COOL

DontDriveStupid.com ZeroFatalities.com
Nothing’s cooler than the day you get your driver’s license. But as soon as you start driving stupid, it’s not so cool anymore. Texting, using your iPod, racing, thay all fall under the category of stupid. And dangerous. So before you get behind the wheel and try to prove how cool you are, here’s a little harsh reality: Nothing kills more Utah teens than auto crashes. Not fazed? Okay, how does the thought of spending the rest of your life in wheelchair grab you? Look, every year far too many Utah teens go from cool to crippled in a blink of an eye. So if you are one of those drivers who think they have something to prove, you can start shopping for your wheelchair now. Any hey, if you think that‘s harsh, wait until the day you roll it into school.

The boy in the poster appears to have sustained a spinal cord injury from a motor vehicle accident and now uses a wheelchair for mobility. We all agree that this result is an unfortunate and also undesirable occurrence. What we object to and are in fact highly critical of is the stated and implied message conveyed.

"cool to crippled" is the exact text and message sent to America's youth. Without qualification, readers are told that if you use a wheelchair for mobility you are nothing but a "cripple", and therefore the exact opposite of all things "cool".

"wait until the day you roll it [your wheelchair] into school" is the final sentence. America's impressionable youth is now told that the end all of tragedy and social ostracization is the simple act of "going to school in a wheelchair".

These statements and the photograph are a slap in the face to the estimated 5,600,000 Americans living in the US with some type of paralysis. They are an insult to the millions of Americans that use wheelchairs for mobility. They are cruel and defeating words to the thousands of young soldiers who have been permanently wounded from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and now hope to lead productive and fulfilling lives.

As people who use wheelchairs every day, we stand against this negative characterization of ourselves and our lives. We defy its defeatist message. We give our support and encouragement to anyone who through accident, disease, or otherwise uses a wheelchair whether it be for a single day or for a lifetime.