Cognitive Distortions

The ability to think clearly is something that everyone struggles with, disabled or nondisabled, at times. There are instances where simple, daily things such as just waking up, or being tired at the end of the day effect our ability to think clearly. Other ways our thought processes are affected might include the consumption of alcohol, or use of prescription or non-prescription medications. For some of us, there are ways of thinking that get in the way of our interactions with others; these might be considered, “Cognitive Distortions.” Below you will find a list of such distortions.

1) Mind Reading: The assumption that you already know what someone is thinking without having enough evidence of their thoughts. An example of
this might be, “He thinks that I am worthless.”
2) Fortune Telling: A prediction of the future – thinking that events will get worse, or that something dangerous is about to happen, when you have
no evidence of it. “I just know that I’m going to fall again.”
3) Catastrophizing: believing that something will or won’t happen that will be horrible when you have no real idea of what is going to happen.
Example: “I just know that everyone is going to hate me at that party.”
4) Labeling: This happens when you place a global, negative trait on yourself or someone else. For example, “That person is a real snot,” or,
“I’m just worthless.”
5) Discounting Positives: Thinking that the good, positive things you or other people have done are somehow trivial. For example: “That is just
what athletes with disabilities are supposed to do; no biggie…” or, “I do that all the time, so what?”
6) Negative Filter: When you focus almost entirely on negative things, and rarely on positive aspects of life and living, you have a, “Negative Filter,”
on. For example: “All of the people in this chat room are just a bunch of bums. They don’t like me anyway.”
7) Overgeneralizing: This happens when you put a global pattern in association with a single event. For example: “That person left me a negative
comment on my blog, so everyone will now.”
8) Dichotomous Thinking: When you view people or events in all-or-nothing terms. For example: “Everyone here hates me,” or, “I just can’t do
anything anymore.”
9) “Shoulds”: Interpreting events in life from how things, “should be,” instead of focusing on what is actually occurring. For example: “I should be
able to just do what I want here; because I can’t they must hate me” or, “I should be able to just go out and get a job, because I can’t I must
be a failure.”
10) Personalizing: Giving an inappropriate amount of blame for a negative event to yourself, while failing to understand that some events are
caused by other people. For example: “My friendship with that person failed because I wasn’t good enough.”
11) Blaming: Focusing on someone else as the cause of your own negative feelings and refusing to take responsibility for changing yourself.
For example, “It’s all Jane’s fault that I am so angry,” or, “This is all John’s fault.”
12) Unfair Comparisons: Interpreting events by unrealistic standards and focusing on other people who are doing better than you, judging yourself
to be inferior based on those unrealistic standards. For example: “She is doing better than I ever could at that task,” or, “Everyone did better
at that than me.”
13) Regret Orientation: Focusing on the idea that could have done better at something in the past, instead of on what you can do better now.
For example: “I wish I hadn’t said that,” or, “I could have had a better job if I had tried harder.”
14) “What If?”: Asking a series of, “What if?”, questions in relation to a potential situation, and never being satisfied with an answer. For
example: “Yes, but what if they don’t like me?” “What if I say something wrong?” etc.
15) Emotional Reasoning: Letting your feelings guide your interpretation of reality. For example: “I feel depressed, so nobody is going to want to
talk with me.”
16) Inability To Disconfirm: Rejecting any evidence or arguments that might contradict your own negative thoughts. For example, if you think that
you are unlikable by anyone, and people show signs of really enjoying your company, you outright reject that they do like you. “They don’t
really like me,” or, “No, they are just being polite, they don’t like me.”
17) Judgment Focus: Viewing others, yourself, and events from a black and white perspective (either yes/no, or good/bad) instead of just
describing, accepting, or understanding. Continually measuring yourself and others by arbitrary standards and discovering that both you
and others always fall short. Focusing on the judgments of others and your own judgments of yourself. For example: “I didn’t do well at
work today,” or, “If I tried hand-biking I won’t do well,” or, “Wow they are good at that; I sure wouldn’t be.”

Leahy (1996) Jason Aronson Inc.

Sometimes I wonder…

An Ongoing Column

When the price of gasoline hit over $3.00 per gallon, things started getting quite a bit tighter for many people in America. The morning $4.00 Grande Latte became a bit more of a luxury, and dinner out became less common. As gasoline rose to the price of that Grande Latte per gallon, for many people the Latte simply disappeared, and dinner out was given up in favor of the ability to drive to work and earn a living.

