Tag Archives: poem called presume competence

A Poem called “Presume Competence”

Presume Competence,

by theamazinJ

I am able even though I am disabled,
no one is not even able, even though they may be disabled,
because its all in the way we all behave,
it is all in the way we all seek universally designing the world
of what everyone feels everyone can conform to together,
realizing conforming to current structures needs changing,
it is all about conforming, but to what aspect do we all conform to together,
It doesn’t matter what another thinks,
we make decisions
and can negate the approval or
what fate any one else thinks someone else has,
presume competence no matter what.
Presuming competence is so important,
everyone can do the right thing
as long as they show consistently
the things they can do and can’t do,
even with a cognitive or psychiatric disability.
No one is incapable, because everyone is capable.
No one can automatically assume to not presume,
because we all have what it takes,
many have been through the traumatic society
we live in for far too long
and internalize all that trauma
in a reaction that may show
everyone now, that they may be incapable,
A person is not incapable
A person is not not able to decide
A person can choose for themselves
A person any person is a human being,
Any person can do, say, or whatever they please
unless they have proven consistently
throughout their life they cannot do that, however,
many who are disabled
have also been through an extreme amount of trauma
in the society they have lived in,
many who have bullied them,
many who have taunted them,
many who have hurt them both physically and mentally,
many who have brought them down making them feel useless and worthless,
and many who just assumed their whole life
that they can easily manipulate and control
a disabled person they question:
a disabled person who they question is vulnerable,
a disabled person who they question is not all there,
a disabled person who they question the self-authority,
a disabled person who they question competence,
Yes, disabled people are vulnerable
like you,
Yes, disabled people may not always be there,
like you,
Yes, disabled people get tired and may need your support,
like you,
yet, disabled people regardless need support
like you who tend to not presume competence,
like you who tend to assure society
that just because a person has a disability
does not mean they cannot be presumed competent,
it does not mean anything unless proven consistently
that the person can’t, but that is a long stretch
from the manipulations, abuses, and neglect society has done
without taking responsibility for the damages,
because once society and individuals take responsibility for those damages,
we can finally make rational decisions
of a person’s competence,
we can then finally decide what, if any,
a person can or cannot do,
and finally,
we will know for sure,
what to presume and what not,
until then,
we all wait,
until then,
we all must presume competence,
until society and individuals take responsibility for these damages
of what many have done to a disabled person,
we can only do what is best,
what is right,
what provides human dignity and respect for everyone,
with all the inalienable rights we all have,
and all the most important things we can do
to speak out and advocate for ourselves,
because in the end,
one self-advocate voice helps another
regardless of being disabled or not,
and that makes all the difference,
and that is all what it takes,
to presume competence first and foremost.