ReachAble

This questionnaire is designed to stimulate thinking and dialogue. It is not intended to test knowledge of disability or attitudes toward people with disabilities. As people increasingly find themselves in situations involving people who are disabled they need to make quick decisions on how to respond. This questionnaire provides an opportunity to think about situations involving people with disabilities, to respond, and then to consider the various responses more carefully.

Q. Which of the following has not been heard of?
a) a clinical psychologist who is totally deaf.
b) a medical doctor who is quadriplegic.
c) a person with no arms who is a barber.
d) a biomedical engineer who can barely read or write due to severe dyslexia.
e) all of the above.
f) none of the above.

c) a person with no arms who is a barber
Although I have never heard of a barber who has no arms, after seeing the film "A Day in the Life of Bonnie Consolo," I do believe that if a person with no arms wanted to become a barber it would be possible ( Available on You Tube or buy it from Amazon.com and other sellers ). The attitudes of potential clients would present far more difficulties than the mechanics of using one's feet to do the job. In the film Bonnie Consolo trims her son's hair; bakes homemade bread slices tomatoes, writes checks and drives her car all with her feet.
You can find the names and addresses of clinical psychologists who are deaf, medical doctors who are quadriplegics and many other scientists who are disabled by consulting the Resource Directory of Scientists and Engineers with Disabilities. Now entering its fourth edition, the directory is available upon request in print and CD formats from the Office of Opportunities in Science, American Association for the Advancement of Science, http://www.aaas.org/).
A little research can uncover endless examples of people with disabilities who have accomplished extraordinary things. While opening ourselves to recognizing the potential of people with disabilities it is also important to avoid creating new "super-crip" expectations or assumptions that all people with disabilities are courageous, determined or talented. People with disabilities are as varied as other people: some are exceptional, many are ordinary. Not all talented people with disabilities will choose to pursue professional careers or succeed when they do.