| Quotes to Consider |
| "We must scrupulously guard the civil rights and civil liberties of all citizens, whatever their background. We must remember that any oppression, any injustice, any hatred is a wedge designed to attack our civilization." --Quote from President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, appearing on a wall at the FDR Memorial, where a statue showing him in his wheelchair was unveiled on January 9, 2001) |
| "'Normal' is a useful word for medicine and psychology, but otherwise it is too abstract. When we decide what's 'normal' and what's 'not normal', it could be very dangerous." --Award winning author and philosopher Alexandre Jollien, who has cerebral palsy and spent much of his life in an institution in Switzerland (January 10, 2001) |
| "A lot of people with a disability say, 'This is who I am. I don't come here hoping my disability will go away, but because I want to participate.'" --Carolyn R. Thompson, who has written a document encouraging churches to include more people with disabilities in their congregations |
| "People get so caught up in trying to fix the person that they don't see the great diversity and benefits that the person has to bring to the rest of the world." --Alison Seylor, who decided to have her son Alex, 11, who has autism, included in a classroom with other children his age rather than a segregated specialized therapy program |