The United States of America is arguably the greatest country on the planet. In 1776 our forefathers wrote and signed the Declaration of Independence after we won our freedom from England. On this July 4th, we celebrate our freedom like we have 250 previous times which has been won for us over and over again by the brave men and women of this country. I hear people complain about what an awful place this is; yet by comparison to most other countries, everyone here, including those with disabilities, enjoy more freedoms and protection than any other country.
The armed services in the United States employs able bodied people to serve, but what does that mean? Could a wheelchair bound individual serve our country? The answer is yes. “There are a wide range of civilian career paths within the DoD for individuals with disabilities, including those in administrative, technical, and professional support positions (cavedin).” An individual with disabilities won’t see combat, but there are several other areas of the military where one could serve. My father-in-law spent his time in the service in a basement in Chicago during the Korean conflict looking at a radar screen. He never left the country.
Currently, our country has a number of individuals with disabilities working for D.O.G.E. These young men were hired specifically because of their disabilities. Most of these young men have autism which actually gives them a super power. Mossad, the Israelelis intelligence agency recognized that “….autistic people benefit from unusually strong pattern recognition, attention to detail, and analytical thinking (Cavedin).” D.O.G.E. has saved Americans billions of dollars. And, these individuals with disabilities can also use these same skills in our military, especially with the growing use of technology and AI in all areas.
As we celebrate our freedoms, we must also continue to advocate for those same freedoms to extend to our individuals with disabilities as guaranteed in our Constitution.
Happy 4th of July!
