The expressions and behavior of people change almost as soon as mental illness is brought up.
Elizabeth Goldman can identify exactly when the people she’s speaking with become uncomfortable with her disability. When people learn that she struggles with attention deficit disorder, anxiety, depression and bipolar disorder, she can sense people tense up.
Her normally invisible conditions suck all of the air from the room.
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“Mental illness is almost always directly connected with gun violence. So in my workplaces, when I’d disclose this to my colleagues, you can tell how uncomfortable people are, and they limit their interaction with me for a little while,” the southside resident said. “They assumed they would be the next victims on CNN.”
Goldman isn’t defined by her disabilities, and she wishes that when people find out about that aspect of her life, they didn’t flinch. That’s why, when approached by the Indiana Governor’s Council for People with Disabilities for an awareness campaign, she agreed to take part.
The campaign, titled “Be Cool, We Are,” implores people to act normal when they meet people with disabilities. A short video was produced and distributed around the state on social media.
In it, participants with a wide variety of disabilities use humor to make a serious point: That everyone deserves to be treated well.
“We wanted to show people with disabilities from all walks of life, and reinforce the message that people with disabilities are like anyone else. As such, they deserve to be treated with the same dignity and respect as anyone else,” said Chad Crowe, deputy director of the council.
According to the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey taken in 2016, nearly 17,000 Johnson County residents are estimated to live with some kind of disability. About 19 percent of all Indiana residents have a disability.
Some of those conditions are evident to people that they meet. Others are invisible.
Goldman struggles with the fact that, when she meets someone new, they often don’t understand her situation or what she goes through on a daily basis.
“It’s a given almost for people to be fearful or awkward to something that’s unfamiliar to you,” she said.
Throughout her life, she has struggled with a variety of mental illnesses. Through therapy, life-coaching and medication, she manages the disabilities well.
Currently she works as the director of public policy and systemic advocacy for the Indiana Statewide Independent Living Council. But those conditions will manifest in some of Goldman’s mannerisms, and that often takes people by surprise if they aren’t aware she has a disability.
“The only thing that works in my benefit is that I do hold this position of privilege, and people do not know that I have a disability. I can get by without disclosing that, if I want to,” she said. “I am employed, I do have graduate education, I do have all of these connections. I’m counter-acting the false stereotypes people have, that if you have a disability, you can’t be accomplished.”
Goldman had been a graduate partner of the governor’s policy-making program, which led to her involvement on the Council for People with Disabilities. She still works closely with the council in helping improve the lives of residents with disabilities.
“They know I’m a very vocal disability-rights advocate, not only for the community at large but a self-advocate for myself,” she said. “When people think of disabilities, they automatically think of the universal disabilities signs, which is the person in a wheelchair. I think that goes into the misconceptions people have about disabilities — if you can’t see it, it must not be real.”
The Indiana Governor’s Council for People with Disabilities was created to expand the inclusion, independence and productivity of people with disabilities, Crowe said. Members of the council conduct training sessions throughout the state, work to get systems changed so that more people with disabilities can participate, and advocate for them in government, schools and other areas of the community.
Programs include a disability history project and a training academy that has helped more than 600 Indiana residents learn how to engage elected leaders and their communities about services and supports for those with disabilities.
“Overall, we want to make the lives of people with disabilities better,” Crowe said.
One of their largest organized activities is the education campaign in March. The goal is to promote the independence, integration, and inclusion of all people with disabilities, Crowe said. Each year, a unique theme is envisioned, and educational materials are distributed free of charge to people who want to help make a difference.
The majority of the Governor’s Council is made up of people with disabilities, or family members of children who have disabilities. With their guidance, the idea for this year’s campaign came to life, said Christine Dahlberg, executive director for the council.
“They thought this was a campaign that was really needed, because a lot of people don’t have experience with people with disabilities. They’re not really sure what to do when they see someone for the first time,” she said. “This is a way to let people know that if you treat people like you want to be treated, everything will be fine.”
The “Be Cool” concept was one that council members heard over and over from the people that they serve.
“Attitude is one of the biggest barriers that people with disabilities face in society,” Crowe said. “That finds itself manifested in employment, community involvement and schools especially. People are generally uncomfortable around people with disabilities until they get to know them.”
The idea came together over the course of 2017. The stars of the video were chosen from among people that council members had worked with in the past in other activities. They represent people of all ages, races and ability levels.
Goldman was drawn to the project because it addresses a major problem that people with all kinds of disabilities experience.
“Unfortunately, because the inclusion of people with disabilities is a problem still, often the only source of information people get about disabilities is media such as TV or movies,” she said. “A lot times, that absolutely inaccurately portrays disability by perpetuating negative stereotypes, instead of showing them as human as well.”
Since it was released in mid-February, the clip also has found success throughout the community. So far, the video has been viewed more than 3,400 times on YouTube, and has been shared hundreds of times on social media.
“This is probably the most coverage during awareness month that I can think of. Other states have picked up on it, and it’s been submitted into a small film festival, and it’s generated a buzz on social media, which is what we were hoping for,” Crowe said.
To go along with the video, council organizers also embarked on a month-long social media blitz. Every day, the council posted and shared a tip to help promoting the equality and inclusion of all people with disabilities.
“We’ve always done social media before, but for the very first time, we really concentrated on that and did a focused campaign on disabilities and interacting with people who have them,” Dahlberg said.
The Be Cool campaign may have been most heavily promoted in March, but organizers hope that the lessons they were trying to impart take root and grow throughout Indiana all year long.
“We want to reinforce the Golden Rule: Treat other people like you’d want to be treated,” Crowe said. “People with disabilities have the same dreams, hopes and aspirations as anyone else does, and deserve the chance to do those.”
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As part of its Indiana Disability Awareness Month campaign, the Governor’s Council for People with Disabilities has created the “Be Cool. We Are” campaign. The theme is all about the importance of being comfortable in your own skin and making the conscious decision to be yourself, because acting different around someone with a disability isn’t cool.
To help accentuate that point, the council shared 31 educational tips promoting the equality and inclusion of all people with disabilities — one for each day in March. Here’s a rundown of some of their advice:
Don’t assume a person with a disability can’t do something.
Leave accessible parking for those who need it.
Don’t judge. You can’t always tell a person has a disability by looking.
Don’t touch a person’s wheelchair, scooter or cane.
Introduce yourself right away when speaking to someone who is blind or visually impaired.
Speak directory to the person rather than through a sign language interpreter or companion.
Even though they are adorable, never pet a service animal.
It’s OK to use phrases like “See you later,” with someone who is blind.
Avoid terms such as differently abled, physically challenged and handicapable.
Words to lose: “Confined to a wheelchair” or wheelchair-bound.” Words to live by: “Wheelchair user.”
Don’t shout or raise your voice, unless asked to do so.
Talk to someone with a disability just as you would anyone else.
Try to put yourself at eye level when talking to someone in a wheelchair.
Avoid the “You’re so inspirational” remarks.
The person with a disability is the best judge for what he or she can’t do.
A disability isn’t always the most significant part of a person’s identity.
If you offer to help, wait until the offer is accepted.
Words to lose: Handicap. Words to live by, disability.
To get the attention of someone who is deaf, tap the person on the shoulder or wave your hand.
Avoid labeling individuals as victims.
Treat everyone as you’d like to be treated.
Respect a person’s dignity, individuality and desire for independence.
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