Stop Faking It

Dear Readers, 

This past week, my philosophy capstone has been discussing race and culture. I'd like to share my recent journal reflection on differences in our society:

We have identified the issues of race within education. We have considered the possibility that race is actually a human-made categorization that has negative connections to a student’s success in school. We have also examined how teachers can rise above the current teaching methods to expand learning for all students. This incorporates a knowledge and appreciation for all cultures.

Still, I think the most important part of dealing with this racial issue and developing culturally responsive pedagogy is one that connects with my ethical vision. This is the idea that we must be intentional and obvious. So often, differences are the elephants in the room. We as human beings have a terribly tendency that desires to be “normal.” This is far from what our Creator once made us to be, fearfully and wonderfully made, with everything about us known to God. But not everything about us is known to one another.

I can relate to this very well from the perspective of someone with a disability. Disclosure is such a tough question, because it has so many parts. When? How? Who? Why? Frankly, there are situations such as walking in a dangerous area or traveling on a bus alone when disclosing my disability, a hidden disability to the naked eye, would likely cause more harm than help. But what about other situations? What about the grey areas of life when we have to make a choice whether or not to expose the reality of the label society has given us.

I can think of countless moments in the past few years when I have struggled to decide when and how to share about my disability. Often enough, these questions only float through my mind once things are already awkward. It happens after my ride is late to take me to a meeting where my colleagues don’t know I’m blind. It happens after I awkwardly drop my silverware in my lap at a fancy restaurant or awkwardly walk slightly behind my date to his car because it’s too dark for me to see him side by side. It happens after I walk around the store 17 times to find a particular item that I can’t see, passing the same service clerk each time.

This is just like the issue of race and cultural differences in our society, except that race and culture might actually be more identifiable than my disability. But the notion is the same. They must be handled in an open and honest discussion. This leads to the same disclosure questions as disability, because we still need to decide exactly how to approach this discussion. Is it actually going to take the form of a classroom discussion of differences? How are we going to incorporate many cultural ideas into our classroom? How does the teacher know what cultures are represented in his or her student group?

I don’t know all of the answers to these questions, because they require context within the classroom itself. But perhaps more importantly, I do understand the importance of honesty. If our society could find a way to make differences shine, we would be so much stronger. In other words, if could somehow just face the fact that we are all uniquely made to fulfill specific roles in God’s world, perhaps this awkwardness would be gone. Perhaps we could move past trying to impress people. We could move towards feeling comfortable about the many gifts and blessings that God has given us, knowing that whatever extra challenges or differences we might have don’t really matter.

My fear is that this is too far into the ought-side of life. Our society is in a continuous spiral of narcissism. We want to be the best, have the biggest, and do the most. Making the best impressions, winning everything, and appearing to have it all together is what our society strives to accomplish. This means that those of us who can pause to recognize this significant issue in our society need to shout a little louder. We have to be voices for differences, qualities that are labeled as both good and bad by our world. We have to defend the dignity and honor of all people. We must realize the abilities in all of us. 

Sing as one,

sjc 

Little Joys that Break the Heart

Dear Readers, 

Today, I experienced another situation that might amaze those who can drive cars. It's the little things that we forget to be thankful for that may be surprisingly absent in someone else's life. 

Tonight, my college hosted its annual scholarship banquet for students to meet their donors. I've attended the previous events while in school. Tonight, I got all fancied up and ready. But my ride never showed. 

I was originally planning to take the city bus, because I like being able to provide my own transportation like everyone else. But my school offered for a van that was transporting other students with disabilities to stop by my apartment on the way to the dinner. I thought this would be nice, especially since it's freezing outside. Waiting for the bus seemed silly when I had a warm van waiting. But they never called and never showers. Apparently, they got lost. 

The funny thing is, I wasn't surprised. Okay, that's more numbing than funny. Transportation can be such a huge issue, one I've experienced time and time again. 

While I commit my life to fixing some of these broken systems that hurt those of us who face extra challenges each day, don't forget to be thankful for these little blessings if you are able to drive. Smile every time you're in traffic, because you can get to work by yourself. Smile when you are tired of driving long hours, because you can go where you want when you want to go. Smile when you have to scrape off your windshield in a blizzard, because you can get to dinner on time. Be thankful. And remember that although these are mundane comforts to you, their absence may be breaking another's heart each day. 

Try singing as one, 

Sjc

Yes, I Know Where I Live

Dear Readers,

The other day, I was riding the transit for people with disabilities in town. It's kind of my go-to solution when the weather is gross or when the city bus doesn't accommodate my travel needs. I'e been using this system for nearly a year now.

I was heading home from an elementary school where I teacher aid twice a week as part of a class requirement at Calvin. For the entire 20 minute trip, my driver argued with me about where my apartment was located. He began by saying that he knew where my street is but that there were no houses that could have my address because there were new houses on that side of the street. I proceeded to explain that I'm in an apartment building, which did not help at all. He continued to treat me like an idiot, as if I didn't know my own address or how to get there.

