Crippen Cartoons cartoons at the cutting edge of disability

An article caught my eye the other day which reported on a bill passing through parliament to ensure people with Down’s syndrome, and their families, are given proper support by local authorities.

Sounds great doesn’t it? I mean, what can possibly be wrong with MPs coming together from both sides of the House to support such a bill? But let’s take another look at this shall we. Having been campaigning for decades to get what are essentially our basic human rights, and constantly challenging societies perception of us when looked at through their medical model bias, isn’t this just another example of maintaining their status quo?

What next, a bill for people with cerebral palsy, then a bill for people with restricted growth? Then a bill … well, you get my point. Why can’t there be a bill that provides a level playing field for ALL disabled people, addressing all of the barriers within society that disable us and without the need to fasten labels around our neck identifying which impairment group we belong to. We’ve been there, done that, and are too far down the social model understanding road to be once again split into impairment groups for the convenience of politicians and the charities that claim to represent us.

So, let’s have a bill that provides ALL disabled people with the legal right to challenge discrimination in all of its forms and not this piece-meal attempt at keeping us in our convenient categories.

Description of cartoon for those using screen reading software

A group representing medical professionals, disability charities and the government are standing looking at several disabled people placed into boxes. A sign above them reads ‘the disabled’ and labels on each box identify their impairment group i.e., Spina Bifida, Down’s Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy and Restricted Growth. The government representative is saying: “There you go – all split back into impairment groups just like the good old days!”

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