For persons with disabilities, the price of gasoline sometimes meant a bit more than just the loss of a morning Grande Latte, or dinner out. Many people with disabilities have vans that use more gasoline than the commuter sub-compact cars that some nondisabled persons drive. While I drive a sub-compact car to work, I still see a number of SUV’s on the freeway, but the number of motorcycles, Smart Cars, and Hybrids has steadily increased. For persons with disabilities who need to transport not only themselves, but their adaptive equipment, a sub-compact car, Smart Car, or hybrid compact car are simply not options.

The costs associated with fueling a van can be expensive. Whenever a friend of mine fills up his van now, it costs him an average of nearly sixty dollars. Shopping trips have gone from dashing out for a few things to planned, “list in hand,” trips where shopping for items needed over a period of time is done. Routes are planned using mapping software on a computer, in order to find the absolute shortest route there and back. Trips to other needed places are planned equally as carefully, and going places just to go there is not on the agenda any longer – it simply costs too much.

Adding to this financial burden is the increasing costs related to food purchases. Even shopping at Wal-Mart, where prices are supposedly the lowest, has become a planned event. Lists of most needed items are made, and planning for periods of time in relation to products needed is more of a survival skill than ever before. Luxury items or extra’s are purchases that have become items of greater and greater scrutiny; do I really need or want that item?

For people on fixed, disability incomes, the price of gasoline and food are an incredible burden. Our incomes have not gone up in proportion to the prices of gasoline and food – at least mine has not. SSDI and VA checks have presented very minor increases each year in relation to the costs for food and gasoline, and there does not seem to be any relief in sight. The $300 check the government sent me, borrowed from my grand and great-grand children, certainly did not last long at all.

I wonder; how long will this last? Is it the price of gasoline alone that is driving the prices of food up? I understand that transportation costs to get food products to stores have risen because of the price of gasoline, but is it the only reason that food costs more? Food is something that everyone needs disabled or nondisabled; how much longer will Americans be required to bear the burden of transportation costs of food due to gasoline prices, while oil companies reap record profits?

The price of gasoline is taking away the freedoms that are so hard fought for on the parts of many persons with disabilities. In the past, many persons with disabilities were hidden away in their homes by their families so that the neighbors would not see them. Are we to be isolated in our homes again, this time by a financial restriction related to the price of gasoline?

The restrictions placed on people in general, disabled and nondisabled, by the cost of gasoline keep people at home – true enough. Nondisabled people can choose which type of car they wish to drive, more so than persons with disabilities in many cases. They can sell their SUV and purchase a sub-compact car that gets better mileage. When you use adaptive equipment that requires a van, you cannot.

What do the prices of gasoline and food mean for the economy as a whole? I do not know, I am not an economist. I do know that for many persons with disabilities, the costs of gasoline and food are becoming increasingly restrictive in ways that could very well be perceived as prejudicial, all while oil companies are making billions of dollars in profits at our expense.

From Where Comes Leadership?

The ultimate leader I have previously described is one that some might like to find present in society in order to represent persons with disabilities. Educated, skilled, experienced, and dedicated such a leader might very well be someone that could advance the potentials of each of us in this nation. A voice for the many, a disability leader such as the one described in, “Disability Leadership,” could be a positive for many of us.

Does a person have to be of the same caliber to be considered a leader? I suggest that the answer is a resounding, “NO!” There are many leaders among persons with disabilities, and I think that a closer look at the abilities we have will demonstrate why. We are placed in situations daily that require leadership skills. Let me provide some examples.

The despised notion that nondisabled persons have made at times in relation to persons with disabilities that we are, “inspirational,” is one that needs to be placed in a different context. For many of these nondisabled persons, they mean that we are inspirational because of the fact that we have a disability or disabilities. I suggest that many of us use inspiration in a leadership capacity. Take, for example, the person I assist three days a week. He is a friend, but he does require someone around; he has quadriplegia.

How is my friend inspirational as a leader? He uses, “tools,” such as patience, diligence, and kindness in order to train, educate, and inspire the more than one hundred aides he has dealt with over the years into performing better in his service. His knowledge of how to work with aides is impressive, and he is more educated medically than many people you will encounter. The diligence he demonstrates in training and inspiring his aides to work well is impressive; I call that excellent leadership.

