DON’T SEGREGATE DISABLED
I was troubled by the article by Amanda Robert “New nonprofit plans fitness center for the disabled.” This concept flies in the face of the integration people with disabilities have
fought for for generations, and perpetuates a stereotype we have battled all
our lives.
Going back to well before the Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into
law, many of us with disabilities were strongly advocating that separate is not
equal for us any more than for other minorities. We did not want separate
schools, separate housing, separate places of employment, or separate anything.
People with disabilities are part of the fabric of our communities, and we
should be allowed to blend in as all others do. We shop at the same stores, eat
at the same restaurants, drink at the same bars, pray at the same churches, and
pay the same taxes as our non-disabled neighbors. Why should we not work out at
the same fitness centers?
Springfield has a strong, active disability advocacy community that dates back
many years. Springfield had accessible buses before the ADA mandated it,
because of disability advocates; there are restaurants and businesses that have
become accessible because of advocates; and there are changes in more areas of
public life than can be listed because advocates have educated and worked with
the community to bring about the full inclusion we all seek. Has the Chrysalis
Independence Foundation worked with any of these experienced leaders to address
the fitness center issue? Have they explored a possible partnership with
fitness centers to work on expanding their accessibility? Before another
nonprofit was established with the mission of building a segregated facility,
it might have been good to consult with some of the 30,000 residents of
Springfield to see if this would be their choice.
One of the greatest battles a person with a disability has to face is the
stereotype that because we’re different, we should be segregated. That is why people with disabilities are
warehoused in institutions rather than accommodated in community settings; why
our children still have to fight for an equal education to prepare them for a
productive, self-sustaining life; why landlords won’t rent to us and employers won’t hire us. Now the great fanfare around the planning of a segregated fitness
center reinforces that painful stereotype.
I have been disabled since childhood and was raised to believe that I was no
less in worth than my non-disabled siblings, that I had the same rights they
did, and that I was expected to meet the responsibilities in my life. Those
responsibilities include participating fully in my community and making my
personal contributions where appropriate. That is how I have lived my life and
what I have asked in return is a level playing field – no special considerations and certainly no segregation from other members of my
community. I find this proposal abhorrent.
Ann Ford
Springfield
OAK REGENERATION
I would like to thank the volunteers from the Illinois EPA internship program
and their supporting sponsors, Kurt Neibergall, Amy Boley and Scott Tompkins,
for spending a full day in the heat working with Chuck Smith, the Springfield
Park District tree crew and the Friends of Washington Park. They removed
invasive vegetation such as bush honeysuckle and other non-native species in
support of the ongoing oak regeneration program in Washington Park.
This program is part of the vegetation management plan developed by Friends of
the Sangamon Valley and approved by the SPB in 2005 as an effort to promote
healthier woodland areas within the park and aid in the regeneration of the
native white and black oaks. Friends of Washington Park will continue to work
with the Park District’s arborist, Chuck Smith, and his tree crew along with George Rose and Vern
LaGesse from Friends of the Sangamon Valley in the continuing effort to
preserve native vegetation and remove invasive species. This will help to
ensure the preservation of the natural historic features of Washington Park for
generations.
Doug Reynolds
Vice President, Springfield
Parks Foundation
Chairman, Friends of Washington Park Committee
This article appears in Jul 9-15, 2009.
