For my readers who have disabilities, here\u2019s a chance to toss in your two cents. What do you think? <\/p>\n
Should organizations that represent people with disabilities be managed by people with disabilities?<\/p>\n
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 \u201cface\u201d of a disability advocacy organization should be that of a person who represents that demographic group. Or, should it?<\/p>\n
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? <\/p>\n
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, \u201cMiss So and So cannot come to the phone right now, so please leave her a message.\u201d What, she cannot even leave her own outgoing message? Is she voicemail impaired? <\/p>\n
I\u2019ll get over it. <\/p>\n
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 \u201cY\u201d chromosome? I\u2019m just asking. <\/p>\n
What\u2019s your opinion? <\/p>\n
LL<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
For my readers who have disabilities, here\u2019s a chance to toss in your two cents. What do you think? Should organizations that represent people with…<\/p>\n