DNA nucleotides Blast in NCBI and Phylogeny using MEGA Xi.pptx
74ways201108012046 110809185621-phpapp01
1. 1
Build a flight of stairs up to your front
door
This is probably one of first things Normals understand about
disabled access, that is that stairs and steps are not good for
wheelchair users, mothers with pushchairs and so on. The
slight problem with this is, in terms of building design, this
realisation is 300 years too late and it is going to take a few
more decades before steps and stairs are fully
complimented by ramps and lifts.
1
2. 2
Send a blind person a letter in the
smallest print possible
This is clearly a cruel thing to do and should only be
reserved for special occasions. There are two issues here
for Normals to understand. Firstly, there are many degrees
of blindness which goes from a mild sight problem to total
blindness. Secondly, blind people have a number of ways
of tackling reading issues including using large print or
Braille, or employing a Normal as a reader!
2
3. 3
Tell a disabled person they are better
off dead
While not many Normals would actually say this, I do wonder how many
think this. Society and the media gives out many messages on
disability every day and most of this is negative.. but why?
Unfortunately, the fear of disability has been used to control Normals’
behaviour for centuries.
Lets take the most harmless and good willed of messages, the Green
Cross Code. On the surface this is just a road safety campaign but
how does it work? It instils the fear that if you do not cross the road
properly you may get run over and die… or even worst become
disabled… so does this mean disabled people do not need to cross the
road safely?
3
4. 4
Remind disabled people that special
schools are for special people
And normal schools are for normals? Many normals fail to
understand that the last 100 years of special schools has
been similar to the apartheid system that once existed in
South Africa and has been central to disabled people’s
exclusion and alienation within society. While it is true
some disabled people need education adapted to their
level of ability, there is no reason why this can not be done
within a mainstream school. You can never underestimate
the social benefits of mainstream education for disabled
children and young normals alike.
4
5. 5
When you can’t understand what a
person with a speech impairment says
on the phone, just hang up
This is an excellent way to getting yourself crossed off their
Christmas Card list! I have experienced this many many
times and it is one of the most annoying things ever. As
someone with a speech impairment, I do not expect
Normals to understand every word I say, but I do expect
them to make an effort.
5
6. 6
When you can not help a disabled
person, tell them to see their social
worker
Many normals are under the illusion that social workers are
the fairy godmothers for disabled people, while many
disabled people are under the illusion that social workers
are workers of the devil. The reality is social workers for
many disabled people are merely gate keepers to personal
care services. Rather than solving problems, it could be
argued that social services create a whole new set of
problems for disabled people.
6
7. 7
Always assume that a disabled
person’s personal assistant is a family
member
I employed a female older personal assistant for a number of
years and I lost count of how many times people assumed
she was my mother (I wish!), it got to the point where I
corrected people before they said a word. While disabled
people may indeed bring family members with them, they
may also be staff so never assume to avoid
embarrassment!
7
8. 8
Never talk to a disabled person directly,
talk to their carers instead
This is often called ‘does he take sugar’ syndrome and
effects many poor unfortunate normals. Whether this is
due to embarrassment or plain ignorance I am not sure,
but it certainly comes across as rude.
Disabled people have voices even if they are not verbal, so
normals need to conquer their fears and learn to talk with
disabled people, there is much to gain and little to lose!
8
9. 9
Nominate a disabled person for a
bravery award, just because they are
disabled!
While I accept having a disability can indeed be difficult at
times, it certainly does not deserve a bravery award! When
a child undergoes 200 operations, surely questions need to
be asked… are they brave or just stupid? Life is a
dangerous game and so everyone disabled person or
Normal who plays it could be seen as brave! Too much
gold plating for my liking!
9
10. 10
Always ask a disabled person what is
wrong with them?
This is a classic question from Normals who are often
obsessed with medical labels, in the hope it will ‘inform’
them. Often, the thing wrong with disabled people is
normals asking too many questions! Even when a medical
label is given, like cerebral palsy, it is so ambiguous it
could mean anything anyway.
10
11. 11
Always encourage a disabled person to
seek a cure, whatever it costs?
Many Normals are obsessed with the idea of cure and
believe all disabled people want to one day be cured! This
is certainly not the case. While some disabled people do
indeed desire a cure, many do not and some like myself
are actively oppose to any notion of cure.
If you are what you are, why would you change? Would a
normal change their gender or skin colour? If not, why
should disabled people be any different?
11
12. 12
Always put the disabled entrance of a
building at the back!
This is a classic way of letting disabled people know how
much you actually value them, which is probably not a
great deal! Equality should be about being valued in the
same way and this literally starts at the front door!
If for practical reasons, you have to have a separate
entrance for wheelchair users, make sure it is well sign
posted, well lit and at least welcoming!
12
13. 13
Always talk to a deaf person loudly and
keep your mouth covered.
Like with blindness, there are many degrees of deafness and
deaf people have many different ways of communicating
including lip reading. However, in order to lip read normals,
it is helpful that their mouths are not covered or out of
sight. There is no need for normals to act the fool and
exaggerate what they are saying, just talk normally and
clearly. Talking loud to deaf people is one of those poor
afflictions many Normals just can’t help but try not to if you
can!
13
14. 14
Remind a disabled swimmer using arm
bands they can’t actually swim
I have always been amused with the concept of a non-swimmer. Logic
would argue a non-swimmer is someone who is not actually in the
water. However, normals strangely use the term to either mean weak
unaided swimmers or swimmers who use arm bands or a jacket
regardless of their age. As someone who actually uses arm bands or
mainly a jacket, I certainly do not consider myself as a non-swimmer
and I have the medals and swimming hats to prove it! I have visited
many pools around the world and I love swimming lengths. This can be
interesting when ‘non-swimmers’ are not permitted in the deep end and
I had many a ‘discussion’ with Normal lifeguards, the brave ones at
least!
14
15. 15
Always assume disabled people are asexual
This is sadly normals’ wishful thinking and one of those
classic myths. For the record, the majority of disabled
people can lead as active and complex sex lives as anyone
else and the severity of one’s impairment often makes no
difference to this. Disabled people can be straight, bi or
gay, they can have a wide range of fetishes, desires and
fantasies, they can be interested in one night stands or
long term relationships, and they can have children and
families all just like normals! There may be extra practical
difficulties for some disabled people but this all adds to the
fun.
15
16. 16
Introduce a disabled friend to your family as a
victim that suffers from their condition
Normals love words like suffers or victims, especially to
describe disabled people. The majority of disabled people
do not either relate to or even like these words… Why?
Well, having impairment is merely a state of being and not
something which causes ‘suffering’ although some disabled
people can experience pain from their condition.Victim is
also a state of mind, which disabled people may not
associate with, except maybe being a victim of normal’s
oppression of themselves!
16
17. 17
Always park in a disabled parking bay
It is amazing how often Normals feel the need to use
disabled parking spaces. Technically, you cannot use a
parking space without a blue badge, which used to be
orange, so even if you are disabled, if you have no badge,
it should not be parking in a disabled space. This small fact
does not stop normals from displaying their ignorance and
arrogance with pride as they continue to park in the easiest
spots available, reserved for people like me, not them! I
often put polite notes on their windscreen to remind them
they are illegally parked and if I catch normals at it, I often
challenge them politely!
17
18. 18
Ask someone with dyslexia to read a
book out aloud
This is cruel but I guess often happened when schools were
less sensitive of disability issues and dyslexia was unheard
off. Asking anyone, normals or disabled people, to read out
aloud can create difficulties. So can asking people to write
stuff down can be difficult, always better to avoid them to
avoid difficulties and embarrassment.
