Important Distinctions

This week has flown by, hasn't it? I can't even tell you what my Monday was like:( I've forgotten it completely in my prematurely senior brain! But a couple VERY interesting things have happened in the Disabled Community this week that I think everyone should be made aware of if they're not already. 1) The Government has begun quietly chipping away at Benefits for the Disabled--meaning SSI. I would love to say this is exaggerated, but I don't think it is. Listening to the kids on the Autism spectrum that I volunteer with, restrictions are getting much tighter, and it's becoming much more difficult to keep what you already have. I believe this actually comes from good intentions; the Government is trying to prevent people from taking advantage of the incredibly generous system Americans have for people with disabilities--which is very noble. But in the process, of course, those who qualify for benefits and/or subsidies out of genuine need are being burned. Like the animals in Australia's wildfires. A lot of good, healthy, beautiful new growth may come out of all the ash that is being created--but in the process species are going extinct:( This analogy might be a bit of a stretch, but you see what I mean, don't you? 2) Secondly, Respect-Ability's website is reporting that the Feds are creating incentives for companies to hire the Disabled. Which on the surface looks like a very positive thing, but I have a few questions. Who qualifies for THOSE? How long are they available to the employer? Is it the length of the individual's employment, or does it eventually dwindle to nothing, meaning that the reason for the disabled individual's employment will eventually no longer exist, and he or she will have to look for a job again sans incentives for hiring? And finally, doesn't this smack just a LITTLE BIT of Jim Crow laws? Establishing those with disabilities as "less than" people by limiting what they can and cannot do so they remain inferior even as they work? Again I am reminded of the situations I too often encounter in public restrooms. "Abled Only" and "Disabled". But there are no signs above the stalls, which is an important distinction for now. Should I be afraid that one day they will be? Is this where we're headed? This train of thought is entirely too profound for this early in the morning! Suffice it to say, Lovelies, more inclusive doesn't seem to mean more accepting.