BUILD BRIDGES, NOT WALLS

I know a lot about barriers.  Before the ADA was passed on July 26, 1990, people with disabilities were segregated. I attended a "special school."  Society did not think anyone with a disability as severe as mine could do very much. Being segregated from my able-bodied peers affected me not only academically, but socially as well.  I often wonder how different my life would have been if I had been allowed to be mainstreamed. If I had judged on my intellect instead of my disability.

When I entered Washington University's School of Social Work in 1980, the dean of admission told my mom the school did not want me. The school had to accept me based on my GPA. Imagine my mom being told that I was not wanted.  I started classes knowing I had to prove I was worthy of being there.

I have encountered more architectural barriers in my lifetime than I can remember. I have been taken through restaurant kitchens because there was no other way for me to enter a restaurant, I have ridden in a freight elevator because the building did not have a public elevator or the elevator was not working.  Curb cuts did not exist when I was growing up.  The lack of curb cuts made it difficult to get my chair on the sidewalk, forcing it to be pushed into the street.  Narrow doorways and bathroom stalls made it difficult for me to use a public restroom. When it was too difficult we would just go home.

The biggest barrier I have faced is people's perceptions of me. People form opinions about me before they even meet me. They base their perceptions on what they see. on the outside or what others have told them,. I have to prove to them that their opinion of me is not justified.

I love my country. However, the idea of building a border wall between the U.S. and Mexico is an embarrassment to me.  How can the United States deny help to people who just want a better life?  How can we deny help to people we don't even know?. Do we really want to be known as the nation that denied medical care to someone who is ill?  Do we really want to be known as the nation that denied someone an education?   Do we really want to be known as the nation that deports someone who has made a life in this country and whose children are American citizens?   It is not right to tear families apart. Help them to become legal citizens.

The knowledge I have of Mexico and its people is based on what I have read on the internet and social media/ I am not political. I have been called a bleeding heart. I guess I am. Building a wall to keep people out is wrong. Walls won't lead to peace.

Barriers make me feel like I  am inferior. Barriers make me feel like I don't belong. No one should be made to feel that way.

I read a post on Facebook, "Walls won't lead to peace, bridges will."  Wouldn't we rather be known as the nation that built a bridge rather than a wall?

That's the first step to peace
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