18
19. 19
Invite your wheelchair using friend to
your penthouse suite when the lift is
broken
This is a very clever of pretending you have a penthouse
suite when you haven’t, your friend would never know!
However, it is not very nice! Why not meet your friend
somewhere more accessible or wait until the lift is
mended? Even if your pad is not a penthouse, think about
meeting friends in more accessible venues.
19
20. 20
Always be patronising towards disabled
people
Patronisation is a very misunderstood concept and
something inherit to many normals. Patronisation is the
deliberate or accidental undermining of someone’s
intelligence People who are patronising are patronising
because they do not know they are patronising, if people
who are patronising knew they were patronising they would
not be patronising! This certainly makes it very difficult to
challenge anyone who is patronising, as they often simply
do not understand they had caused any offence, we must
keep helping the patronising!
20
21. 21
Complain that disabled people want
more rights than everyone else
Since the enactment of the Disability Discrimination Act
(DDA), some normals are under the illusion that disabled
people now have more rights than anyone else! While on
paper, this may well seem the case, people seem to forget
what the DDA is about.. to stop normals treating ‘us’ less
favourably eg not like aliens! It is not about who has more
rights then anyone else, but how they are used! While
Normals have it easy, they always seem to want more…
speech impairment anyone?
21
22. 22
Explain to people that if you can not
talk, you can not communicate
I was once told this by a youth worker at the end of a week
long disability course, I just wondered where they had been
all week! It is widely recognise that even when someone is
able to talk, the majority of this is actually body language!
Everyone can communicate in their own way, even if it is just
in the way they behave! The question is whether normals
can listen! Listening is not just about hearing words but
understanding meanings, I know many normals have a big
problem of this!
22
23. 23
Proudly tell people there is no difference
between learning difficulty and mental
illness
Normals often make this mistake despite the vast differences
between the people with learning difficulties and people
who have a mental illness. Mixing them up is a great recipe
to end up being killed as both groups are very sensitive
over how they are labelled. A learning difficulties relates to
how someone is able to learn and express their intelligence
while a mental illness relates to someone’s ability to
express and comprehend their emotions. Clearly, it is not
as simple as this but it gives normals the general idea!
23
24. 24
Complain that people with challenging
behaviour are just naughty
Challenging behaviour is very misunderstood by normals,
who fail to realise it relates to communication and not being
understood, deliberately or not. If any normal was not
listened to by everyone around them for a few days, they
would very quickly have challenging behaviour, including
myself (as a disabled person)! The trick is to learn to
understand people and the best ways to communicate with
them. Rather than assuming they are being naughty, find
out the reasons behind their actions and behaviours!
Common sense eh?
24
25. 25
Refer to someone with cerebral palsy
as a dribbling spastic
While as someone who does indeed have cerebral palsy, and also
someone who dribbles (and I don’t mean this book), I can and
often have referred to myself as a dribbling spastic! However, it
will be either a very brave or stupid normal who refers to me or
someone else with cerebral palsy in this way! The reason for this
apparently inconsistency is interesting. Without going into too
much science, the term ‘dribbling spastic’ is for all intents and
purposes is a negative and offensive term. However, self-
degrogancy is a powerful tool which I and other disabled people
use for affect and comedy. Other terms like this include cripple.
25
26. 26
Tell everyone your disabled friend
suffers from his condition
Many normals have this obsession with this term, suffer.
They assume I suffer from cerebral palsy but do they suffer
from blue eyes or brown hair? While some disabled people
do have and indeed suffer from pain as a result of their
impairment, disabled people do not suffer from their
conditions! I have cerebral palsy and this needs to be
recognised, ‘have’ not ‘suffer’! I have often needed to
correct newspaper reporters who have been desperate to
say I suffer from cerebral palsy, those who ignored me
understood the meaning of suffer in the end!
26
27. 27
When meeting a disabled person for the
first time, always ask very personal
questions about their conditions.
This is another obsession of normals. They assume for some
bizarre reason that if you are disabled, you are public
property and they can ask you anything they want about
your impairments regardless how personal it is. As a
professional disabled person, I feel it is important often to
let poor normals to ask their questions so that they can
dispel their myths, my attitude is better out then in. But at
times, it is difficult being perfect, honestly!
27
28. 28
When a disabled person achieves
something, call them lucky!
Lucky! The facts that disabled people have to work as hard,
if not harder, to achieve the same thing is often ignored by
normals, who thinks it is a matter of luck. As a recent
winner of the community category of the ‘Enterprising
Young Brits’ award, I can certainly tell you that luck does
not come into it!
28
29. 29
Complain there are too many disabled
people on TV
Maybe but not in the right way! While it could be argued that
disability appears in one way or another in most television
programmes but the question is whether it is the right kind of
representation. Disability is often used in fiction and is often
used in an symbolic way to portray a negative viewpoint.
Characters are often 1 dimensional and only exist to prove a
point. Things are improving and disabled people are being better
represented in programmes such as ‘all about me’ and the best
so far, ‘a thing called me’. But there needs to be more 3D
disabled people on TV, not less!
29
30. 30
Remember that nappies and bibs are
just for babies, not adults!
There are two issues here. Firstly, some disabled children and adults do indeed
use nappies and wear bibs. People who have incontinence may use nappies,
people just find them easier than using the toilet due to mobility problems or
people just may find them more comfortable. Bibs are used for people who
drool or are messy eaters, like myself! They can vary widely in type, size and
style and I know a great supplier! The second issue is language, normals,
especially professional normals, often have a great problem using terms like
nappies and bibs in relation to adults and go to take pains to avoid such terms.
While some disabled people, often those who have became incontinent in later
life, may not like the term nappy, disabled people who have always nappies
are likely not to have a problem with the term. The same can be said about the
term bib!
30
31. 31
Understand that night clubs are no
places for disabled people
Why not? The way normals come out night clubs incoherent
wrecks, why does it matter some disabled people have a
head start when they enter the club! Disabled people can
drink (like a fish sometimes), can boogie, can stay up to
the early hours, can vomit and can suffer a hangover! They
can also find a bra under their pillow and not remember
why!
31
32. 32
Complain there are too many disabled
children in mainstream schools
In recent years, after a decade where normals felt inclusion of
disabled children into mainstream school was a cool idea, there
has started to be a revolt, mainly from a very special and bizarre
type of normal, called a teacher. The teacher seems to be a
creature who lives in their own world and believe hard work is
for others! Now the honeymoon period of inclusion is over and
now teachers realise they need to change their systems and
structures to be more inclusive to all their pupils, they do not
often seem up for the challenge! Some teachers even actively
promote exclusion instead of inclusion, very bizarre normals
indeed!
32
33. 33
Criticise airlines for helping disabled
people when its delays the flight
While normals may think and hope disabled people stay at home
all day, many of us do travel a lot in this country and aboard! For
a wheelchair user, the operation of going on a flight can be a
stressful and dehumanising experience. While individual staff
can be very helpful, or maybe not in some cases, the majority of
airlines have policies on disabled passengers which belong in a
prehistoric museum, they have a very backwards idea of
disability compared to other businesses! If an airline did their
jobsproperly, disabled passengers will always be put on first and
so no delays, however I admit did does not always happen!
