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From: Barbara McKee
Date: 22 Sep 2000
Time: 08:12:38
Remote Name: 1cust82.tnt3.albuquerque.nm.da.uu.net
Jena, I find it interesting that you feel disability culture doesn't exist. Culture is the result of how a person lives their life. As soon as one becomes disabled, either by birth or injury/disease, they are exposed to the culture and become a part of it. It's the way you now live your life. The experiences and feelings that a pwd has is unique to any other culture. Therefore those influences can only be described as disability culture.
However, becoming part of the disabled community is clearly a choice a pwd makes. I didn't choose to become part of the disabled community until 1996, which was 21 years AFTER I became part of the disabled culture. Culture is about lifestyles that have to be lived, community is about participating and supporting others.
Disability culture has nothing to do with education or money. But where a pwd is in the heirarchy of the disabled community does.
Thanks so much for posting such a thought-provoking and interesting viewpoint! Barbara