Ink pens and markers on 11" x 8.5" paper by Joe Chiappetta 2011.
A man in a wheelchair on top of a big city building explains, "People with disabilities are the largest minority."
Towering over the horizon, a giant-sized gorilla asks, "What about me?"
The man replies, "You’re just large."
While giant monsters like King Kong, created by Merian C. Cooper, and Godzilla, created by Tomoyuki Tanaka, are fictional, it is quite true that people with disabilities are the largest minority in the United States of America. Like many fictional monsters, people with disabilities are often misunderstood and have a long history of being mistreated. Disability awareness, combined with brotherly love, can counter some of the unfair treatment that still exists in our society for people with disabilities.
The numbers alone make a compelling case to pay more serious attention to this group. There are 54 million people in the USA who have a disability, according to the US Census Bureau (2005). That means one out of every five persons in the country is disabled. This is a significant number, highlighting that people with disabilities represent a rich diversity of individuals, and a class of people to be thoughtful and respectful toward.
Moreover, in 2010, the World Health Organization said there were one billion people with disabilities on the planet. This is important to consider, showing that disability cuts across all races, continents, and countries. On a more personal level, it's likely that most people have a parent, sibling, friend or other family member that has or did have a disability. Taking into account accidents and sudden illnesses, disability can happen to anyone at any time. If you live long enough, it is likely you too will become disabled. Yet take heart--it is not likely that you'll ever be shot down by airplanes on top of a skyscraper. Sorry, King Kong.
For more on disability issues from a Silly Daddy perspective, read my ebook/comic book "The Back Pain Avenger."
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