Many of the barriers we experience
on a daily basis are carried over into decision making situations
where professionals in positions of authority can make snap judgments
about us based on how we communicate.
I know so many situations where professionals automatically assume
we can't manage our own affairs and they defer a decision about
us to a family member, or a support person.
Sometimes, they defer to other people because it's a faster, easier
way to get an answer. What is most
concerning is, very often support people, even those with good intentions
can present their own view rather than ours, perhaps
thinking they know what's best for us.
And unfortunately, there are far too many horror stories
about people who do express what they want, and yet their opinions
are ignored, not taken seriously, or they are simply denied what they want in life.
This cannot go on.
We all need to work together to defend the rights of people who have
communication disabilities.
Professionals must understand how to make a duty
to accommodate laws, work for us, and to exercise our right to control what
happens in our lives, because right now, they don't seem to know
what these accommodations mean for us.