I find this interesting, because he had no knowledge of why I ride his transit system. Obviously, since it's a system for people with disabilities, he knew I had something that kept me from driving a car home. But my visual impairment is never listed on the drivers' information. He treated me as if I was just some dumb quack. And I thought about my students who have cognitive impairments, and I realized even they, in elementary school, know their own addresses.

Of course, my driver had no idea that I actually have a wonderful gift of direction and location. (I got that from my dad!) Nor did he stop to think that I, his client, could possibly be right. We don't run disability services like businesses where the client is always right; we so often see this kind of service as pity or sympathy. This model for how we treat others has no room for dignity, something that should be give not every person, different or not. Dignity comes when others see you as equal or at least not as inferior, as someone with a mind, heart, and perception.

Don't look down on anyone. Whether they are labeled as disabled or not, never make someone feel inferior. If you do, you'll end up being like my driver, who didn't say a single word once I guided him the last few miles to my apartment complex (which was indeed the correct address).

Singing as one, (and still rolling my eyes at such ignorance),
SJC

So You Think You're Better?

Dear Readers,

I've been pondering lately the influence of superiority and inferiority in our society. You don't need to look far to see that we value some people and their characteristics more than others. Depending on the factors, there may be some truth to our categorization. But in many cases, I think we miss the point.

Do you think your occupation makes you better or worse than someone else? Well, from your own perspective, you may not imagine yourself less. But we are so good at elevating ourselves. This is a generalization, which can cause trouble, but from a broad view, we are a rather arrogant society.

Perhaps we can look at wages as a way to rank jobs in our society. We might, in that regard, consider CEOs, professional athletes, and some medical disciplines as the highest ranked jobs. Teachers, managers, and small business owners might be in the middle. The lowest ranked jobs might be fast food workers, mechanics, and sales representatives. Again, this is very generalized.

Here's the problem: We tend it mistake earnings for worth. In other words, we correlate finances with value. Income usually connects with one's socioeconomic status, classifying the above occupations as more of a high, middle, and low class society. This might be clarified further to the wealthy, the comfortable, and the poor.

There are many different variables that might determine one's place within our society's structuring of social hierarchy. but there's an important notion, and frankly a wrong one, that must be considered. Does money or labor make you better than someone else? Does a CEO who wears a $300 suit every day and travels between his/her 3 executive offices have any more worth in society than a middle-aged McDonald's drive-thru worker? Let me rephrase this. Is a highly educated brain surgeon who makes $200,000 a year operating at the nation's top hospital have more importance than a cognitively impaired mechanical assistant who lives with government assistance?

Our value cannot be considered in terms of dollars or by the work we do. I believe we are all important within all of the many circles where we find ourselves each day. Perhaps this is in part a connection to the Romans passage where Paul considers the importance of all parts in the Church. In a similar sense, we all have value in our society, regardless of how much we make or how much others feel we contribute.

This carries enormous implications within education, economics, and government. But I want to contemplate what that means on a personal level. It means that we view one another as made in the image of God. That includes NFL players, business executives, pizza deliverers, teachers, lawyers, and every other person, employed or unemployed, in our world. That means that while we might categorize one another for other reasons, our fundamental view of every person should be the same. We all have great worth and great importance. Let's act like it.

Let's sing as one,
Sjc

Time Wasted?

Dear Readers,

It's somewhat common knowledge that taking city buses or even transportation offered to people with disabilities can significantly add time to one's daily routine. I decided to do some math. 

First, here's an average week of trips I have taken with how long it would take to drive a car for such trips:

5 trips to and from schools to teach, 15 minutes each way, totaling to 2.5 hours 

1 trip to and from church at 20 min. 

1 trip to volunteering at 20 min. 

3 trips to study at a coffee shop totaling to 1 hour

1 trip out for dinner at 20 min. 

1 trip to and from the store at 30 min. 

That's a grand total of 5 hours it should take me each week to get around town. Now, let's look at my average actual time during a week in October on the bus:

School trips: average 1.5 hours each way, at 5 round trips, totaling 15 hours 

Church: total of 3 hours 

Volunteering: total of 2 hours 

Studying trips: total of 3 hours 

Dinner out: 3 hours 

Store: 4 hours 

That's a total of 30 hours. That's 6 times the amount of time it would take someone to drive. 

Implications: 

Does this imply that people with disabilities or who cannot drive a car for whatever reason (illness, poverty, you name it) has 6 times fewer obligations in their daily routine than everyone else? That's a rhetorical question. Yes, public and disability transportation systems do provide opportunities. But with unreliable schedules and overbooked routes, we have a long way to go till we find justice. 

Sing as one, 

Sjc