33
34. 34
Never let someone with a speech
impairment go onto the radio
This was once told to me by a senior member of the BBC’s
equality unit at a launch of a campaign on disabled people
and the media organised by Scope. I found her comments
quite remarkable and our conversation became quite
heated! It was ironic as I had been on BBC Radio both
locally and nationally before and since this incident! If a
programme is presented in the right way, there is no
reason at all may people with speech impairments can not
go onto the radio and presenters have often commented
on how understandable I have been!
34
35. 35
Ask why there are no disabled people at
University
Where have you been? Disabled people have been going to
University for at least the last 20 years and that includes
myself! With the inclusion of dyslexia, the number of
disabled people at university rose dramatically in the
1990s, along with vast improvements in the accessibility of
universities!
35
36. 36
Always refer to disabled people as the
Handicapped or Invalids
These are two more terms that normals enjoy using to the
much pain of disabled people. The term handicapped is
particularly hated and it comes from ‘cap in hand’ and
refers to begging. Invalid seems simply means not valid, as
a person!
Not all disabled people are totally obsessed and over-
sensitive to the language used but it is important and why I
do not advocate strict rules, some awareness of what you
are saying is helpful.
36
37. 37
Remind disabled people that a
computer is an luxury item
This was once said to my parents by the Round Table when
they were trying to obtain funding to buy me a computer,
one of the essential items in my whole life. This was 1982
and admittedly most Normals had no idea what a computer
was, let alone how important they were and has become.
Computers have been essential in the liberation of many
disabled people, especially with the internet! Without a
computer, I would not be able to do half the stuff I can do
now, including writing this book.
37
38. 38
Raise concerns at work to whether a disabled
person can actually compete with others in
the work place
I would be lying to say that every disabled person can
compete equally with every normal in every job because
some normal needs more help than others! In the right job,
Disabled people can perform as equal as anyone else with
the right support and assistance. Working from home can
help many disabled people meet their needs without
normals getting in the way. Normals may worry about
competing with disabled people because it might show
them up, just think about it!
38
39. 39
Be proud to say you will never be
disabled yourself
Very sadly for normals, and luckily for disabled people, this is
certainly unlikely to be the case! The reality is unless died
prematurely through accident or murder, everyone is likely
to become impaired and therefore disabled to some point
in their lives, it is only a matter of time!
So when you laugh at disabled people, or think removing
barriers is a complete waste of time, just remember one
day, you will probably be in the position, at least you will
not be a normal anymore!
39
40. 40
Remember, Disabled people can not do
windsurfing
There are not many things that disabled people cannot do with the
right support and if they really want to and windsurfing is one of
them! There are 2 ways for disabled people to do windsurfing.
The easy way is an double hull board which is big enough for a
wheelchair user and an instructor. The board is very stable and
while you will likely wear a wetsuit and buoyancy aid, it is
unlikely you will get wet… very boring indeed. The hard way is
one I learnt myself. After trying to stand up on a normal board
and failing miserably, I suddenly realised that maybe I could sit
on the board and have my legs dangling on the sides. This is
certainly more exciting and a lot more wet, certainly more fun!
40
41. 41
Always held your meetings upstairs in a
premise without a lift
Cruel and typical of many normal committee meetings. This
reminds me of when I went to a course at Aberystwyth
University, I asked where the lift was and they said
upstairs, which was perfectly true!
When planning a meeting, think about the access needs of
all the participants and make it as inclusive as you can, I
know you may just be a normal, but you can try!
41
42. 42
Always assume disabled people will
help you out for free
In your dreams! But sadly, disabled people have been helping out
normals for years for free! There is now a revolt as disabled
people have started smelling the coffee and realise they are
being exploited. After an era of consultations, it seems well-paid
normals use consulting disabled people as a free way on getting
help with their job, so they get the promotion, while those who
have helped them get nothing! There is now a move within
‘useR involvement’ circles to start paying disabled people for
their expertise. Some disabled people like myself have set
themselves up as disability consultants, charging organisations
the full rate!
42
43. 43
Remember that all disabled people
think the same
Are all normals the same? So why should disabled people
be? Disabled people are as diverse as anyone else in any
way imaginable. If you ask 100 disabled people what they
want or need, you will get 124 different answers! Disabled
people also do not always get on with other disabled
people and can have arguments and debates just like
normals!
43
44. 44
Argue that more money should be spent on
cures and less on disabled access
This was the view of the late Christopher Reeves, who sadly
took his personal agenda and used it against disabled
people. While most normals saw this Superman figure as a
courageous hero for his desire to walk at all costs, many
disabled people including myself felt he had simply not
come to terms with his condition. On a purely economic
perspective, curing every disabled people in the country,
nearly 10 million of us, will cost normal taxpayers an awful
lot more than providing disabled access ever could!
44
45. 45
Complain language is not important
and lets call a spade a spade
Many f**king b**tard normals and their b*tches say this
about terms like nigger, ladies and handicapped. Language
has been, is and will always remain a very important tool in
defining ourselves and how we interact with each other.
The political correctness of the 1980s and 1990s was a
bad attempt by normals to use appropriate language
without having to put their brains in gear. Using appropriate
language is about using common sense and many normals
have a problem with this!
45
46. 46
Understand that if you can’t read, you
can’t use the internet
There has been awareness recently by normals on the
accessibility of the internet. This is mainly been related to
people with visual impairments but this is only part of the
issue. With the right equipment, software, and website
design, the Internet can be accessible to everyone.
A new field which I have some input into is making websites
more accessible to people with learning difficulties, helping
to design a wide of symbols and pictures to make websites
easier to understand!
46
47. 47
Remember that disabled people can not
live on their own
This statement causes a problem as I have been living on
my own for the last 12 years and 10 years in my own flat.
While I employ staff to assist me, it is very much by own
home and I like it that way! While myself and many other
disabled people like living on our own, others may prefer to
live with their parents, with friends or even choose to live in
some kind of residential care because that meet their
needs. This is just like normals but they call residential
care things like boarding schools, oilrigs and the Army!
47
48. 48
Argue that disabled people must realise
they are the underdogs of society
Where on earth do normals get their stupid ideas from?
Disabled people are equal to normals. Well actually, I could
argue disabled people are better than normals and had
always believed it must be so boring and difficult being
normal, having to walk straight and talk properly!
The sad reality is many normals do believe that disabled
people are inferior and this is very much at the core of the
big problem, all I know is the answer is 42!
48
49. 49
Complain that disabled people are
economic burdens
This is a classic normal myth which is popularised by national and
local governments. I heard a passionate speech once on this which
crystallised the whole craziness of this. Disabled people do not receive
cash from the Government and stuff it into mattresses! Money merely
flows through disabled people to other people, they may pay care staff,
who buy foods in a supermarket, who pays the wages of their normal
staff, who pays taxes which goes back to disabled people. What
normals fail to understand is that if disabled people disappeared
tomorrow, half of the normals left would be out of a job! Disability is big
business!
49
50. 50
When you do not understand someone with a speech
impairment, just say yes or ignore them.
Yeah right! Many normals have tried to ignore me and what I
had to say and always failed miserably! When someone
has had a speech impairment all their lives, they
automatically know when someone has heard what they
have said and when they are pretending. If someone is
pretending, I may often say stupid things like ‘your house
has burnt down!’ until they start listening.Listening to
someone with a speech impairment just requires some
patience and please never feel embarrassed to ask them
to repeat themselves because they often more than happy
to do so.
