To the editor,
I’m done staying silent about the systemic ableism and nepotism that’s wrecked my life. Many disabled people, myself included, was punished for expressing emotions, while people with powerful families (city council, law enforcement, school admins) got away with actually being rude/abusive to people. That favouritism didn’t end when I became an adult—small cities, like the Sault, operate on who you know, not what you know.
The double standard is infuriating — neurotypicals with other mental disorders sometimes get coddled after violent outbursts, while autistic/intellectually disabled people are punished for their meltdowns. Or even another…