting in seeing how people who totally ignore that fact that she was right IN FRONT of them, and speak to her assistant, versus, speaking to her. I am left with a knot in my stomach to see how ignorant our society is in regards to how we view people with disabilities. What we need to do is go out there and educate the general population about how a person with a disability is in fact, a person, first and FOREMOST. It’s up to us to take things into our own hands and help those who are less-informed, become better equipped to commune with people with disabilities.
Elizabeth C.P.
I took over an hour reviewing Eva's Blog. It is amazing to see the video captured and read the stories. I must say, as a student in the Rehabilitation Program I was taught about the Do's and Don'ts when addressing people with disabilities. To actually see them is a different story. I think we should include to the list the "Special Wave." Eva constantly deals with people who treat her like a child. This special wave is a funny yet condescending form of expression. What is so wrong with a normal wave, or shaking hands for that matter.
I was also taken aback by the gentlemen with the Dynavox. Eva said it best when she stated " it shows that even people with disabilities can discriminate against each other." As a future rehabilitation professional, I am grateful for people like Eva who open up their doors and provide us with solid accounts, stories, and suggestions on how we should react. The truth is one should not have to practice how to act around people because we do it every day. It is important to listen to the person speaking and not to the situation, circumstance, or condition.
It just goes to show you how people can be very inconsiderate towards people with disabilities. Eva just shows great footage of how people just ignore or pretend that they did not see her when all the time Eva is actually in-front of them. While reading her bloggs I noticed that she begins her stories with, "I know it seems like nothing", I don't know but for some reason it was very touching for me. Here is a girl with Cerebral Palsy and video tapes her encounters with impertinent people within society and she starts her statements on each blog, "I know it seems like nothing". Cerebral Palsy is a big thing and all Eva wants is to be seen or noticed and not ignored. Also, Eva wants to be treated her age and not 5.
Sylvia Garza
Eva! i must say blogging is a great idea espeacially from a person who has a disability. Like Karla said, its also great to learn from a person's situation from a blog because it a real life experience that happen in a minute or so. This is a great learning experince it is also better then learning and reading it from a book. What also could be a great idea you can do is also twitter your barriers am sure you will have alot of followers and maybe something will get done.
Erika P.
After viewing Eva’s blog I found it to be a very powerful message that could teach many of us about ignorance. There are so many of us that are ignorant when it comes to people that have a disability and after seeing how people reacted to Eva it truly bothered me. There have been countless times when I have seen somebody in a wheel chair being stared at in a grocery store. I do not think that people’s ignorance should be an excuse for their actions, we are all human beings and not one of us is alike so why should these people be singled out? Many of us mean well, but once again due to ignorance we single those people out, like in the video with the waitress. This waitress was trying to be polite, but she was inputting too much feedback for Eva, I mean her friend was there and I don’t think Eva would have had any problems eating or doing anything else.
Elizabeth G. (REHS 6345)
Like the rest of my classmates, I was very impressed with Eva! I read all of her blogs in one sitting and I am glad that she has decided to share her experience. I am especially impressed with the themes of her blog like: people who get it right; special wave; and treating me like a child.
She is a great writer because she shares her experiences with insight and at times humor. I especially found her approach on suggesting that able-body people handle situations better very refreshing.
She provided the reader with a backdrop on how interactions between able body and sometimes well-meaning people affected her. After reading all her stories, I don’t feel sad her. Eva is very witty and creative and I don’t think that she shares her experiences for that reason.
Instead, I felt like I had gained a better awareness on how I can work to improve my interactions with people.
B. Ramirez
REHS 6300
Wow Eva’s blogs and videos are great, they really help you understand how a person with a disability feels. It is a very informative blog and I had a really great time reading it, it is very resourceful and it gives us good feedback on how to treat people with a disability in certain scenarios etc. I think her work is great and I think that she is doing a great job at advocating for people with disabilities because it helps us understand them better.
Blanca Perez
I think that it's great that there is a blog that allows able bodied people to see how many times society treats someone with a disability. I think that it takes a lot of courage to open yourself up and let others see the way that you are treated is different. I hope that this blog reaches other people and that they are able to see that they themselves my at one point be treating someone with a disability the same way. It gives great insight to us as Rehab majors as to how our clients may feel in everyday situations. I think it's truly enlightening to be able to see the viewpoint of the person with disability as they see society.
Cassie Moya
I was very impressed by Eva's blog. I think it's so great that a person with disabilities shows how our society actually reacts to her. Even though it sometimes show how ignorant we can be by instead of showing respect we treat PWD like a child. I really hope that she continues to blog and it's great that technology allows this to happen.
--Melchora Gracia--
I really like Eva’s blog and the fact that she lives a pretty much normal life even if she has a severe disability. It really was an insight to the life of a person with a severe disability and it makes you realize that they do not want special treatment; they just want to be treated like everyone else. I saw some of her videos in youtube and she runs errands, walks her dogs, and goes out to restaurants just like everyone else. I did notice people do not know how to act around her and sometimes can be overwhelming, for instance in a video she is having lunch with her friends and a waitress is trying to force feed her! I would have been extremely upset but she laughed her way through it. Her blog is very interesting and I like the fact that she is not dwelling on her disability and created a blog where she has Q & A for people who have questions on cerebral palsy. You go girl!
C.Cardona
I like the insight that this woman portrays in her "inner dialogue." I think that it is amazing to know that she chose to share her life stories with anyone interested in knowing about her. I particularly enjoyed her story about needing to use the bathroom and women praying over her.
I really wish more people with disabilities would have this opportunity to share. I know that there is a young man at UTPA who publishes (or used to publish) his commentary about different topics in a local newspaper. His name is Victor. However, most people with disabilities do not have this opportunity to make themselves known and to share their life stories.
Leila Flores
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