New Mobility says President Obama's ADA speech bombs

From New Mobility magazine's blog:

President Obama used his speech on the 19th anniversary of the ADA to outline his disability policies — about time. And as strong an Obama admirer as I am, I think we’re in trouble.

The roughly 22-minutes-long clip opened with Obama’s admiration for his father-in-law, who had MS and “never complained,” even when he had to get up a flight of stairs with two canes, and how he “never missed a day of work.” Obama’s comments feed into the whole “super crip” stereotype, and it’s troubling that Obama can’t identify the dynamic of oppression at play in his depiction of his father-in-law’s disability. Plus, what is he saying about those of us who do sometimes miss a day of work because of our disabilities? Or who can’t work? Not to mention can’t get up a flight of stairs?

Obama segues from his father-in-law’s plucky determination to a bunch of boiler-plate feel-good crap, and then, tellingly, lingers over the story of long-time community fixture Tony Coelho. “Discrimination was rife,” says Obama, wonderingly, as he told how Coelho wasn’t accepted into the priesthood or the Army because of his epilepsy.

Obama then spun a fanciful tale about how once upon a time in a republic long, long ago people like Coelho were commonly discriminated against because they had disabilities. But then in the year 1990 that all changed, and from that time forward all American citizens with disabilities had rights and lived very equal lives indeed.

Toward the end of the clip Obama finally began speaking in the present tense. He says the focus is shifting to disability rights in other countries, as he's authorizing the U.S. to finally sign on to the U.N Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities.

The crowd applauds.

Then, Obama talked about stem cell research, signing the Reeve Act and health care — all good things — as if they can be framed in the context of disability rights. But they can’t. Treatment, even world-class quality treatment, is not the same as civil rights, and the crowd knows it.

Obama waits for applause, but there is none.

Finally, finally, FINALLY in the last five minutes he mentions he’s beefing up funding for IDEA, strengthening anti-discrimination in the DOJ, and directing the Department of Transportation to do something or other for us. The crowd applauds. Obama also had this to say about ending the institutional bias: “… [people] living independently in their communities, if that’s what they choose.” Well, yes, of course, if they choose. But the way he said it almost seemed as if he doesn’t quite believe most would make that choice.

The speech ended as stereotypically as it began: Obama cited the type of disabled guy he personally respects. FDR, he said approvingly, never let on to the American people that he even had a disability, and FDR’s disability made no difference to his ability as president. Then Obama tried a cutesy attempt to articulate what historian Hugh Gallagher wrote about so brilliantly in “FDR’s Splendid Deception.” FDR’s disability DID make a difference, said Obama. But in a positive way.

Here’s what I wrote about this speech as the clip played: Jesus Christ, we’re screwed.

If this clip is indicative of Obama’s disability policies, then it’s clear Obama believes most of the hard work is already done (if it was ever that important to begin with), and mainly all we need now is better medical treatment, either through stem cell research or health care. Obama’s greatest praise is for the appeasers who never complain, and he gave just a passing pat on the back for the advocates who brought the ADA into being. Job done, he seems to say. No need for that type of unpleasantness any more.

But, oh yes, while we’re in a magnanimous mood, why don’t we beef up ADA enforcement a bit, says the tone of Obama’s speech. Too, let’s give lip service to the rights of Americans to live freely in the community. Maybe then they’ll stop handcuffing themselves to my house.

Once again I can only conclude that Obama has a crip problem.