How do you view those labeled “handicapped”?

I was part of the generation that grew up with Mr. Rogers. In his caring way, he taught us many things. Some videos now available on YouTube share his lesson in word and deed on how to view others, particularly those with disabilities.

I always enjoyed Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood. From the opening song asking if I’d be his neighbor, to taking a trip to the Neighborhood of Make Believe , to just feeding the fish in the aquarium, the half-hour show was a nice respite out of the otherwise hectic world of a growing boy. Plus, there was family lore that Mr. Rogers gave my Dad’s youngest brother a ride when he was hitchhiking–which seemed exactly what Mr. Rogers would do if he saw someone needing a ride.

In an on-line campaign to make public television hip, PBS produced videos that songified some of their classic talent. My kids ask me to play the one of Bob Ross singing his motto: “I believe everyday’s a good day when you paint.” They also like the one of Mr. Rogers almost as much as I do.

In the video (above), there’s a line that jumped out at me. Mr. Rogers makes the observation:

Imagine every person that you see is someone different from every other person in the world.

No doubt this is something that we appreciate about ourselves. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t think they are unique. But, when we begin to talk about “others”–whatever the classification, be it race, ethnicity, different religions, or capabilities/disabilities–we strip the individuals of their uniqueness. Instead, whatever group we’re discussing are lumped into the “other.” Again, Kierkegaard’s line that “when you define me, you deny me.”

Certainly, this is a concern with prenatal testing providing a diagnosis that tells you one thing about a developing fetus, that it has Down syndrome, but nothing else about its other multitude of characteristics–not even its hair or eye color. And, then, I ran across another video of Mr. Rogers that offered another perspective on how to view people, particularly those with disabilities.

In the video below, Mr. Rogers is being interviewed for the Archives of American Television by the Emmys. Mr. Rogers talks of a dedication ceremony in Toronto for a friend of his, Henri Nouwen. Mr. Rogers describes Nouwen as an extremely intelligent man, a Catholic priest, who taught at Harvard and other institutions of higher learning. But, Nouwen found his place being the pastor to a L’Arche Community, which are predominantly made up of individuals with intellectual disabilities. Mr. Rogers begins this story at the 12 minute mark:*

Mr. Rogers’s description and observation of the L’Arche residents near the 14 minute mark moves him almost to tears:

These people are wonderful people. …

They help us to be who we are because they are so much themselves. …

Each one of us can be used in perfectly wonderful ways and it doesn’t necessarily have to do with what the world would call great talents.

This interview of Mr. Rogers reminded me of another (and final for this post) video.

When Mr. Rogers was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame, to introduce his award, the producers played a clip of Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood where he talks with a young boy named Jeff Erlanger. Erlanger had a tumor that paralyzed him, requiring him to use a motorized wheelchair. Mr. Rogers has Erlanger talk about his condition and comments on how proud Erlanger’s parents must be of him. They end by singing together  “It’s You I Like.” Then, as a surprise, the now adult Erlanger enters from Stage Left. Watching Mr. Rogers’ reaction speaks volumes for how he viewed those society labels as “handicapped” and how they should be greeted:

Perhaps none of this has anything to do with Down syndrome prenatal testing, the focus of this blog. But, as I said, I’ve always enjoyed Mr. Rogers, and I appreciate his wisdom of viewing each person as a unique individual, each with gifts, even if the world would not consider them a great talent, and how he greets a person with disabilities.

UPDATE: In 2018, a moving documentary about Fred Rogers received a wide release in theaters.

David Brooks of The New York Times devoted a column about Mr. Rogers after watching the film. Some key quotes that I found both especially true and supported by the quotes and clips featured in the original blog post above:

And here is the radicalism that infused [Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood]: that the child is closer to God than the adult; that the sick are closer than the healthy; that the poor are closer than the rich and the marginalized closer than the celebrated.

Rogers often comforted children on the show and taught them in simple terms, but the documentary shows how he did so with a profound respect for the dignity of each child that almost rises to veneration. …

In the gospel of Fred Rogers, children are our superiors in the way they trust each person they meet, the way they lack guile, the way a child can admit simple vulnerability.

I have heard the following generalized descriptions of people with Down syndrome: that they are innocent, child-like, angelic. I have also heard from others (mostly from parents of children with Down syndrome) examples of when their children behaved just the opposite to temper these positive generalizations.

One description that I have found generally applies is that people with Down syndrome are just like us, but more so. “More so” in that–beyond the literal, chromosomal-basis of having one more chromosome–they share the same desires, wants, emotions, but are freer in sharing these due to lacking some of the restrictions most of us impose on ourselves based on our self-consciousness and social norms.

In this way, as Brooks writes and as Mr. Rogers recognized, they lack guile, are more trusting, and willing to be more vulnerable. In this way, they “are so much themselves” and help us to be who we are.

Below is the trailer for the documentary:

* The link to the YouTube video for the L’Arche discussion is no longer operable. The full interview is available in nine installments here. Unfortunately, I have not found the section in those episodes to the quote from the original YouTube video. If you do, feel free to leave a comment when and where.