In another example, there is a Nurse I know who has survived cancer at the loss of a kidney, a rib, a gall bladder, and who received myofascial pain syndrome on top of it all. Arthritis followed; she has not left the Nursing profession. In fact, at work she demonstrates a great deal of charisma, and is endlessly decisive in efforts to ensure that everything runs as smoothly as it can. She is a leader of other Nurses, as well as C.N.A.’s, and interrelates with Dietary Staff, Administrative Staff, Housekeeping Staff, and Maintenance crew members. She interacts with family members and people who use the services where she works daily.

Her efforts as a leader include transactional ones, but she uses other methods such as intellectual stimulation, individualized consideration, and inspirational motivation as well. At times she simply lets people, “do their own thing,” because she knows she can trust them. She is always open to talking with others when stress gets too high, and she troubleshoots on an every day basis.

Both the Nurse I know, and my friend who manages the aides that provide care for him, inspire a great deal of loyalty and satisfaction among the people they interact with. The fact that they do is one sign of their abilities as leaders. They both empower others with knowledge and the freedom to do their jobs without questioning every move others make; yet another sign of a skilled leader.

There are many people with disabilities like them in our nation, they have simply gone unrecognized. In my opinion, there are a great number of persons with disabilities who have become leaders through experience and acquired knowledge. The Nurse I know has been, and continues to be, a Supervisor for the very reason that she is such a skilled leader. My friend is a leader by circumstance, and he has become very, very good at being a leader of others.

We are here; people with disabilities, and we have leadership skills. Whether or not we have been formally trained, sometimes those leadership skills have been inherited or thrust upon us. Some of the best leaders are reluctant ones; they simply don’t want to be a leader, but circumstances have placed that mantle upon them. Others of us are simply destined to be leaders, and lack only one thing – recognition.

The Prospect of Self-Banishment

Disability comes in many forms, and with a diverse number of affects. The experience of a disabling condition is unique to each individual, but there are features that are common across specific disabilities despite the particularities of the person with the disability. An aspect or aspects of one’s life and descriptions of loss of control of an aspect are what define disability in the human experience.

Any form of disability may lead to levels of stress that a person finds difficult to manage. The reactions people have to stress produced from living with a disability range across every form of action, emotion, thought, and interaction with others. Some times, the reactions produced by stress are antisocial. The person who has exhibited forms of behavior that mar or even destroy relationships may have a disability that prompts such behaviors of itself.

Treatments, therapies, and medications exist that help with stress. When a medication, for example, becomes ineffective over time, a return of antisocial behaviors may occur until another medication can be established. The person exhibiting antisocial behavior may have little control over the levels of antisocial behavior they exhibit until the new medication takes effect.

The abilities of the persons *affected* by antisocial behaviors exhibited by those with disabilities who are under stress, or who have disabilities that may prompt such behaviors at times, are essential to the social health of everyone involved. If people affected by antisocial behavior isolate persons with disabilities who present antisocial behavior at times, everyone loses in the long run. In fact; isolating others on a permanent basis due to offensive behaviors exhibited while they were under stress or disabled could be perceived as an antisocial action. Lack of forgiveness for uncontrolled antisocial behavior due to either stress caused by a disability, or a disability itself, could also be perceived as antisocial.

When someone you know is presenting repeated antisocial behaviors, and you know that this person is usually much easier to get along with, ask yourself what you might do to help them instead of contributing to the loss of a relationship. Patience is crucial. Chances are the person exhibiting antisocial behaviors, who usually have not in the past, will reach a point where they may be embarrassed about the way they have behaved towards others. When this happens, they will need a friend.

When I have experienced a seizure on the street, I have been surrounded by people with concern. The presence of my friend with quadriplegia on the street in his power chair elicits waves of friendliness from people who pass by; many of these people are unknown to either of us. A person experiencing depression might receive comfort from friends. Why; then, do friends leave persons with levels of stress or disabilities that cause temporary antisocial behaviors and feel justified? The result, at least for the person who has exhibited the antisocial behaviors, is sometimes a feeling of, “self-banishment,” that may do more harm than the original stress, or make their disability unbearable.

The telling of a kind heart is in its ability to understand, and forgive. A friend overcomes and helps you to grow. Those who see only the temporary, or are unable to forgive, are no loss in the long run. Still, having to start over and find new, “friends,” to replace people you thought were friends after experiencing difficulties is trying. The experience of high stress related to disability, or a disability that prompts antisocial behavior at times, clearly shows who a friend is.

A Note On, "The Prospect of Self-Banishment."

