For my readers who have disabilities, here’s a chance to toss in your two cents. What do you think?
Should organizations that represent people with disabilities be managed by people with disabilities?
This may seem like an issue of no consequence, but I recently found myself investigating a local non-profit agency that specifically benefits the local blind community. However, the program manager of the agency is not blind or visually impaired in any way. I found this extremely irritating. It seems to me that the “face” of a disability advocacy organization should be that of a person who represents that demographic group. Or, should it?
On the one hand, the leadership, upper management, board of directors or membership of any organization wants the business to be competently managed, which renders race, ethnicity, disability irrelevant. One might say that this is the core of the issue of equal opportunity. Does this idea extend to organizations which specifically represent a particular group?
Does the choice of a sighted person as manager of a center for the blind suggest that a person who is blind cannot competently handle the operation? It suggested that to me, although in fairness I ought to take the time to find out if there have in fact been other program managers who have been blind. I will. Perhaps I am bent out of shape because her voicemail said, “Miss So and So cannot come to the phone right now, so please leave her a message.” What, she cannot even leave her own outgoing message? Is she voicemail impaired?
I’ll get over it.
In the meantime, I wonder: does a person of Japanese origin head the NAACP? Are the various chapters of the Jewish League run by Southern Baptists? Is the National Organization for Women captained by a person with a “Y” chromosome? I’m just asking.
What’s your opinion?
LL
I’m on the board of a nonprofit org for a rare disorder that leads to blindness, progressive deafness, and to a lesser extent, autism and/or intellectual disability. The board is composed of a mix of persons who are not affected by the disorder, and those who are. I think it doesn’t as much matter that an organizational head have the disability per se, although I will grant that such individuals often can speak more candidly in representing the group. What matters more is the level of connection and passion to the subject matter that one has. The person who heads the organization should at least have a friend or family member with the disability, so that he or she has experience in some of the challenges faced and adaptive strategies employed in our daily lives. Just my thoughts.
The director of the Center for the Visually Impaired in Atlanta, Georgia, is sighted. Her husband is blind. Her skill and knowledge are vast – and, her awareness of valuable services for people with visual impairments is broad and deep. OK?
Site: www.cviatlanta.org/
Seems fine to me. But, I appreciate your concern.
Thank you for your article. You express concerns that have been expressed in the disability movement for a long time, and I think the last thing you should do is “get over it”
I’m not saying able-bodied workers can’t do their jobs, but really thats now what’s in question here. It’s a question of oppression and human rights.
In feminist orgs we would never tolerate a male executive director, or a straight person leading the queer community. Even within the Deaf community having a hearing person would not be tolerated.
This is continuing to happen in the disability community because of misguided ableist perceptions of what it means to be a competent worker, and a lack of recognition of the oppressive, silencing symbol that a non disabled person at the head of the table represents.
I’m not saying people do this intentionally, but unless an organization is willing to look at their structure, and the level of engagement among the people they meant to serve, then it seems somewhat inaccurate to say that they are an organization that empowers. Furthermore, structures like this sends a message to policy makers that the experts they need to work with in disability issues are not disabled people.