Популярный енот с физическими особенностями привлекает внимание к правам людей с инвалидностью

While Jimothy the Raccoon thrives, disabled humans are under threat When I first saw the viral video of Jimothy the Raccoon, animal celebrity du jour, I had the same reactions as most people: “Look at that cute little guy go!” and “he really does look like a Jimothy.” However, when other people asked, “What’s wrong with him?” I was thinking “Wow, he looks just like me.” I have a rare disorder called Klippel-Feil syndrome that dramatically affects development of the spine, leading to musculoskeletal birth defects that limit mobility and cause lifelong pain. It’s rare enough that I’ve never met another person with it. Like Jimothy, I have almost no neck, a shortened trunk, and stiff movements. The resemblance is uncanny. With a little research, I learned that short spine syndrome in raccoons is nearly indistinguishable from KFS in humans. Watching the world come to love this spherical little trash panda has been an absolute joy, tinged with a bittersweet aftertaste. A disabled animal is getting universal support in a time when the rights of disabled humans are under threat. Over the last year, the Trump administration has slowly, quietly rolled back the protections of the Americans With Disabilities Act, including a terrifying reinterpretation of the Supreme Court decision Olmstead vs L.C., and massive cuts to Medicare and SSDI. Luckily, raccoons are blissfully free of the ableism that makes society hostile to those of us with disabilities, and there’s no indication Jimothy shares the intractable pain that defines my life. He’s thriving. My hope is that Jimothy’s broad appeal not only brings smiles to millions of faces in truly dark times, but also encourages people to demand civil rights for his human counterparts. And maybe, if I’m truly lucky, the medical establishment will change my condition’s name: I don’t have KFS, I’m just Jimothy Shaped. Andrea Rudman, Boulder Mass surveillance poses a threat to our privacy I am writing to you to highlight the danger that increased surveillance in our communities poses to our right of expression and our right to privacy. As a retired software engineer, I know how easy it is to abuse technology and the data that it collects. The use of Flock Cameras and the monitoring of Social Media violate our right to privacy and free speech. Please focus on these issues in upcoming publications to inform the community as to the danger these technologies pose to the rights of our community. Dan Pawlowski, Boulder To send a letter to the editor about this article, submit online or check out our guidelines for how to submit by email.