Hi Folks, The pangs of woe associated with words spoken or actions taken that damage a relationship with another person can be unbearable. When stress is high, or things such as a disability bring forth words or actions that may be perceived as negative by family, friends, or associates; well, the results can be disastrous. A disability such as a mental illness, depression, a stress disorder like PTSD, or stress related to a new disability of any form; even daily living with a disability, can bring forth words from our mouths and behaviors that might be seen by others as, "antisocial." An antisocial personality disorder may very well be included in this, but what I am speaking of involves anyone with a disability.

People with certain forms of disabilities may be more prone to stress than others - persons with stress-related disabilities, for example. The stress of daily living as a nondisabled person brings out behaviors that could be perceived as negative or antisocial from people who might otherwise not behave in ways that push people away. Imagine the stresses associated with living with a disabling condition in conjunction with daily life! There is opportunity for the writers in the Disability Community at large to write on this subject. Not only do we have the usual things that prompt negative, or what might be understood as, "antisocial," behaviors from people who can be considered nondisabled, such as bills, shopping, traffic, relationship issues, raising children, and more - we have other things to deal with too. As persons with disabilities we have doctors to deal with more frequently, medical supplies to manage, medications, the perceptions of other people related to our disabilities, our own perceptions of our disabilities, our disabilities themselves, stigma, employment issues, and so much more on top of regular daily living! Is it any wonder we come across as, "negative," at points?

What amazes me is how very patient, kind, loving, supportive, intelligent, caring and decent so many of us are in the face of so much adversity. The, "thing," that got me started on this thought line was my own actions. As a person with PTSD and Epilepsy, when a medication begins to fail because my body has adjusted to it over a lengthy period of time, the first thing to show up as going wrong are behaviors that may be perceived as, "antisocial," by others. In other words, my PTSD symptoms grow worse as the medication begins to fail. I take one medication to control both PTSD and Epilepsy - it's a neurology thing.

At one point on a certain Disability site, as Topamax began to fail, I proceeded to, "rip heads off," of not only staff members, but nearly everyone I encountered; clearly a PTSD thing from me. One leader of that website has an education in medicine and apparently saw what was going on; he has forgiven my trespasses. Others have not been so forgiving. I hold no blame against anyone, my behavior was horrible; ie., "antisocial." The thought has more than crossed my mind that many people with disabilities do the same over time. I have had more than one friend with a disability, to be certain, and nearly every single one of them has presented behaviors due to either stress related to their disabilities or because of their disabilities that might be considered negative or antisocial. We all succumb to stress at some point, and forgiveness must forever be a part of Disability Culture. Patience must follow that philosophy, and understanding as well.

Tom.

Incidents of Privilege

There are certain things in life that are supposedly unquestioned when it comes to rights. Food is something that each of us needs in order to continue living. The kinds of food necessary to sustain life are varied, and every human being on the planet needs to consume nutritional foods. Clothing is another item that is necessary for living on Earth; we all need protection from the elements. Shelter from those same elements is something else that people need. All three of these things are, or should be, considered human rights.

The social structures humanity has established for itself come in a variety of forms. In America we have created a form of society that is dedicated to maintaining the greatest amount of freedom for each person who is a citizen. The growth of our nation is measured by the well being of our citizens. America presents itself to the rest of the world as an example of what a free society can accomplish.

Privilege, then, is something that must be earned; yet not inhibit the overall growth of the nation as a whole. Privileges such as ownership of expensive cars or mansions are measurements of personal achievement, but they are also expressions of personal tastes and desire.

Opportunity to reach for expensive items must be present on an equal basis for all citizens. As America exists today, there are large divides between those who have opportunity to advance in the social structure in place, and those who are not able to. Entire books have been written about subjects such as race, class, gender, and disability bias in the workplaces of America. While these forms of bias may be fading in this nation, they still exist; opportunity is not yet equal in America. The opportunity to advance in our current society is not yet based on personal achievement alone.

Education is something that is not considered a right in America past the point of high school level. College level education is considered something a person chooses to reach for in order to attain greater personal development. I suggest that college level education should be something that is outside of the realm of privilege; an educated populace promotes the growth of the nation.

The greater the level of education among a population in a society, the more knowledge can be passed along to other members of that same society on a daily basis. A population of citizens with a higher level of education is capable of performing more functions within that society, enhancing productivity. Citizens who are educated help a society to improve its standing on a global basis through development of new technologies, social understanding, literature, and more. Education as a privilege which must be purchased restricts a society by limiting the ability of its citizenry to advance, and therefore limiting the nation’s ability to grow.