50
51. 51
Always help a disabled person but
never ask them how
This is exactly like the Boy Scout who helps the old lady
across the road and ends up with being beaten on the
head with her handbag, because that was not what she
wanted. Many disabled people appreciate a helping hand
from time to time, just like normals, but you cannot assume
they need or what help they want! Getting unhelpful help
from poor friendly normals becomes amusing when I go
aboard due to the communication difficulties both ways as I
often can not make foreign normals understand I do not
need help.
51
52. 52
Remember, if you can not see it, it does
not exist
Normals think that people are only disabled when they can
visually see that they are disabled. However, many
disabled people have hidden impairments like epilepsy,
diabetes, dyslexia and so on. These often create as many
difficulties as for people with very visual impairments. It is
therefore important for normals to not make assumptions
about someone’s ability and to be open minded, difficult for
some normals I know!
52
53. 53
Understand that disabled people always
need looking after
This all depends what you actually mean by looking after! It
is firstly true to say that many disabled people do not need
any assistance at all and can quite happily ‘look after’
themselves without any difficulties. For others, like myself,
a range of personal assistance (care for those stupid
normals) is needed and usually means employing staff
either directly or through an agency. This however certainly
does not mean I am either being looked after or need
looking after, not like many male straight married normals
anyway!
53
54. 54
Tell everyone that disabled people can
not drive
I personally do not drive out of choice, I do not have the time
or energy with everything else. I however do have a car,
which my staff drive. I could drive if I want to, but who
wants to do everything!Many disabled people drive with
adaptations to their cars and disabled people are allowed
to start driving at 16, a year before normals, maybe
because disabled people make better drivers! There is also
a special rental scheme for disabled people, drivers and
passengers, called Motability.
54
55. 55
Complain how easy it is being disabled
Oh really? Having impairment is often not the problem but it
is the discrimination disabled people face on a daily basis.
Understanding what it is like being disabled is not like
spending a day in a wheelchair or going around a building
blindfolded, this only has limited benefits. When a normal
spend a day in a wheelchair, they meet new challenges but
it is exactly like putting me on a surfboard. People who
use wheelchairs everyday do not have problems using a
wheelchair in the same way as a normals who go surfing
everyday does not have problems using their surfboard.
55
56. 56
Make sure you know everything about
your disabled friend’s condition
Why? In exchange can they ask you your penis size and
how often you masturbate? Knowing about your friend’s
condition will not help you know your friend any better.
Someone condition is private to them and if they wish to
discuss it with you, it is up to them! Normals have always
had an obsession with conditions and while it can be
interesting to know stuff, it does not mean it will mean
anything and have anything to do with their friendship with
disabled people. If a disabled person has a specific access
need, they normally will not hesitate in letting people know.
56
57. 57
Never ask a wheelchair user to go for a
walk as it will offend them
The idea of not using the term ‘walk’ to a wheelchair user or
the term ‘see’ to a blind person is complete nonsense. I do
not know any disabled people who advocate this kind of
political correctness and is usually created by over-
sensitive normals that are totally embarrassed around
disabled people. Words have their literal meaning and a
broader meaning. I wrote this book but I have not been
anywhere near either pen or paper, as a typed it into my
computers, but I am still a writer!
57
58. 58
Always build stairs without handrails
While wheelchair users most often prefer ramps not stairs,
unless they have gone crazy, disabled people who can
walk with difficulties are often able to use stairs either with
support or these things call handrails!
If I am on my own and I hit stairs or even a few steps which
do not have handrails, I can be completely stuck like there
is an invisible brick wall. However, I have often been seen
going down stairs on my bum! The worst type of stairs on
spiral ones and I have panicked a few times on these
stairs!
58
59. 59
Remember that ramps should be as
steep as possible
I think this is what they actually believe in Spanish hotels
and in places like Romania! I say this because their ramps
are as steep as possible a have definitely been designed
by normals!
Ramps need to be designed to be used, not just by
wheelchair users but normals with pushchairs and
suitcases on wheels. Normals often do not realised that
making the world more accessible helps them too!
59
60. 60
Remind disabled people that they are
being punished for the sins of their
previous life
I believe it was an ex football normal manager, Glynn Hoddle
who famously made this remark and he had to resign
because of this. The question which has to be asked is
was he forced to resign because he said this remark in
public or because he believed them. The bible, from my
own perspective as an atheist, does not do disabled people
any favours and with like everything, provides very
contradictory messages on disability.
60
61. 61
Complain that it must be very cheap
being disabled
And what planet do you live on? Being disabled, unless
trapped in residential care without any meaningful live, is
certainly not cheap to say the least. For many disabled
people there are a whole range of additional costs which
needs to be taken into consideration including personal
assistance, specialist equipment, extra heating if you feel
the costs, extra washing for a wide of reasons, or so on.
61
62. 62
Argue that disabled people can never be equal
It all depends what you mean by equal. Disabled People will
never be the same as normals and most disabled people
would never want to be the same. However, I believe that
fundamentally that disabled people should have the same
equality of opportunity to be educated with their peers, to
work in a way appropriate to their skills, to participate in
leisure activities, to have personal and sexual
relationships, to contribute to society in a meaningful
manner. However, it is up to individual disabled people as
to decide if they wish to take up this opportunity and they
have the right not to as well!
62
63. 63
Always see the disability, never the
person
This is the opposite to the slogan of the Government
campaign of disability called ‘See the person’. I appeared
in an advert about the Disability Discrimination Act, in the
national press in October 1999. The campaign made a mild
impact but was criticised by many disabled people.
Neither slogan is exactly correct as disability and impairment
is often a part of a person and Normals should not just see
the person and ignore who they are in total!
63
64. 64
Remember, people who need to wear
helmets all the time are mentally
retarded
I certainly do not believe this is the case! While I know many
normals probably think this, as a helmet user myself, I
certainly do not have any form of learning difficulty. People
use helmets on a full time basis for a number of reasons
including to protect their head when they are having ‘grand
mal’ epileptic seizures or if they are prone to falls, like
myself.
64
65. 65
Argue everything was better in the
good old days
Normals often have this idealised view of the past and often
say everything was so much better in the good old days.
For disabled people, the good old days meant being locked
up in residential care homes, having inaccessible buildings,
being educated in special schools, not having
communication aids, not having computers or the internet,
not having hearing aids, not having any rights, not having
advocacy and basically no voice. Do you get the picture
now?
65
66. 66
Always use a disabled toilet as a store
room and always keep it locked
You would be surprised how often I have seen this happen in
places like schools and student unions; cleaners normally
use them. In many pubs and restaurants, to my complete
annoyance many normal managers feel it necessary to
keep their disabled toilets locked while they keep their
toilets for normals unlocked! There reasons for this to stop
drug taking or sex, which is charming! My belief is either all
the toilets should be locked or none of them. I wondered
how long the policy would last if normals had to ask for the
key every time they wanted a pee.
66
67. 67
Remember that buses and trains were
never designed for wheelchair users
While this would have been the case 20 years or just 10
years ago, it is certainly becoming less of the case now.
More and more buses and trains are now accessible to
wheelchair users and people with a range of impairments.
But public transport needs to be improved a lot to make it
more user friendly for normals as well as disabled people.
While the train is ideal for big cities, I still find the car easier
for rural places.
67
68. 68
Argue that disability is just a minority
issue, so why bother?
While in the past, disability was considered a minority issue,
the number of disabled people used in Government
statements have continued to rise from 6.8 million to 8.5
million to now 9.8 millions and this can be seen as an
under-estimate.
Therefore disability is increasing and is becoming an issue
for normals, who now have to deal with the painful issue of
disability.
68
69. 69
Understand that are those who are
disabled and those are not and never
shall they meet.
