Lately we have had many stories in the newspapers and on the television about the “mentally ill” and the “disabled.” I for one am tired and sickened by the perpetuation of this negative stigma on a group of people.
By grouping everyone together as “mentally ill”, they are instantly made less human. As if they somehow they are not like us. We do not refer to people with cancer as the cancer ill. What if in other stories we reported a persons ethnicity or race as the first line. Do you think that would cause outrage? I tend to believe it would.
Yet we continue to allow the media to use the excuse that mental illness or a disability is always a vital part of the story. Why do we as human beings in the freest country in the world allow this to continue? Is it that we believe this to be true? I do not, as I believe anyone who has a disabled family member or friend.
Let me tell you a little about the four folks I spend my evenings with. There is Donna, a girl who knows the importance of family. A girl who knows no matter how old you are it’s still ok to be daddy’s little girl. To enjoy life and when something makes us happy, it’s ok to show it. It’s good to laugh and smile and let everyone know that your happy. And personally a girl’s whose beautiful thick black hair I envy everyday.
Then there is Judy. A girl who loves mischief. What is bad is funny to her. But Judy is the first one to give you a hug when she sees your down. And don’t ever pick on one of Judy’s friends, or she will show why Cordell nicknamed her the “mountain lion”.
Next we have Tom. A true gentle giant. A man who has taken the words please and thank you, accompanied with a pair of puppy dog eyes, to new levels to get whatever he needs. He is a true master. Even Tom will laugh at himself when called out of running his sad guy scam on you.
And last there is Cordell. Everyone should spend an hour a day with Cordell, you could not be unhappy. A man whose simplistic approach to life is genius. All we do is go around smiling and laughing and making everyone around us smile and laugh. Cordell is the only person in the world who can make me happy when he calls me “fatso”.
We live in a beautiful home. We have fantastic neighbors that share in our lives. We have beautiful flower garden in the summer, and a large Christmas display in the winter. We grill out in nice weather and shovel our snow when it comes.
This house of 4 people function together and live as a happy family. Why, because they share a love for music. They share a love of classic movies. They share a love of each other. They get the secret of life, that it’s better to smile and say something nice, than label or be critical of each other. To look at we can do, not what we can’t. They bless my life everyday.
I could have also described these 4 with words like, group home, developmentally disabled, handicapped, mentally retarded, cerebral palsy, or down’s syndrome. Which way paints a truer picture? In society we believe that all people are different, yet we seem to think people who have these problems are all alike. It is true that terms like “mentally ill” are factual, but people are not mathematical equations. We do good and we do bad. We laugh and we cry. We are happy and we are sad. We are just people. So please don’t label us, just call us Donna, Judy, Tom, and Cordell.
Jerry Grams
Manager, Next Step In Residential Services
1125 S. 118th St.
Milwaukee, WI 53214
(414) 322-9041
