I'm sure you've seen the hubbub about New York City's new
symbol for international access. In case you haven't, in a nutshell, the fabled
white stick figure sitting at perfect right angles while free-floating on a
butt circle has a new, “progressive”, yes the press loves that word,
descendant. Wait for it… a black stick figure free-floating on a butt circle,
leaning slightly forward. I know the
progressive spirit of our stick figure friend’s daring departure with his
(her?) backrest will surely stimulate meaningful conversation about ableism in
America and cause the ignorant to change their narrow thinking patterns, right?
Well not to burst
your bubble, or pop your tire, shall we say, but I am not convinced. Forward
leaning stick figure man has not yet enchanted me. Proponents have said that
the new design is more “humanized” and dispels the myth that disabled people
are passive dependents. This method is a very good one to dispel, but I don't
think the former symbol branded me as passive, because let's be honest, my lack
of passivity is perhaps most obvious when I talk. Otherwise, I dare say I sit
quite like stick figure 1.0, maybe with slightly greater a slouch. If Mr. stick
figure had tape over his mouth, then we could make a stink about assumptions.
The new design makes all wheelchair users look like they are speeding along,
zippy, and of course, athletic. Seeing as most people will give the sign five
seconds of analysis, I think most members of the general public may not even
notice the difference, or if they do, it will perpetuate the media love affair
with the sporty crip, because people in wheelchairs sitting rigidly while doing
homework and eating five hundred pretzels like every other college student in
America are so opposite of interesting. Cute, maybe, but nothing more. While
the intentions are great, most people not already invested in the disability
rights movement are not going to unlearn their prejudices, or even think about
them, because that guy on the parking sign decided to stretch a little. In
fact, if in order to be an “active” disabled person, you must push your own
chair, then I have failed miserably. If we're going to get picky, some people
are not able to lean forward, and still they are active citizens. What if,
analyzers of the world, Mr. stick had a spinal fusion? To those of you who are
about to call the mayor to make room for this possibility, that was a joke.
What I'm trying to get at is no, the old symbol isn't perfect, but in a time
where the budget is tight, the issues are many, and people’s needs are real, is
redesigning a stick figure really the best way to spend our money? If we want
to do something for people with disabilities, we need to spend our time and
energy, and yes, our government money, on things that really matter. If New
York City, or any other place where the matter, wants to make life better for
us, elected officials and ordinary people should stop smiling about stick
figure 2.0 for a minute and realize that America's largest minority has bigger
fish to fry. If this much excitement and praise were generated in the media
about accessible housing, affordable personal care services, better medical
coverage, I would be on cloud nine. The disabled employment rate is less than
forty percent. Discrimination in schools, housing, and workplaces is rampant.
If our cities across the country really wanted to wage war on ableism, the
money spent “improving” the access sign would be used to address these
injustices. The truth is that while people are spending money to make the stick
figure look more humanized, real people with disabilities are being
dehumanized, because the money for services they need can't seem to be found by
those in power. People who are ignorant about disabilities are not going to say
“wow! The stereotypes I relied on about people with disabilities were so
wrong!” by looking at a new parking sign. That has to happen through education,
and public pressure to fund projects that give people the disabilities a more
meaningful place in society. If the press dedicated as much attention to our
needs as they did to our stick figure, we would be living in a much more
accommodating world. The average Joe who even notices the change in symbol will
probably have the following epiphany. “I knew that one looked different! Somebody
slit the tire!” So friends, not to dampen the excitement, but stick figure 1.0
and I are still tight. I can’t abandon a guy that graced the side of my short
bus for years just because he’s a little rigid, can I? On an entirely separate
note, both symbols insinuate that all disabled people are in wheelchairs, which
is far from true. If we really want to be inclusive, let’s come up with something
that encompasses all disabilities. But for now, with bigger disability rights
issues on the horizon, I’d like to start a conversation about something else.
And to the accessible taxi bearing the new “progressive image”, perhaps we
should work on your ability to be located before we worry about what you look
like…
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