As I have written before in this blog, a meritocracy is a society where goods, services, and wealth are allocated by competence, talent, achievement, and performance. This is a sharp alternative to allocating them based on race, creed, gender, and family lineage. I suppose it is much more efficient and productive. That is great for the super achievers, but how about the rest of us, especially us with disabilities? Is it fair to allocate resources to us based on our performance? We have been fighting discrimination, segregation, and stigmatization all our lives. We have been denied opportunities, and quite frankly many of us have limited productivity of marketable skills. We may also need supports to live independently in our community to our potential. For us, there is a gap between performance and need. I am not a fan of petty, that is a double edged sword that helps some but holds us down a lot. What do you do when you need assistance. There is a belief by circulated that a person only gives assistance to others if they choose to or want to and that there is no special obligation or responsibility to help. I can’t disagree more vigorously with this notion. As I see it we are all interconnected, each contributing to the wealth and well-being of others. In shared unity there is strength, purpose, and hope. There is more to life than productivity and efficiency. We have our values and individual self-worth. Our meritocracy must be tempered with compassion and a sense of social justice.