CRIPTITUDE: OUR PROSPECTUS

One in five Americans claims a disability.

This is more than an identity group, it's a stage of life. Being disabled is human reality -- especially at the beginnings and ends of our tenures on earth -- and an enormous portion of our technological drive, our culture, our ethos is geared toward addressing human physical inadequacy.

At Criptitude, we understand the need for accommodation at a primal level. And yet, perversely (it seems), our culture assigns a negative value to this need, this universal intermittent reality of being embodied. We are taught to perceive any disability or physical difference as being less than, and our reaction to others who are demonstrably disabled is a messy mix of pity, fear, and irrational "inspiration".

Boiled down to base elements, almost every group targeted for oppression in human society has a perceived (stereotyped) physical appearance which distinguishes them from "normal" people, i.e., those non-target for that particular oppression. Evolution in our ethical treatment of others is a slow but steady path toward the recognition that these perceived physical differences bear no relationship to the value of different human beings, to their potential and deserved quality of life, or to their "content of character".

Within recent history, gender, race, and class were all seen as genetically-determined and immutable biological conditions which afforded or limited the full humanity of each individual. Eliminating discrimination based on physical difference and disability is not only the last frontier, it's the Gordian knot that, when sliced through, will release countless other strictures.

We at Criptitude do not believe being disabled is necessarily a problem. No human being can fly, breathe under water, or endure a wide range of temperatures without technological assistance. Physical limitation is a given.

The problem arises when attitudes and beliefs distort our perception of another's beauty, intelligence, and ability. Therefore, our focus is on relaxed claiming of disability with an unwavering insistence on respect and accommodation.

There is no "disabled community". Because disability and physical difference cuts across every other identity group line, the voice of that constituency which claims disability will be as diverse as the entire population. We cannot successfully address this diversity while attempting to organize as a monolithic identity group. We intend our web presence to be a coalition, a gathering place of multiple identities for multiple reasons. From this will emerge more than one organized effort to remove disability from its position as a target for oppression.

We recognize the definition of disability goes far beyond categories such as visible and invisible, or mobility impairments versus another manifestation. The scope of Criptitude will include:

~Temporary disability
~Age-related disability (which may or may not be temporary)
~Denied disability (passing as able-bodied)
~Mental disability
~Cognitive disability
~PTSD
~Sexual trauma
~Physical difference without impairment
~Disabled from birth or from childhood
~Disabled in adulthood
~Institutionalized due to disability
~Homeless and/or impoverished due to disability
~"Severe and Profound"
~Chronic illness
~Death with dignity debates
~Family and friends of people with disabilities

We will care what the old lady in Dubuque is thinking about, and also the struggling-with-ADHD executive in Manhattan, the cancer survivor mom in Denver, the paraplegic environmental activist in Berkeley, the diabetic nurse in St. Petersburg, and the Iraq war veteran in Los Angeles.

We do not insist on a universal name for how each individual claiming a disability defines her/himself. We will not chastise you for calling yourselves gimp, crip, lame, crazy, handicapped, differently abled, person with a disability, physically challenged, or any other term which feels acceptable to you. This does not mean we condone the use of any term as an insult. We can fight offensive language without needing to police our own internal conversations and individual paths.

We seek the separation of diagnosis and medical supervision from definitions of disability. Physical difference should not automatically mean medicalization. We will seek this redefinition as we concurrently push for universal, affordable, autonomous health care for all individuals, those who claim disability and those who do not -- because the need to accept "medicalization" of physical difference in order to obtain necessary health care is in the way of clear thinking.

The territory covered by Criptitude includes:

~Diaries (including ranking, voting up, being promoted, photos and video)
~Reporting
~Legislative analysis and advocacy
~FAQ/How-tos
~Content merged with eCommerce (evaluated by our criteria)
~State by State/City by Town wiki lists of:
~ADA accessible/inaccessible public facilities from OUR POV
~Social services reviewed by us
~DME and consumables (including cottage industry) rated by us
~Social networking
~Art, humor, and personal essays

Our site will be curated and monitored to expedite accuracy, prevent exploitation and promote open communication without wading through disrespectful language. It will be front-paged by already known and trusted writers who also happen to be people with disabilities (many of whom are not yet public about their disability). We provide ongoing political commentary and leadership with regard to disability issues at a senior level. We will address our inalienable right to the pursuit of happiness. We mean to be be the Name Brand.