Normals believe that being normal or being disabled is an
absolute and you will either be one or another. While it is
true to some extent, this is not always the case and there is
a grey area where the boundaries between disabled and
normal is blurred.
69
70. 70
Remember that only babies dribble,
adults who dribble are just lazy
As someone who dribbles all the time, I do not agree it have
anything to do with being lazy and I am certainly not lazy.
Dribbling has always been a part of my life and something I
am comfortable with! I wear a cloth bib all day when I am at
home. I was shocked the first time when I found out
normals actually dribble sometimes like when they are
sleeping, I always thought this was my terrority!
70
71. 71
Remember, just 2 steps to your front
door is okay
Normals often say this to wheelchair users thinking this will
not be a problem and even yep one step is difficult!
Wheelchair Users often do not enjoy being hauled up stairs
or steps. As an European youth worker, I have run projects
with disabled and normal young people in places in where
our motto ‘making the impossible possible’ was very true!
71
72. 72
Send a deaf person an audio CD for
Christmas
It is apt that I am writing this one on Boxing Day! This is
nasty and will probably end up with a normal’s lights being
punched out! Sending a blind person a normal book will
provide the same results… maybe you should swap the
presents around?
72
73. 73
Never laugh at a disabled joke
And why not? If you have not been laughing at all the many
jokes in this book than I have not done my job properly,
have I? Disability can be as funny as anything else and
there will soon be more disability specific comedies on TV,
just wait and see!
I am always telling disabled jokes but it is important that
disabled people tell their own jokes… Bernard Manning
tells good jokes but he is not the right person to tell them!
73
74. 74
Never buy a book on disability
Unless you have borrowed this book from a friend, or from
the library, too late! If you have not realised by now or
decided to go to the back the book, this book is about
DISABILITY and how normals get it wrong!
If by any chance you have stolen the book, please return it at
your earliest convenience!
74
75. 1
Build a flight of stairs up to your front
door
This is probably one of first things Normals understand about
disabled access, that is that stairs and steps are not good for
wheelchair users, mothers with pushchairs and so on. The
slight problem with this is, in terms of building design, this
realisation is 300 years too late and it is going to take a few
more decades before steps and stairs are fully
complimented by ramps and lifts.
1
76. 2
Send a blind person a letter in the
smallest print possible
This is clearly a cruel thing to do and should only be
reserved for special occasions. There are two issues here
for Normals to understand. Firstly, there are many degrees
of blindness which goes from a mild sight problem to total
blindness. Secondly, blind people have a number of ways
of tackling reading issues including using large print or
Braille, or employing a Normal as a reader!
2
77. 3
Tell a disabled person they are better
off dead
While not many Normals would actually say this, I do wonder how many
think this. Society and the media gives out many messages on
disability every day and most of this is negative.. but why?
Unfortunately, the fear of disability has been used to control Normals’
behaviour for centuries.
Lets take the most harmless and good willed of messages, the Green
Cross Code. On the surface this is just a road safety campaign but
how does it work? It instils the fear that if you do not cross the road
properly you may get run over and die… or even worst become
disabled… so does this mean disabled people do not need to cross the
road safely?
3
78. 4
Remind disabled people that special
schools are for special people
And normal schools are for normals? Many normals fail to
understand that the last 100 years of special schools has
been similar to the apartheid system that once existed in
South Africa and has been central to disabled people’s
exclusion and alienation within society. While it is true
some disabled people need education adapted to their
level of ability, there is no reason why this can not be done
within a mainstream school. You can never underestimate
the social benefits of mainstream education for disabled
children and young normals alike.
4
79. 5
When you can’t understand what a
person with a speech impairment says
on the phone, just hang up
This is an excellent way to getting yourself crossed off their
Christmas Card list! I have experienced this many many
times and it is one of the most annoying things ever. As
someone with a speech impairment, I do not expect
Normals to understand every word I say, but I do expect
them to make an effort.
5
80. 6
When you can not help a disabled
person, tell them to see their social
worker
Many normals are under the illusion that social workers are
the fairy godmothers for disabled people, while many
disabled people are under the illusion that social workers
are workers of the devil. The reality is social workers for
many disabled people are merely gate keepers to personal
care services. Rather than solving problems, it could be
argued that social services create a whole new set of
problems for disabled people.
6
81. 7
Always assume that a disabled
person’s personal assistant is a family
member
I employed a female older personal assistant for a number of
years and I lost count of how many times people assumed
she was my mother (I wish!), it got to the point where I
corrected people before they said a word. While disabled
people may indeed bring family members with them, they
may also be staff so never assume to avoid
embarrassment!
7
82. 8
Never talk to a disabled person directly,
talk to their carers instead
This is often called ‘does he take sugar’ syndrome and
effects many poor unfortunate normals. Whether this is
due to embarrassment or plain ignorance I am not sure,
but it certainly comes across as rude.
Disabled people have voices even if they are not verbal, so
normals need to conquer their fears and learn to talk with
disabled people, there is much to gain and little to lose!
8
83. 9
Nominate a disabled person for a
bravery award, just because they are
disabled!
While I accept having a disability can indeed be difficult at
times, it certainly does not deserve a bravery award! When
a child undergoes 200 operations, surely questions need to
be asked… are they brave or just stupid? Life is a
dangerous game and so everyone disabled person or
Normal who plays it could be seen as brave! Too much
gold plating for my liking!
9
84. 10
Always ask a disabled person what is
wrong with them?
This is a classic question from Normals who are often
obsessed with medical labels, in the hope it will ‘inform’
them. Often, the thing wrong with disabled people is
normals asking too many questions! Even when a medical
label is given, like cerebral palsy, it is so ambiguous it
could mean anything anyway.
10
85. 11
Always encourage a disabled person to
seek a cure, whatever it costs?
Many Normals are obsessed with the idea of cure and
believe all disabled people want to one day be cured! This
is certainly not the case. While some disabled people do
indeed desire a cure, many do not and some like myself
are actively oppose to any notion of cure.
If you are what you are, why would you change? Would a
normal change their gender or skin colour? If not, why
should disabled people be any different?
11
86. 12
Always put the disabled entrance of a
building at the back!
This is a classic way of letting disabled people know how
much you actually value them, which is probably not a
great deal! Equality should be about being valued in the
same way and this literally starts at the front door!
If for practical reasons, you have to have a separate
entrance for wheelchair users, make sure it is well sign
posted, well lit and at least welcoming!
12
87. 13
Always talk to a deaf person loudly and
keep your mouth covered.
Like with blindness, there are many degrees of deafness and
deaf people have many different ways of communicating
including lip reading. However, in order to lip read normals,
it is helpful that their mouths are not covered or out of
sight. There is no need for normals to act the fool and
exaggerate what they are saying, just talk normally and
clearly. Talking loud to deaf people is one of those poor
afflictions many Normals just can’t help but try not to if you
can!
13
88. 14
Remind a disabled swimmer using arm
bands they can’t actually swim
I have always been amused with the concept of a non-swimmer. Logic
would argue a non-swimmer is someone who is not actually in the
water. However, normals strangely use the term to either mean weak
unaided swimmers or swimmers who use arm bands or a jacket
regardless of their age. As someone who actually uses arm bands or
mainly a jacket, I certainly do not consider myself as a non-swimmer
and I have the medals and swimming hats to prove it! I have visited
many pools around the world and I love swimming lengths. This can be
interesting when ‘non-swimmers’ are not permitted in the deep end and
I had many a ‘discussion’ with Normal lifeguards, the brave ones at
least!
