A memorial is finally being
constructed to the disabled children, women, men, brothers, sisters, friends
murdered in the Holocaust. You have all heard of the atrocities committed by
the Nazis, but did you know among those victims were three hundred thousand
people with disabilities? The Nazi Party organized the T-4 Euthanasia program
as a precursor to the notorious concentration camps. Though no one speaks for
them often, people like me were the first to die. The Nazi philosophy deemed
people with disabilities “unfit for life” and sent them to meet a cruel death
under the cloak of mercy. I am delighted that something is being done to
recognize these victims, but so very sad that it took so long. We might think
the attitudes that led to T-4 are gone with the Nazi regime, but we must remain
vigilant because the seeds of such ideas remain in our society. They are a
threat to human diversity, and a threat to people with and without
disabilities, because all people should live free of fear that they will one
day be targeted for being who they are. Sadly, our media condones an attitude
that violence against disabled people is due to the burdens they incur, and
make it seem like the disabled person’s existence offers nothing but enormous
cost. These attitudes cause innocent victims of violence to be robbed of the
justice they deserve, justice that would be sought for non-disabled people by
default.
Just today, a sixteen-year-old boy was
arrested for the murder of his half brother Terry Smith, who was autistic. When
I see such stories, I tear up for the life cut short and also for the onslaught
of commentary I know will follow about how difficult such children are. Next in
my mind is Alex Spourdalakis, an autistic man murdered in March by his mother
and godmother because they were frustrated with him. The media follow-up on the
case has focused on the difficulty of assisting an autistic person, how tired
his mother was, but very little has been spoken about the fact that Alex was
the victim of a heinous, premeditated act of violence because he required more
care than some other people do. Alex’s mother was offered services from the
Department of Family Services this past January, and she refused them. Alex was
stabbed multiple times by those entrusted to care for him. Finally, I think of
Julie Cirella, an eight-year-old girl with cerebral palsy murdered by her
mother who fed her a candy to which she had a known food allergy. Her mother’s
note from a suicide attempt expressed that killing Julie gave her a better life
because she was “free” from “suffering”.
The image of the sweet- faced girl
chilled me to the bone, as she had the same disability with which I live my
life. Yes, I face challenges. But the idea that a life like mine is only
suffering, and allowing that idea to persist causes destructive events like
Julie’s death in our community. I am not oblivious or insensitive to the fact
that getting supportive services for people with disabilities is exhausting at
times, and wrought with red tape, incompetence, and bumbling agencies. But we
must come together to fight for better services in a manner that does not blame
the people who need those services. We must realize that better supports are an
important cause, but we cannot champion the cause by blaming the oppressed for
the oppression. The lack of services in our community is a crime, but so are
the murders of Alex, Terry, and Julie. Murder is murder, and violence against a
person with a disability should be abhorred as it would be in the case of any
other person. Yes, parents need support. Yes, they deserve more support than
they are receiving. But we cannot live in a world where killing a disabled
person becomes a choice. When that becomes a choice, condoned by the lack of
action by others, we are a step closer to once again declaring some and not
others “unfit for life”. That scares me, and it should scare you. As someone
who depends on others for basic daily tasks, I know how it feels to have your
life intertwined with another trusted to help you. I regard these relationships
as sacred when based on dignity, respect, and compassion. To violate those
principles is to threaten everything we should hold dear as a people. When I
see people abusing their roles in the very kind of relationship that keeps me
afloat, my heart breaks. I am fortunate to have a loving family and a large
network of advocates, but knowing that I have these gifts is not enough. Every
person, regardless of disability, gender, or orientation deserves the same
things.
As the T4 memorial is built, I
challenge all of you to strengthen your communities by recognizing the inherent
value of every person. By finding a place for every person. And by taking an
unqualified stance against those who decide for others what kind of life is “good
enough”. Alex, Terry, and Julie, you were worthy of life. So were the three
hundred thousand people taken in the Holocaust. I am sorry that your lives were
cut short. I am sorry for the ableism that snuffed your candles. I am sorry
that those entrusted to help you betrayed you. I am sorry for all the attitudes
that made anyone think hurting you was a good choice. I will do everything in
my power to make sure that no one else has to suffer the same fate. When my
life on earth is over, I pray that I will meet you in Heaven. When that day
comes, I will hold you close, and speak of all the people who remember your
names.
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