Social Inclusion for Beginners...

More a comment on the commercial main streaming of inclusion, and what I disagree with. First, What it is about....."what can happen when people or areas suffer from a combination of linked problems such as unemployment, poor skills, low income, poor housing, high crime, bad health and family breakdown” or deaf and disabled. What can we do about it ?" (Sorry about the Wiki definition but it is as daft as any I could find).

I can't be bothered to find out really, like we need a bunch of mean-wells with limited funding, and a shed-load of quangoes bleating like sheep at endless meetings, advising how to speak, sit, stand, or fall over with minimum disruption and still maintain complete empathy with all the deaf minorities on the planet. A big society that looks after itself so the state doesn't have to cough up for anything.

Suddenly it's martha's vineyard meets shangri-la the movie. All 'advising' us how to be the same as everyone else, everyone cares about each other no-one is excluded from anything (And you thought Hans Anderson was dead ?). Mostly it is to save the state having to pay compensation for the institutional discrimination that rattles on and on, and the almost complete apathy of everyone without an hearing issue. We WILL include you whether you like it or not, all you have to do is hear and talk, it's easy.... Funny, I was reading another blog about the Hitler years where an identical policy was mooted, except they didn't want us to hear, they just wanted us gone. We've moved on since then the UK just wants us invisible instead.

There is believe it or not a WHOLE industry geared to advising on awareness without a deafie in sight, telling everyone and their cat, but mostly business and commerce, how to make deaf people your friend, (easy really, just put money in my hand, and exclude me from taxation), basically the business people pay these 'social advisers' for the advice and the business continues to ignore, but hey it's creating jobs for someone, just not us. Deaf awareness has proven a real money-spinner for hearing, it's so good they don't even need to see a deaf person, ever.

All you have to do is say some are deaf with a big D (They are bragging mostly), and there are deaf with a little 'd' (There's no shame in that, size is relative). And if you face them and talk S L O W L Y and not resemble a goldfish stranded out of water, that's it basically. Thanks very much, £250, and we send you free stickers with "I Luv Deafies" on them. (Available in Pink or blue, at no extra cost)...

The other side is social inclusion in mainstream, a little less of a goer really, because no-one on the street is going to pay to be aware, sh*t they are in minority overload already, and there are another 6 billion to go..... Some organise a 'Let's meet and help a deafie for a day..." outing, or a car boot sale or raffle or something, and it usually deteriorates in 5 minutes to two opposing groups unable to talk to each and with nothing in common, you never see two of these events ever happening. They have taken to using children and animals again as the Brits are 50-50 on taking an interest in those, providing (A) The child is too young to be a bluddy nuisance (none over 6 months old or incapable), , or (B) The animals are dogs/cats, then joe public can ignore people altogether and pat them into submission instead.

Do you want inclusion ? on what terms ? As access is a right, why do I need inclusion policies ? They are going to buss disabled or deaf to centres together (NOT with mainstream), so like can be 'included' with like, erm I see a flaw, a veritable great bluddy fly stuck in the ointment really, we are all trying to get the hell away from that. We don't have an issue communicating together, the issue is dare I suggest, elsewhere ? I think I preferred it when I was really excluded, I knew where I was then.