Mentally Impaired Audience Members — Page 4

Miss Pennywise, I see where youre coming from; its wrong to be an "armchair physician" so to speak, but regardless of what condition/disorder/issue/problem the person has, if he is disrupting a performance, that's all that matters.

And also, Down Syndrome is a form of mental retardation. People with Down's can have mild to moderate retardation, but like my cousin, they can also be severely retarded. And there's nothing with with that! (not joking)

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"I understand your point of view, but as an audience member who paid A LOT of money to enjoy a show"


So when did producers start letting people in Wheelchairs in for free, let me see. The answer would be never. So your money is worth more!

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While I totally understand where your coming from lakezurich with it sound more polite to put "people" before disabled, and I do like the way it sounds. However, I also cringe at the thought of it.
I feel like if we as a society create this new rule about how to refer to disabled people, it will trivialize their problems.
Ok I'm bringing up my cousin again, but listen. He is 27 now, and he needs to be on his own. So he is living in a single family home with 4 other adult Down's men, along with 24-hour nurses. This is not cheap. And our family, while we're not on Skid Row, we dont have money either. So its important that people like my cousin are cared for. So that's just ONE issue faced in the Down's community. And for us to sit here and debate about "do we call them disabled people or people with disabilities" COME ON there are lot more important issues out there-----once those are all taken care of, then we could worry about such petty semantics.

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Didn't get your post, rosscoe, care to elaborate?

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Again, I was just responding to a question. And no one has even argued with my response, so we are not arguing about the terminology. And I am talking from experience also. I had a cousin who had Developmental Disabilities who passed away years ago, and I work for a facility in which we provide care for "people with developmentally disabilities."

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tgn, you were used to to being around a person with Down's, so it didnt bother you that somebody was making noise during a b-way show because that person had Down's?

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George, I appreciate your story, but I have a different take on the semantics.

Our family has lived a lifetime of midnight calls from the police, APB's all the way to Arizona where she took off on a plane, a string of institutions and mental clinics, local thugs causing her to go catatonic and almost die, and her ending up in a wheelchair not able to speak or walk anymore, etc. I could go on and on.

This all makes me feel so much more love and protection towards her. Hearing a term like "these people" is offensive to me. I still worry about how I'm going to support her when I can barely support myself, but at the same time, I can feel offended at a term.

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I would definitely be able to tune it out because of how much time I spend with the developmentally disabled.

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Penywise, if you had read my previous posts it is not as if I have no connection with the mentally disabled. I work with them for a living.

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Jane2, I understand your feelings behind "these people". It is a loaded term, and especially here on a messageboard where you cant hear voice tone, it could easily come off as insensitive.

Geaj, I dont think you understand what types of sounds a Down's person might make. You're making the remarks and interruptions sound "cute", which they are not. Just like in church, the first few times my cousin interrupts, sings off key, yells, people turn around and go "aww!" but then the 20th, 30th time he says something, and when he starts going "I farted!" "f**k you!!", well its not so cute anymore.

Lakezurich, I gotta hand it to you. I grew up going to 80 billion Down's events, from the National conventions to weekly park district events to religious education, and I would never be able to tune out those noises in a b-way show.
Somebody mentioned that they still wouldn't turn around and give the person a glare or something. I wouldnt do that either--I know if someone turned and glared at my cousin, he'd probably spit in their face or swear at them. I would be ABLE to tune it out of course, just like I do when I take Frankie to a movie or watch a tv show with him, but that doesnt mean after paying $111.50, I should HAVE to tune anybody out.

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Lakezurich, I did read your posts, but I was not addressing you.

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george, I get it. I am a special education teacher. If it becomes that innapropriate, it's the family member's responsibility to remove them. Otherwise, a few weird sounds from someone disabled doesn't require removal from the situation. Tolerance makes the world a better place.