A primary school has caused an uproar by asking students to come to school dressed as a disabled person as part of a fundraiser. Ramco Primary School in South Australia wrote in a newsletter that it would hold a "disability day" fundraiser. The aim of the dress-up is to raise money for a clinic in Bangladesh that repairs cleft lips and palates in children. Its newsletter stated: "There will be prizes for the best students dressed as a person with a disability. Get your thinking hats on and see what disability you can represent." (Source: News.com.au)
no, nothing could go wrong with this idea
you've got to think these things through, people.
i wonder if they have any kids that are already disabled. they would surely have the inside track for the prizes.
i think that if i was in the contest, i'd go as an autistic person. that way i could dress in my ordinary clothes and i wouldn't have to speak to anyone
The problem here is in the execution - the spirit of mardigras and fancy dress associated with it is kind of distasteful. But often disability activists do encourage people to simulate disability as an awareness raising thing. This might be pushing someone around in a wheelchair to get a sense of how accessible the town is or wearing special goggles to simulate glaucoma. But a competition to win prizes for best disabled person? Come off it.
ReplyDeleteif it was trying to simulate the disability, i wouldn't have thought it worth posting. i'd think that it was pretty good idea
ReplyDeleteno, it was the idea of dressing like disabled people. as far as i can see, they dress like everyone else