More points from the "Cookie Gimp"

More from the “Cookie Gimp”…I searched everywhere and can’t find this original e-mail, but he told me a lot of disability activists refer to themselves as crips or gimps. It reminds me of gangs! He had some good points I want to share here…it was just one of our many e-mails back and forth, so it’s informally written. Slightly edited to remove identifying information.

1. Re-consider family-centered practice. What is this anyway? Pillow angel is an extreme case that you personally will probably never have to deal with but there’s all kinds of situations, even minor ones, where these issues will arise. Take an easy one (to me): 14 year old gimp has CP. She is happy in a chair. Parents want her to undergo rigorous rehab three times a week even though this will screw up her GPA so she can climb stairs. Client centered? That means nothing. Who is the client. In 1955, she would be taken by force and given PT/OT. Today, I don’t know. Obviously you know what I think but these are genuinely difficult situations.

2. Money will limit what you can do but try to keep your non-elderly clients out of nursing homes. Nursing homes are hellish. They are not client directed. They are like rehab only worse. I was actually surprised what you said about “diapers” in rehab but nursing homes I think do it too. Here it’s solely for convenience of the staff.

3. I do recognize the boundary thing and thought your death posts were moving. But you could extend boundaries in minor ways (no I don’t mean bake cookies for gimps) I mean you could address access wherever you go personally. If you go to a movie with your spouse and the washroom sucks, complain to the manager. They will take it way more seriously from an OT than a gimp. I think THIS is partly a cultural issue because nothing is accessible but you’re also from CA, which creates a bias. Go to states like NY and MA and access is somewhat worse.