Healthcare is another incident of privilege in America that is inhibiting the growth of the nation as a whole. I propose that the healthier a population of citizens is, the more productive they are. For this reason healthcare should not dwell in the realm of privilege, and should become a part of a high standard in America. Instead of a variety of programs and levels of insurance coverage based on income levels of citizens, healthcare needs to cover all citizens at a high level of coverage for every need.

Paying for education and healthcare of a population that now reaches past three hundred million is a large demand. The prospect of financially supporting such efforts to increase the development of American citizens, and thus the nation, is sobering. Bear in mind that America has invested billions of dollars in a military over the lifetime of its existence. Perhaps a flat tax would enable America to invest in its citizens. Investing in American citizens would benefit not only those citizens, but the nation itself. The results could very well be beneficial to the world. Education and healthcare should not be incidents of privilege, in my opinion.

Disability Leadership

Is there a need for Disability Leadership in America Today? There are many leaders in our nation who are people that can be considered true Disability leaders. They come from places such as ADAPT, NOD, AAPD, and many other organizations dedicated to the advancement of Persons with Disabilities. People such as Disaboom.com's own Dr. House show incredible leadership and drive through efforts demonstrated by the successes of their respective organizations. Leaders such as these interact not only with fellow Persons with Disabilities, but with any number of Government agencies, other organizations, legal representatives, and other people with the aim of winning services, rights, and freedoms for us.

What I see lacking in America today is a Disability Leadership personality who is capable of putting a, "face," on the overall cause of Disability Rights and Advancement. There have been several people in America's past who have filled this essential place; people like Justin Dart, Ed Roberts, Laura Hershey, and others. Franklin Roosevelt was such a leader, but the time frame during which he lived in America would not allow him to be as public and active about and towards Disability issues as he might have been. President Roosevelt accomplished some enormous strides for Persons with Disabilities during the time frame in which he was present in America; we need someone who is willing to present themselves as a Person with Disabilities and continue a very public fight for our rights and advancement in this nation.

Understanding that I will never be able to pick and choose such a person, I still think about what such a person would be like. What attributes would this person; this Representative of Americans with Disabilities, be like? How would I describe a Disability Leader capable of representing us before America, The United States Government, and acting in an official capacity for legal purposes?

As you read this please understand that I am writing this from a perspective of what I percieve to be perhaps an, "Ideal," representative. There are some different attributes; skills, abilities and so forth, that have crossed my mind when I consider what such a person would be like. For instance, I would like to find such a Disability Leader to represent us who has more than one disability. Ideally, this person would have at least a graduate-level education; not only in Disability Studies, but also related to subjects involving Multicultural Studies, methods of leadership, legal terminology, and a solid understanding of the United States Governmental structure.

An excellent Disability Leader, capable of putting that, "Face," forward towards America would have experience interacting with others who have disabilities over many years of time. They would already be involved in one or more Government Organizations, and have management experience. I would also like to see such a Disability Leader who is published through more than just books, or an article or two presented here and there. A Disability Leader who can write and present information through public speaking skills would be very capable of informing Americans, Government, and Legal entities about the needs, rights, and backgrounds of Persons with Disabilities.

The Disability Leader I envision, capable of performing as a highly public person in order to bring disabled and nondisabled persons, organizations, law, and government together through skilled and educated interactions with others in this nation would necessarily have to be dedicated to their actions on a lifetime basis. As with Justin Dart; this person would have to completely understand that such a position is far more than just, "another job." Once a position such as the one described is taken on by the person I would enjoy seeing fill it - there can be no turning back. As a Disability Leader in an incredibly public position, it is a lifetime commitment.

The demands on a Disability Leader of this magnitude would be intense. Such a leader would require dedicated support from every organization working towards advancement of Persons with Disabilities. This leader would need financial, medical and many other supports which would not be interrupted despite the status of the economy, a war, or any other form of interruption from their activities. A Disability Leader of the kind Americans with Disabilities need today would require the support, if only popular, from every single American with a Disability.

The results, I feel, would be stunning. Such a widely public, skilled, educated and ever-present Disability Leader would not only help every American, disabled or nondisabled, to see that we are real people who are capable of achieving great things - this leader would bridge a tremendous gap that exists between government agencies, legal obstacles, corporate America, and the Persons with Disabilities they are there to serve. In simple words; this Disability Leader would help America to, "see," the millions of us who have disabilities and desire a better life in America.