14
89. 15
Always assume disabled people are asexual
This is sadly normals’ wishful thinking and one of those
classic myths. For the record, the majority of disabled
people can lead as active and complex sex lives as anyone
else and the severity of one’s impairment often makes no
difference to this. Disabled people can be straight, bi or
gay, they can have a wide range of fetishes, desires and
fantasies, they can be interested in one night stands or
long term relationships, and they can have children and
families all just like normals! There may be extra practical
difficulties for some disabled people but this all adds to the
fun.
15
90. 16
Introduce a disabled friend to your family as a
victim that suffers from their condition
Normals love words like suffers or victims, especially to
describe disabled people. The majority of disabled people
do not either relate to or even like these words… Why?
Well, having impairment is merely a state of being and not
something which causes ‘suffering’ although some disabled
people can experience pain from their condition.Victim is
also a state of mind, which disabled people may not
associate with, except maybe being a victim of normal’s
oppression of themselves!
16
91. 17
Always park in a disabled parking bay
It is amazing how often Normals feel the need to use
disabled parking spaces. Technically, you cannot use a
parking space without a blue badge, which used to be
orange, so even if you are disabled, if you have no badge,
it should not be parking in a disabled space. This small fact
does not stop normals from displaying their ignorance and
arrogance with pride as they continue to park in the easiest
spots available, reserved for people like me, not them! I
often put polite notes on their windscreen to remind them
they are illegally parked and if I catch normals at it, I often
challenge them politely!
17
92. 18
Ask someone with dyslexia to read a
book out aloud
This is cruel but I guess often happened when schools were
less sensitive of disability issues and dyslexia was unheard
off. Asking anyone, normals or disabled people, to read out
aloud can create difficulties. So can asking people to write
stuff down can be difficult, always better to avoid them to
avoid difficulties and embarrassment.
18
93. 19
Invite your wheelchair using friend to
your penthouse suite when the lift is
broken
This is a very clever of pretending you have a penthouse
suite when you haven’t, your friend would never know!
However, it is not very nice! Why not meet your friend
somewhere more accessible or wait until the lift is
mended? Even if your pad is not a penthouse, think about
meeting friends in more accessible venues.
19
94. 20
Always be patronising towards disabled
people
Patronisation is a very misunderstood concept and
something inherit to many normals. Patronisation is the
deliberate or accidental undermining of someone’s
intelligence People who are patronising are patronising
because they do not know they are patronising, if people
who are patronising knew they were patronising they would
not be patronising! This certainly makes it very difficult to
challenge anyone who is patronising, as they often simply
do not understand they had caused any offence, we must
keep helping the patronising!
20
95. 21
Complain that disabled people want
more rights than everyone else
Since the enactment of the Disability Discrimination Act
(DDA), some normals are under the illusion that disabled
people now have more rights than anyone else! While on
paper, this may well seem the case, people seem to forget
what the DDA is about.. to stop normals treating ‘us’ less
favourably eg not like aliens! It is not about who has more
rights then anyone else, but how they are used! While
Normals have it easy, they always seem to want more…
speech impairment anyone?
21
96. 22
Explain to people that if you can not
talk, you can not communicate
I was once told this by a youth worker at the end of a week
long disability course, I just wondered where they had been
all week! It is widely recognise that even when someone is
able to talk, the majority of this is actually body language!
Everyone can communicate in their own way, even if it is just
in the way they behave! The question is whether normals
can listen! Listening is not just about hearing words but
understanding meanings, I know many normals have a big
problem of this!
22
97. 23
Proudly tell people there is no difference
between learning difficulty and mental
illness
Normals often make this mistake despite the vast differences
between the people with learning difficulties and people
who have a mental illness. Mixing them up is a great recipe
to end up being killed as both groups are very sensitive
over how they are labelled. A learning difficulties relates to
how someone is able to learn and express their intelligence
while a mental illness relates to someone’s ability to
express and comprehend their emotions. Clearly, it is not
as simple as this but it gives normals the general idea!
23
98. 24
Complain that people with challenging
behaviour are just naughty
Challenging behaviour is very misunderstood by normals,
who fail to realise it relates to communication and not being
understood, deliberately or not. If any normal was not
listened to by everyone around them for a few days, they
would very quickly have challenging behaviour, including
myself (as a disabled person)! The trick is to learn to
understand people and the best ways to communicate with
them. Rather than assuming they are being naughty, find
out the reasons behind their actions and behaviours!
Common sense eh?
24
99. 25
Refer to someone with cerebral palsy
as a dribbling spastic
While as someone who does indeed have cerebral palsy, and also
someone who dribbles (and I don’t mean this book), I can and
often have referred to myself as a dribbling spastic! However, it
will be either a very brave or stupid normal who refers to me or
someone else with cerebral palsy in this way! The reason for this
apparently inconsistency is interesting. Without going into too
much science, the term ‘dribbling spastic’ is for all intents and
purposes is a negative and offensive term. However, self-
degrogancy is a powerful tool which I and other disabled people
use for affect and comedy. Other terms like this include cripple.
25
100. 26
Tell everyone your disabled friend
suffers from his condition
Many normals have this obsession with this term, suffer.
They assume I suffer from cerebral palsy but do they suffer
from blue eyes or brown hair? While some disabled people
do have and indeed suffer from pain as a result of their
impairment, disabled people do not suffer from their
conditions! I have cerebral palsy and this needs to be
recognised, ‘have’ not ‘suffer’! I have often needed to
correct newspaper reporters who have been desperate to
say I suffer from cerebral palsy, those who ignored me
understood the meaning of suffer in the end!
26
101. 27
When meeting a disabled person for the
first time, always ask very personal
questions about their conditions.
This is another obsession of normals. They assume for some
bizarre reason that if you are disabled, you are public
property and they can ask you anything they want about
your impairments regardless how personal it is. As a
professional disabled person, I feel it is important often to
let poor normals to ask their questions so that they can
dispel their myths, my attitude is better out then in. But at
times, it is difficult being perfect, honestly!
27
102. 28
When a disabled person achieves
something, call them lucky!
Lucky! The facts that disabled people have to work as hard,
if not harder, to achieve the same thing is often ignored by
normals, who thinks it is a matter of luck. As a recent
winner of the community category of the ‘Enterprising
Young Brits’ award, I can certainly tell you that luck does
not come into it!
28
103. 29
Complain there are too many disabled
people on TV
Maybe but not in the right way! While it could be argued that
disability appears in one way or another in most television
programmes but the question is whether it is the right kind of
representation. Disability is often used in fiction and is often
used in an symbolic way to portray a negative viewpoint.
Characters are often 1 dimensional and only exist to prove a
point. Things are improving and disabled people are being better
represented in programmes such as ‘all about me’ and the best
so far, ‘a thing called me’. But there needs to be more 3D
disabled people on TV, not less!
29
104. 30
Remember that nappies and bibs are
just for babies, not adults!
There are two issues here. Firstly, some disabled children and adults do indeed
use nappies and wear bibs. People who have incontinence may use nappies,
people just find them easier than using the toilet due to mobility problems or
people just may find them more comfortable. Bibs are used for people who
drool or are messy eaters, like myself! They can vary widely in type, size and
style and I know a great supplier! The second issue is language, normals,
especially professional normals, often have a great problem using terms like
nappies and bibs in relation to adults and go to take pains to avoid such terms.
While some disabled people, often those who have became incontinent in later
life, may not like the term nappy, disabled people who have always nappies
are likely not to have a problem with the term. The same can be said about the
term bib!
