May 1st- Blogging against disablism day

This is my eleventh hour posting. I am squeezing this in just in time. Two days ago I don't think I would have had anything to write here. It just so happened I had my eyebrows raised when I least expected it. Will is only two and is cute and cuddly and a beam of sunshine for the most part. I have not really run into a situation where I thought Will was being discriminated against. Or so I thought.

As most readers know, we are Canadians, and Will is dual. We are just now going through the process of obtaining Green Cards and part of the process is having a physical done. The United States wants to make sure we are not carriers of anything nasty. (although we have been here for over 4 years so I guess if we test positive for anything it could very well be an American variety of nastiness). Of course there is a detailed form to be filled out about each of our physical conditions. Near the top, right after the general name, address, age info is a section called "class A conditions" I imagine that class "A" conditions are those that raise red flags. They include items like active TB, HIV, Gonorrhea, Syphilis, infectious Hansen's disease. I can understand the government wanting to keep a lid on that stuff. Further class A's include sexual deviation (I don't know if that is an actual physical anomaly of one's private area or a propensity to like folks the same sex as you in a romantic way), insanity or previous attacks of insanity, and a few other items that sound pretty concerning. Mental retardation is also a class "A" condition. So, along with the poor folks who have had the misfortune to contract some terrible diseases are the ladies and gents who, even though they might be healthy as horses are cast into the leper colony because of a lower IQ. I feel a little smug about the fact that Will is a mentally retarded American, but the fact that all of the class "A"s can be cured or controlled with drugs and therapies except for the MR makes me wonder what is the point of calling MR a condition that could jeopardize one chances of living in the US. Why is MR included with communicable diseases?
"Give us your poor and huddled masses" apparently does not include those scoring below average on the IQ test. To be honest, I do not actually know what happens to a person applying with a class "A". The fact that they are asking tells me that it can't be a positive for your application. I am going to ask the government approved doctor when I visit to see if he has the scoop on the situation.
I have always maintained the world needs more people with DS. Countries should be welcoming them with open arms, not turning them away. Like the class "A" diseases that can spread possible infection, MR often spreads acceptance and understanding and give every citizen the opportunity to become better people and better, more selfless people make a better country. MR should be an automatic free pass in. In my opinion.

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UPDATE: The very nice doctor I spoke to about the application medical did some checking on his own time(!) and found that the forms were outdated and someone with MR cannot be barred from pursuing naturalization. When I asked him about this his first response was that it didn't sound legal to discriminate against someone with a lower IQ. After his search he said that there are instances that someone with MR can be barred. Those would involve people being a threat to themselves or others. So, it seems that the government is enlightened on the subject after all. Well, at least the beaurocrats are.