'Crip Camp' director: Mocking Trump's physical limitations is ableism
'Crip Camp' director James LeBrecht said he was disheartened by those on social media who recently mocked President Trump for struggling to drink a glass of water with one hand, and for gingerly descending a ramp. "I don't care who it is," LeBrecht said, "you don't criticize somebody for their issues around what they're capable or not capable of doing physically."
Video Transcript
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KEVIN POLOWY: We're also currently seeing an increase in dialogue around the notion of ableism. Oddly enough, I actually saw an uptick in this term used around-- in response to kind of the mockery that President Trump got over his difficulties with drinking water and walking down a ramp.
JAMES LEBRECHT: I have to say that it's really interesting what I've seen on social media with people pointing out that the president, you know, needed two hands to drink the water or had a difficulty in the ramp. And it's like, I don't care who it is. You don't criticize somebody for their issues around what they're capable or not capable of doing physically. You don't berate them. You don't make fun of them.
And whereas some of the policies of the current administration have not been friendly to people with disabilities, we're seeing a lot of people saying you just don't do that.
NICOLE NEWNHAM: Ableism is going to impact pretty much every single one of us at some point in our life. If society defines us by what we're capable of doing physically, that's going to catch up with any of us sooner or later. So I think naming that and knowing it and fighting against it is going to be liberating for us all.
