Kids belong in nursing homes

[JaxScriblerians]

The other day I read this distressing news: "Federal officials are suing the state, alleging that hundreds of children with disabilities are being unnecessarily segregated in nursing homes in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act.  The U.S. Department of Justice filed suit . . . accusing the state of relegating nearly 200 children with significant disabilities to nursing homes who could be served at home or in other community-based settings." Why is this disturbing? . . . .

http://jaxsatire.com/2013/07/27/kids-belong-in-nursing-homes/

[GoldenEst82]

As the parent of a child with a disability- I understand what he was trying to get across- but it was decidedly, NOT funny.

Maybe I have a pine cone up my bum when it comes to my son's disability (Downs Syndrome) but this was not really a topic that needed satirizing.

[JaxScriblerians]

I am the author of the piece, and my fourteen-year-old son has multiple disabilities: he lives with cerebral palsy, is a spastic quadriplegic, has cortical visual impairment (meaning he is legally blind), is completely nonverbal and severely cognitively disabled (mind of a 6-month old), has a microcephalic head, and must wear a diaper. Moreover, he is immobile—he can't crawl or scoot around or hold himself up or even sit in a chair without being strapped in it. Currently he feeds through a J-tube. In sum, he spends his life in bed and a wheelchair. You can read about him here:

http://augustchazangabbard.wordpress.com/

My apologies if the satiric piece offended, but, from my point of view, it makes complete sense. Those kids (the subjects of the federal lawsuit) are in nursing homes only because of the power of the nursing-home-industry in Tallahassee. No other reason.

[GoldenEst82]

I am not easy to offend on this topic- perhaps my "pine cone" is due to the fact that it only became OBVIOUS satire at the end...
I am glad that you are a part of the disability community- at lot of them have whole pine trees inserted rectally, and I (usually ) appreciate levity in the community when I find it.

[JaxScriblerians]

Satire easily can be misinterpreted. I have taught courses on it at UNF. In the early eighteenth century when Daniel Defoe  wrote a satirical piece called "The Shortest Way with Dissenters," he was satirizing the people who were opposed to dissenters.  Unfortunately, the dissenters (who happened to be in authority in London at the time) didn't understand the piece, so they sentenced him to stand in the stocks for three hours.   

In any case, I am glad that we have met.