Equality Part 5: Spasticus Autisticus
I’m a believer in equality. I believe in equality of opportunity, although to be that’s a fancy way of saying I believe in fairness. Which is why I’ve produced a set of posts on the theme of equality, rambling through my beliefs and experiences as regards equalities and politics, sexism, sexuality, racism and disability. A little something for everyone…
Disability
The post title is of course a reference to the punk legend that was Ian Dury and his song ‘Spasticus Autisticus’.
As I touched on in part one, not everyone agrees with the idea that business should be forced to promote equality of opportunity for people with disabilities, particularly as it may come at an increased financial cost.
I don’t really have any personal experiences to relate here: I’m not actually close friends with anyone who has a disability, I’m not disabled myself, so there’s not a lot I can say. I have experience in developing accessible websites, but I’m not one of those who thinks that it’s some kind of esoteric art: it’s actually a piece of piss to do, it doesn’t take any time longer to create a new accessible site than a new inaccessible one, accessible sites tend to be easier to maintain and frankly anyone attempting to pass themselves off as a web professional that doesn’t understand the concepts of accessibility and usability is the equivalent of an electrician who doesn’t really understand what you’re meant to do with the blue wire.
Instead, I’m just going to provide you with just a handful links to stories relating to disability and discrimination, ask you to read them and then to make your own minds up about what you think is right, and what sort of a society you want to live in.
Do you want to live in a society like where disabled Indian men feel the need to commit suicide as a protest, and where it is assumed that people unable to work don’t provide any useful function? A society where one in seven people are discriminated against?
Or would you rather live in a world that understands the social model of disability, that embraces diversity, and above all else, contains the Ouch! podcast?
Hello. I am 
Oo, Jack, I’m feeling the luuuuurrrrve…
(Admit it: it was the offer to adopt you, wasn’t it?)
I’m sorry, Lady B (I do hope it’s okay to call you that), I’m afraid it was just the quality of your writing.
There’s a lot of dross out there, and it’s always nice to find a site with interesting, thought-provoking and well written posts. I’m afraid it’s just something you’ll have to live with…
See? Even when you reject my quasi-maternal advances, you do it in such a complimentary way that I’ve no choice but to be mollified.
You’ll go far…