Comments about disability 'ridiculous and misinformed'
I WAS thumbing through the Press the other day and stumbled across an article regarding Deputy Marc Leadbeater and his son, vis-a-vis how the latter is said to have affected Deputy Leadbeater's working life. I feel compelled to write a response to what seems an amazing, appalling and, ironically enough, uneducated stance from what is supposed to be a council of education. I am extremely proud to consider Deputy Leadbeater's son a close and personal friend of mine. Yet again I am concerned that assumptions are being made about the life and times of someone living with a disability. A rhetoric rings in my head: 'Do these comments reverberate from research of those living with disability?' 'Do these comments come from personal experience of living with someone with a disability?' I doubt it. It seems that presumptions are being made about Deputy Leadbeater with no evidential or experiential backing. Has anyone making such a presumption even met my friend?
Penning this letter is difficult for me because if I read it out loud to my mate he would tell me not to use the 'D' word. Though it is true he has a disability, knowing him is a pleasure, he brings laughter and happiness to those who know him, and to suggest he is a hindrance is an embarrassing faux-pas to put it politely.
Even Jane St Pier commented on social media that these are 'worrying insinuations' and this is putting it mildly.
I can only imagine if I were to work in public office and make such comments regarding socio-economic background, race or religion my career would be severely short-lived such would be the clamour to frame me as short-sighted, ignorant and misinformed.
He would probably tell me off for writing this letter, such is his wish to live a happy and quiet life, but I cannot stand idly by when there are those who make ridiculous, misinformed and uneducated assumptions about my mate.
Name and address withheld.