30
105. 31
Understand that night clubs are no
places for disabled people
Why not? The way normals come out night clubs incoherent
wrecks, why does it matter some disabled people have a
head start when they enter the club! Disabled people can
drink (like a fish sometimes), can boogie, can stay up to
the early hours, can vomit and can suffer a hangover! They
can also find a bra under their pillow and not remember
why!
31
106. 32
Complain there are too many disabled
children in mainstream schools
In recent years, after a decade where normals felt inclusion of
disabled children into mainstream school was a cool idea, there
has started to be a revolt, mainly from a very special and bizarre
type of normal, called a teacher. The teacher seems to be a
creature who lives in their own world and believe hard work is
for others! Now the honeymoon period of inclusion is over and
now teachers realise they need to change their systems and
structures to be more inclusive to all their pupils, they do not
often seem up for the challenge! Some teachers even actively
promote exclusion instead of inclusion, very bizarre normals
indeed!
32
107. 33
Criticise airlines for helping disabled
people when its delays the flight
While normals may think and hope disabled people stay at home
all day, many of us do travel a lot in this country and aboard! For
a wheelchair user, the operation of going on a flight can be a
stressful and dehumanising experience. While individual staff
can be very helpful, or maybe not in some cases, the majority of
airlines have policies on disabled passengers which belong in a
prehistoric museum, they have a very backwards idea of
disability compared to other businesses! If an airline did their
jobsproperly, disabled passengers will always be put on first and
so no delays, however I admit did does not always happen!
33
108. 34
Never let someone with a speech
impairment go onto the radio
This was once told to me by a senior member of the BBC’s
equality unit at a launch of a campaign on disabled people
and the media organised by Scope. I found her comments
quite remarkable and our conversation became quite
heated! It was ironic as I had been on BBC Radio both
locally and nationally before and since this incident! If a
programme is presented in the right way, there is no
reason at all may people with speech impairments can not
go onto the radio and presenters have often commented
on how understandable I have been!
34
109. 35
Ask why there are no disabled people at
University
Where have you been? Disabled people have been going to
University for at least the last 20 years and that includes
myself! With the inclusion of dyslexia, the number of
disabled people at university rose dramatically in the
1990s, along with vast improvements in the accessibility of
universities!
35
110. 36
Always refer to disabled people as the
Handicapped or Invalids
These are two more terms that normals enjoy using to the
much pain of disabled people. The term handicapped is
particularly hated and it comes from ‘cap in hand’ and
refers to begging. Invalid seems simply means not valid, as
a person!
Not all disabled people are totally obsessed and over-
sensitive to the language used but it is important and why I
do not advocate strict rules, some awareness of what you
are saying is helpful.
36
111. 37
Remind disabled people that a
computer is an luxury item
This was once said to my parents by the Round Table when
they were trying to obtain funding to buy me a computer,
one of the essential items in my whole life. This was 1982
and admittedly most Normals had no idea what a computer
was, let alone how important they were and has become.
Computers have been essential in the liberation of many
disabled people, especially with the internet! Without a
computer, I would not be able to do half the stuff I can do
now, including writing this book.
37
112. 38
Raise concerns at work to whether a disabled
person can actually compete with others in
the work place
I would be lying to say that every disabled person can
compete equally with every normal in every job because
some normal needs more help than others! In the right job,
Disabled people can perform as equal as anyone else with
the right support and assistance. Working from home can
help many disabled people meet their needs without
normals getting in the way. Normals may worry about
competing with disabled people because it might show
them up, just think about it!
38
113. 39
Be proud to say you will never be
disabled yourself
Very sadly for normals, and luckily for disabled people, this is
certainly unlikely to be the case! The reality is unless died
prematurely through accident or murder, everyone is likely
to become impaired and therefore disabled to some point
in their lives, it is only a matter of time!
So when you laugh at disabled people, or think removing
barriers is a complete waste of time, just remember one
day, you will probably be in the position, at least you will
not be a normal anymore!
39
114. 40
Remember, Disabled people can not do
windsurfing
There are not many things that disabled people cannot do with the
right support and if they really want to and windsurfing is one of
them! There are 2 ways for disabled people to do windsurfing.
The easy way is an double hull board which is big enough for a
wheelchair user and an instructor. The board is very stable and
while you will likely wear a wetsuit and buoyancy aid, it is
unlikely you will get wet… very boring indeed. The hard way is
one I learnt myself. After trying to stand up on a normal board
and failing miserably, I suddenly realised that maybe I could sit
on the board and have my legs dangling on the sides. This is
certainly more exciting and a lot more wet, certainly more fun!
40
115. 41
Always held your meetings upstairs in a
premise without a lift
Cruel and typical of many normal committee meetings. This
reminds me of when I went to a course at Aberystwyth
University, I asked where the lift was and they said
upstairs, which was perfectly true!
When planning a meeting, think about the access needs of
all the participants and make it as inclusive as you can, I
know you may just be a normal, but you can try!
41
116. 42
Always assume disabled people will
help you out for free
In your dreams! But sadly, disabled people have been helping out
normals for years for free! There is now a revolt as disabled
people have started smelling the coffee and realise they are
being exploited. After an era of consultations, it seems well-paid
normals use consulting disabled people as a free way on getting
help with their job, so they get the promotion, while those who
have helped them get nothing! There is now a move within
‘useR involvement’ circles to start paying disabled people for
their expertise. Some disabled people like myself have set
themselves up as disability consultants, charging organisations
the full rate!
42
117. 43
Remember that all disabled people
think the same
Are all normals the same? So why should disabled people
be? Disabled people are as diverse as anyone else in any
way imaginable. If you ask 100 disabled people what they
want or need, you will get 124 different answers! Disabled
people also do not always get on with other disabled
people and can have arguments and debates just like
normals!
43
118. 44
Argue that more money should be spent on
cures and less on disabled access
This was the view of the late Christopher Reeves, who sadly
took his personal agenda and used it against disabled
people. While most normals saw this Superman figure as a
courageous hero for his desire to walk at all costs, many
disabled people including myself felt he had simply not
come to terms with his condition. On a purely economic
perspective, curing every disabled people in the country,
nearly 10 million of us, will cost normal taxpayers an awful
lot more than providing disabled access ever could!
44
119. 45
Complain language is not important
and lets call a spade a spade
Many f**king b**tard normals and their b*tches say this
about terms like nigger, ladies and handicapped. Language
has been, is and will always remain a very important tool in
defining ourselves and how we interact with each other.
The political correctness of the 1980s and 1990s was a
bad attempt by normals to use appropriate language
without having to put their brains in gear. Using appropriate
language is about using common sense and many normals
have a problem with this!
45
120. 46
Understand that if you can’t read, you
can’t use the internet
There has been awareness recently by normals on the
accessibility of the internet. This is mainly been related to
people with visual impairments but this is only part of the
issue. With the right equipment, software, and website
design, the Internet can be accessible to everyone.
A new field which I have some input into is making websites
more accessible to people with learning difficulties, helping
to design a wide of symbols and pictures to make websites
easier to understand!
46
121. 47
Remember that disabled people can not
live on their own
This statement causes a problem as I have been living on
my own for the last 12 years and 10 years in my own flat.
While I employ staff to assist me, it is very much by own
home and I like it that way! While myself and many other
disabled people like living on our own, others may prefer to
live with their parents, with friends or even choose to live in
some kind of residential care because that meet their
needs. This is just like normals but they call residential
care things like boarding schools, oilrigs and the Army!