Where are you, Disability Leader? America, and the Persons with Disabilities living here, need you.

"Caliban," "Wild Irish," "Indian," and "Disabled?"

Who is to be considered, "Civilized," in society? How often will we, as human beings, be doomed to repeat our own history? People have placed labels and assigned values to others they perceive as being different from themselves for the duration of human existence. After witnessing so much injustice and mistreatment of people defined as, "different," in some way; how long will it be before humanity finally realizes that we are all in this world together?

At this time I am re-visiting an old friend of mine; a book titled, "A Different Mirror - A History of Multicultural America," by Ronald Takaki. After listening to more than one radio talk show host compare Iran's leader to Hitler, and observing an election process that seems eerily repetitious; I have to wonder how long it will be before the warriors, led by some leader, find that someone else in this word is so, "different," that they are worthy of attack. There is precedence for what is happening with American interaction with Muslim nations and leaders. The past shows that it was the English, on several occasions, who did the labeling, followed by the attacking.

The1600's found English explorers and conquerers coming to what is now America, where they very often pursued a practice of, "judge, kill, and ask questions later," in relation to the people who were already living in this land. Fortunately, this is no longer 1600's English rule; although one might wonder where Shakespeare got all of his material regarding production of, "The Tempest." Caliban was presented to audiences in England as a mindless savage, and English warriors kidnapped Native Americans for the sole purpose of putting them on display. Writings by these, "civilized," English warriors present perceptions of Native Americans as being akin to the, "Wild Irish;" who the English of that time period viewed as little more than savages; although some felt they might be, "educated," into some form of lower civility.

The question of what is, "civil," remains today, apparently. "Caliban's," were stolen from their native land, and in the kidnapping were often deceived into boarding the very vessels that would bear them across the sea to another land where they would die. Today, Persons with Disabilities are left largely unemployed, with inadequate health care coverage, living on poverty incomes in many cases through Federal and State Welfare programs. Shunned by many in society, as demonstrated even very recently by the attack on the Epilepsy Foundation's page by hackers who might consider themselves to be, "civilized," we are too often discriminated against and presented as some form of being for display purposes.

Take, for instance, the incredible case of, "Rock Star Syndrome," that seems to appear everywhere my friend and I go. At the VA or DVA, he rolls in with his power chair, and I gimp along with him; we receive stares of heartfelt concern, and eyes are everywhere. The same happens anywhere we go in public from Walmart to Walgreens. Like Caliban, he and I are oddities to be observed; apparently. Lessons learned from history on the parts of American's seems to be limited to a switch from total disregard to one of unabashed staring; although there is also something newer - is it commisseration? Perhaps some understanding on some level? What I am trying to get at is that there has not been a total lack of learning from history, and that people who view persons with disabilities *are* becoming somewhat more accepting.

As for this learning from history which has been achieved, perhaps; we can see another example in the attempts to accept persons of the Muslim faith in America. There are security guards in airports wearing attire that might or is associated with the Muslim faith. Still; there are those in society who view Persons with Disabilities as, "less-than," and it might not be too surprising to discover that these same people view each and every person of the Muslim faith from that same, "less-than," perspective. Caliban still lives in the demeanor of such unaccepting individuals with minds that are unable to accept individual difference.

Are Persons with Disabilities the, "New," Caliban? Certainly not; we have been around for the duration of human existence. Has the human race learned from it's own history of mistreating others? Not by a long shot. We may be waxing more humanitarian as time goes by, but the prejudice and stigma placed upon others in society are still present, as exhibited by the treatment of different cultures in America alone. Disability culture is one culture of many that are viewed as, "different," and perhaps uncivilized by some in America. While we may not be the, "New," Calibans, we are certainly still here; yet only because of the perceptions of some.

The changing of the entirety of humanity's mental perceptions of people who they view as different is apparently going to take more than experiences in history through the likes of Caliban's or Hitlers, or even people who should be seen as a majority in this nation, such as Persons with Disabilities. Are we, as human beings, doomed to repeat our own history out of some inability to learn completely from the lessons previously encountered? Perhaps unfolding events in Iran, and the rest of the Middle East will tell. Maybe it is plain that we are doomed to repeat history, as abundantly demonstrated by perceptions of Persons with Disabilities on the part of some nondisabled Americans. Whatever the case; it would be very nice indeed to see the end of Caliban.