I am very interested in the idea and taboo of tattooing as I have many myself. I am also part of the community of persons with disabilities.  To me they blend together to create an easy crossover. Most of the responses have been about the empowerment that one feels when they fully express themselves in the ways they like. Getting a tattoo is definitely not for everyone. Simply having a disability does not denote that you would never want to get a tattoo. Some have a stigma of both tattoos and disabilities. Some believe you must be a criminal to have a tattoo. Some also believe that those with disabilities are not capable of deciding a decision like getting a permanent tattoo by themselves. Unfortunately there is a lot of ignorance out there. Fortunately we can dispel this ignorance through immersion and teaching. People are not sure what to think sometimes and need a context to be comfortable.

When you see a person who has a tattoo on the street, chances are they did not get that tattoo for you. It was a decision they made for themselves to make them look how they wanted. Those with disabilities are simply people and why the heck should they not be getting as tattooed as they feel like? If it makes you uncomfortable to think of someone with a disability choosing for themselves, then you must learn to open your mind.

 My sister has a tattoo on her ankle of a dolphin jumping out of a wave. I have over thirty, and not all are as cool as my sister’s dolphin. My sister also has down syndrome, no one told her to want to get a tattoo, she just wanted a tattoo because she thought they were cool. She went with our mother to a local tattoo shop and they felt out the comfort level of the artists around tattooing someone with down syndrome. My mother thought there may be some who would feel uncomfortable, but found the opposite. The artist they first spoke with was totally up for the tattoo. Not even the bat of an eye, because he understood that she was simply a client just like any other. The only thing that was any different was that my sister was having to get permission from her mother before getting a tattoo. Most of us just come home one day with ink in our skin, much to the dismay of our parents. My sister still visits her tattoo artist when she is near the shop to show off how well it healed on her. He is always happy to see her and is very kind. So before you pass judgement on someone who has a neck tattoo, think about how you may be the one with a closed mind who is not seeing the book beyond its cover. Things are not always as black and white as they seem and simply expressing yourself is no crime.

Our country needs to be educated on how to deal with one another on a personal basis. Hearing stories of police that have shot and killed someone who is mentally ill or seeking help for a mental health issue scares me horribly.

The recent incidents of people like Kristiana Coignard have weighed heavy on my mind. I hate to think that if our police forces were better able to talk people down rationally we would not have arrived at outcomes where emotion and violence have taken over a situation.

Coignard’s story is one that should not have ended in her death. Family says that she was simply seeking mental health help from the police. Instead she was seen as a threat, she was a slender 17 year old girl, and shot dead in the lobby of the police station. Hearing about this and other similar stories such as the schizophrenic man in dallas who was killed by the police after coming to the door holding a screwdriver and the man who had down syndrome who was killed by police in a movie theatre.

Imagining my sister with down syndrome in a public place, afraid, yelled at by police officers, I can only imagine her reacting in an erratic way. I hope to god that she would not be gunned down for not obeying orders screamed at her in the heat of the moment. She processes stress differently and slower than most. This should be considered by police when dealing with anyone.

People have all types of different processing methods in their own minds. Especially those who have a mental disability, invisible disability, so many ones we cannot see. Wheelchair users are an example of those with visible disabilities, but there are many many invisible disabilities. If we are to trust in our police forces and not fear their presence then we need to train them to deal with any situation. Dealing with someone with emotional disabilities can be tough, but is not impossible, nor should it be treated as impossible.

I would love to hear from the readers of this as well. I have asked my followers on Twitter to give me feedback or opinions to discuss on the podcast. If you have any tips, ideas, opinions or concerns please feel free to e-mail me at kevin@ruhglobal.com I think discussing these topics further will help us all. Thank you for taking the time to read my blog, I hope to hear from you soon.

To learn more about Ruh Global Communications, please visit www.RuhGlobal.com

Call for submissions! If you are a person with a disability or have someone close to you that is affected by disabilities then we want to hear from you! Do you have a tattoo? Whats the story behind it? Do you want to get a tattoo? Are you against tattooing? What is your opinion on people who have a disability getting tattooed? What kind of meaningful content do people want? We want to hear your opinion on the subject! If you are a tattoo artist we would love to hear about this topic from your point of view. Are you worried that the tattoo shop may not be accessible or maybe the staff will not be comfortable dealing with a client with a disability? My sister Sara was born with Down syndrome and is now a wonderful 27 year old woman. When she wanted to get her first tattoo at the age of 20 and a family friend expressed concern when our family mentioned that we would be 100% open to Sara getting a tattoo if she wanted one. Who is to say she should not be allowed to get a tattoo, and why? She understands that it will hurt, and not go away. But she is an adult and although she gets support from her family for day to day living she wants to be as independent as anyone would and wants to make her own decisions. After a lot of talk and presenting Sara with the idea that people may not think it was a good idea and may be judgmental. She had the same stance that most do when they have decided that a tattoo is in their future, Who cares what anyone else thinks, this is a tattoo for me and on me. How can I or anyone who loves and respects sara and her opinion say otherwise. The selection process for the Artist who would ink the design was shorter than we expected. The first Artist we visited was told by the shop owners that Sara had a disability and he said he was comfortable with that and would simply like to meet her before and discuss every aspect of the tattoo, this is not uncommon for any tattoo artist to do, you always want to know who you’re working with and it is important to do this on both sides. As an artist talking to a client and as well as someone who is commissioning artwork from an artist. Well thats my story in a nutshell, we hope to hear from you and yours about this, please take a few moments to submit your story to: Kevin@ruhglobal.com