What’s worse, the cop who pushes Sandy to the ground once or Canadian society keeps her on the ground for her whole life?

In June a woman with a disability was pushed to the street in Vancouver by a police officer. He walked away without helping her up.

While the Vancouver police department claims the incident was under investigation, the officers are still on the beat.  We expect some official response that exonerates the officers will appear many months from now.

It’s clear from the video the woman has a disability. She has Cerebral Palsy (CP) which gives her a distinct walking pattern and affects her speech. She may sound intoxicated however anyone who has experience with CP can easily spot the symptoms.  

This is not the first incident of police brutality nor is the it the first time an adult with CP has been abused.  Physical and passive aggressive abuse is a way of life for many people with disabilities.

Cute as children abused as adults

Children with cerebral palsy and down syndrome are the favourite poster children for Easter Seals telethons and charity fund raisers. When they grow up, they become easy, adult targets for bullies and human rights abuse.

No longer cute and cuddly,  adults with disabilities are victims every day. How many people spend the time to grant a person like Sandy her dignity? How many strike up a peer conversation with a person with a disability? Sandy is a human being and besides not deserving policy brutality she deserves respect.

How many social groups invite the disabled to join? Does Rotary want people with disabilities in their membership or do they just want cute kids to raise money? Other than a few Easter Seals ambassadors who are giving the royal treatment, Rotarians are ill-at-ease having the disabled in their club. Rotary is not unique in ostracizing the disabled.

Half of all people living below the poverty line are disabled, which is the probable reason Sandy is living on Vancouver’s East Side. In the CBC National video Ian Hannimansing tries to weakly blame the disabled for their abuse by the system. “Part of the problem is where the encounter took place.”

OK, so if the disabled weren’t poor and living on the down side of town they could expect better treatment.

All Sandy has to do is get herself an $50,000 plus annual salary working in a white collar office job and the abuse will disappear. The reality is employers discriminate against Sandy and other people with disabilities and get away with it. Canadians living with disabilities are routinely discriminated against in employment, housing, and in their contact with government.

What’s worse, the cop pushes Sandy to the ground once or Canadian society that keeps her on the ground for her whole life?

See also Vancouver Sun Vancouver Police Investigate Officer Who Pushed Over Disabled Woman

Videos copyright by CBC News