47
122. 48
Argue that disabled people must realise
they are the underdogs of society
Where on earth do normals get their stupid ideas from?
Disabled people are equal to normals. Well actually, I could
argue disabled people are better than normals and had
always believed it must be so boring and difficult being
normal, having to walk straight and talk properly!
The sad reality is many normals do believe that disabled
people are inferior and this is very much at the core of the
big problem, all I know is the answer is 42!
48
123. 49
Complain that disabled people are
economic burdens
This is a classic normal myth which is popularised by national and
local governments. I heard a passionate speech once on this which
crystallised the whole craziness of this. Disabled people do not receive
cash from the Government and stuff it into mattresses! Money merely
flows through disabled people to other people, they may pay care staff,
who buy foods in a supermarket, who pays the wages of their normal
staff, who pays taxes which goes back to disabled people. What
normals fail to understand is that if disabled people disappeared
tomorrow, half of the normals left would be out of a job! Disability is big
business!
49
124. 50
When you do not understand someone with a speech
impairment, just say yes or ignore them.
Yeah right! Many normals have tried to ignore me and what I
had to say and always failed miserably! When someone
has had a speech impairment all their lives, they
automatically know when someone has heard what they
have said and when they are pretending. If someone is
pretending, I may often say stupid things like ‘your house
has burnt down!’ until they start listening.Listening to
someone with a speech impairment just requires some
patience and please never feel embarrassed to ask them
to repeat themselves because they often more than happy
to do so.
50
125. 51
Always help a disabled person but
never ask them how
This is exactly like the Boy Scout who helps the old lady
across the road and ends up with being beaten on the
head with her handbag, because that was not what she
wanted. Many disabled people appreciate a helping hand
from time to time, just like normals, but you cannot assume
they need or what help they want! Getting unhelpful help
from poor friendly normals becomes amusing when I go
aboard due to the communication difficulties both ways as I
often can not make foreign normals understand I do not
need help.
51
126. 52
Remember, if you can not see it, it does
not exist
Normals think that people are only disabled when they can
visually see that they are disabled. However, many
disabled people have hidden impairments like epilepsy,
diabetes, dyslexia and so on. These often create as many
difficulties as for people with very visual impairments. It is
therefore important for normals to not make assumptions
about someone’s ability and to be open minded, difficult for
some normals I know!
52
127. 53
Understand that disabled people always
need looking after
This all depends what you actually mean by looking after! It
is firstly true to say that many disabled people do not need
any assistance at all and can quite happily ‘look after’
themselves without any difficulties. For others, like myself,
a range of personal assistance (care for those stupid
normals) is needed and usually means employing staff
either directly or through an agency. This however certainly
does not mean I am either being looked after or need
looking after, not like many male straight married normals
anyway!
53
128. 54
Tell everyone that disabled people can
not drive
I personally do not drive out of choice, I do not have the time
or energy with everything else. I however do have a car,
which my staff drive. I could drive if I want to, but who
wants to do everything!Many disabled people drive with
adaptations to their cars and disabled people are allowed
to start driving at 16, a year before normals, maybe
because disabled people make better drivers! There is also
a special rental scheme for disabled people, drivers and
passengers, called Motability.
54
129. 55
Complain how easy it is being disabled
Oh really? Having impairment is often not the problem but it
is the discrimination disabled people face on a daily basis.
Understanding what it is like being disabled is not like
spending a day in a wheelchair or going around a building
blindfolded, this only has limited benefits. When a normal
spend a day in a wheelchair, they meet new challenges but
it is exactly like putting me on a surfboard. People who
use wheelchairs everyday do not have problems using a
wheelchair in the same way as a normals who go surfing
everyday does not have problems using their surfboard.
55
130. 56
Make sure you know everything about
your disabled friend’s condition
Why? In exchange can they ask you your penis size and
how often you masturbate? Knowing about your friend’s
condition will not help you know your friend any better.
Someone condition is private to them and if they wish to
discuss it with you, it is up to them! Normals have always
had an obsession with conditions and while it can be
interesting to know stuff, it does not mean it will mean
anything and have anything to do with their friendship with
disabled people. If a disabled person has a specific access
need, they normally will not hesitate in letting people know.
56
131. 57
Never ask a wheelchair user to go for a
walk as it will offend them
The idea of not using the term ‘walk’ to a wheelchair user or
the term ‘see’ to a blind person is complete nonsense. I do
not know any disabled people who advocate this kind of
political correctness and is usually created by over-
sensitive normals that are totally embarrassed around
disabled people. Words have their literal meaning and a
broader meaning. I wrote this book but I have not been
anywhere near either pen or paper, as a typed it into my
computers, but I am still a writer!
57
132. 58
Always build stairs without handrails
While wheelchair users most often prefer ramps not stairs,
unless they have gone crazy, disabled people who can
walk with difficulties are often able to use stairs either with
support or these things call handrails!
If I am on my own and I hit stairs or even a few steps which
do not have handrails, I can be completely stuck like there
is an invisible brick wall. However, I have often been seen
going down stairs on my bum! The worst type of stairs on
spiral ones and I have panicked a few times on these
stairs!
58
133. 59
Remember that ramps should be as
steep as possible
I think this is what they actually believe in Spanish hotels
and in places like Romania! I say this because their ramps
are as steep as possible a have definitely been designed
by normals!
Ramps need to be designed to be used, not just by
wheelchair users but normals with pushchairs and
suitcases on wheels. Normals often do not realised that
making the world more accessible helps them too!
59
134. 60
Remind disabled people that they are
being punished for the sins of their
previous life
I believe it was an ex football normal manager, Glynn Hoddle
who famously made this remark and he had to resign
because of this. The question which has to be asked is
was he forced to resign because he said this remark in
public or because he believed them. The bible, from my
own perspective as an atheist, does not do disabled people
any favours and with like everything, provides very
contradictory messages on disability.
60
135. 61
Complain that it must be very cheap
being disabled
And what planet do you live on? Being disabled, unless
trapped in residential care without any meaningful live, is
certainly not cheap to say the least. For many disabled
people there are a whole range of additional costs which
needs to be taken into consideration including personal
assistance, specialist equipment, extra heating if you feel
the costs, extra washing for a wide of reasons, or so on.
61
136. 62
Argue that disabled people can never be equal
It all depends what you mean by equal. Disabled People will
never be the same as normals and most disabled people
would never want to be the same. However, I believe that
fundamentally that disabled people should have the same
equality of opportunity to be educated with their peers, to
work in a way appropriate to their skills, to participate in
leisure activities, to have personal and sexual
relationships, to contribute to society in a meaningful
manner. However, it is up to individual disabled people as
to decide if they wish to take up this opportunity and they
have the right not to as well!
62
137. 63
Always see the disability, never the
person
This is the opposite to the slogan of the Government
campaign of disability called ‘See the person’. I appeared
in an advert about the Disability Discrimination Act, in the
national press in October 1999. The campaign made a mild
impact but was criticised by many disabled people.
Neither slogan is exactly correct as disability and impairment
is often a part of a person and Normals should not just see
the person and ignore who they are in total!
63
138. 64
Remember, people who need to wear
helmets all the time are mentally
retarded
I certainly do not believe this is the case! While I know many
normals probably think this, as a helmet user myself, I
certainly do not have any form of learning difficulty. People
use helmets on a full time basis for a number of reasons
including to protect their head when they are having ‘grand
mal’ epileptic seizures or if they are prone to falls, like
myself.
64