The Throwback was my favourite Tom Sharp book...slow start but what an end. The reference to the PORGs though, I believe came from Ancestral Vices.
Anyone whose complete participation in life and enjoyment of being human is affected by physical or mental restrictions. But making this up as I go along, do you have a more useful one?
What about it?
I don't believe that my statement is perfectionist. I am not suggesting that everyone have perfect vision or perfect pitch, I am suggesting that it is preferable for them to be able to hear and see at all than not. My opinion is based on experience working with and talking to the limited pool of disabled people I have worked with - as I remember, just sitting and thinking about my work history, one deaf person, one blind person, one with unmanageable diabetes, two adults on the autistic spectrum, I know because they told me, one person born with inoperable spina bifida, one schizophrenic, one person whose family recently had what will clearly become a handicapped child, and one little person. And reading statements by others. That's all I can base my information on. All of the people I knew found a way to make their way. Not one of the people I knew said anything like "you know, this has been a positive experience for me, I wouldn't change it if I could. I have a sufficiently happy life." Quite the reverse. On the other hand, I don't want to tell people what to think or how to feel. But in my experience every one of them would jump at the chance of living the way the majority does and would certainly choose this for their children. I inherited a few mental illness genes from my father. No I do not honor them and life would have been easier if I didn't have them. Yes I would prefer to be able to hear what people say to me from my left. I understand that this whole issue is a very hot one and I have no reason to wade into it, but since this is a discussion board, there needs to be a medium between the "children must be perfect" position and the "I have the right to have my child born deaf" position.My definition goes back to Stu's social/medical one above. With the corollary that society depends on time and geography.
I am of the opinion that people are asked what they want as it relates to themself. So, you are asked if you want death/cure because of your 50% deafness. You are making very broad generalised statments about other physical or mental restrictions though, based on your imagination and current understanding.
I am asking what you consider to be a "disability or condition". With the example of autism.
_________
Both of these statements are rather perfectionist. Is there a cut off date for age? Or a start date by which a child must have achieved this untrammelled perfection?
