Sometimes You Just Gotta Say...

Today is the 4th Annual Blogging Against Disabilism Day.

For a couple of weeks I've been poking around in what happens to pass for my brain these days, trying to come up with a topic mined from disabilism experiences we've had in the past year.

This experience? No, too personal.

That experience? No, too sad.

What about this one? No, way too mundane.

To be perfectly honest, it's been a pretty boring year on the advocacy front in the Attila household. My killer bunny slippers have been dying a slow death from the lack of butts to kick.

Trust providence to furnish a perfect opportunity at the perfect time.

Now how would I title this? Asshat of the Week? You're a Douchebag? TLPWSFB (The League of People with Sh*t For Brains)?

All too harsh, in my opinion. Your mileage may vary.

So I'm just going to say...

WTF?

WTF were you people thinking?

Ramco Primary School in South Australia had a worthy idea to raise money for a program in Bangladesh that repairs cleft lips and palates in children.

All well and good, and very philanthropic. But as you know, the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

So they sent out a newsletter announcing that May 29 was going to be "Dress Like a Disabled Person Day."

"There will be prizes for the best students dressed as a person with a disability. Get your thinking hats on and see what disability you can represent!"

Here's a great big steaming bowl of WTF? With raisins on top!

When they mention "prizes" does that mean they'll be categories? Like for "most realistic" (where some soccer mom actually catheterizes her kid to win because you know, people are weird that way) or "best accessories"?

Do the accessories have to be something you can carry---like crutches----or do they have to be somewhat attached like a g-tube or a colostomy bag? Will there be extra points for big accessories like a chair or an iron lung?

Snarkiness aside, this obviously begs an answer to the question, "how exactly do people who have disabilities dress?"

So I asked my Little Guy. For those of you who aren't familiar with the characters who share my life, my youngest son is 19, has Autism and some cognitive deficits. I call him Little Guy here, although he really isn't very "little" any more. ;-)

If you were dressing up like for Halloween as a person with a disability, what would you wear?

He thought about it for a minute. "I'd take a shower and brush my teeth first. And comb my hair."

Ok, what else?

"Clean underwear. I'd wear clean underwear. And a belt on my Dickies pants. And my Gap sweater. Oh, and my watch."

Is that it?

"I'd tie my shoes. And clean socks. Smelly feet are nasty."

On second thought, maybe "Dressing As a Disabled Person Day" isn't such a bad idea after all.

For one day of the year all the students will turn up clean and fresh-smelling, well-groomed, stylishly dressed and on-time.

What's not to like?
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Please take a little time to check out all of the wonderful bloggers who are contributing posts today! Click on the link at the top of my post to be taken to the list.

Have a wonderful weekend!
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P.S. at 11:15pm.

Oh Golly. I know that BADD is winding down for the day, but I went back to the original article (the link is posted above) and simply must say again,

WTF?

While many of the commenters found the whole idea of
Dress Like a Disabled Person Day" repulsive, there were plenty who had the sentiment of:

"Jeez. Just one innocent error in judgement by some normal kids trying to do something good for the school and all the cripples come out of the woodwork crying foul. It's not such a bad idea and if it raises awareness and raises funds for non normal people then let them do it!"

So much so wrong in so many ways.

Peace,

ATM