OK - this is what I'm planning to send....will leave it as draft, in order to reflect, for a few hours before I hit the send button.
I have to write and say how saddened, and angered, I was to receive the attachment that you sent to me at work on Friday.
The attachment showed a couple, in my opinion with quite obvious learning difficulties, on their wedding day. This was then accompanied by a completely offensive narrative regarding their disabilities, their appearance and their right to have children in the future.
As a parent of a child with learning difficulties, it completely shocked me. I felt sick to the core at the idea of someone laughing and gawping at pictures of my beautiful, happy, smiley daughter, or any of her peers for that matter, for their 'amusement'. The people in the attachment you sent will be someone's daughter, son, sibling, niece, nephew, friend....
People with learning disabilities, and their families, have had to fight so hard in recent decades to gain acceptance in the community. We continue to work towards this goal, so it makes it incredibly depressing to realise how a lot of the hard work can be washed away with the click of a mouse button. Have a look at the mencap site below, to read about some of the work that is being done, and maybe to realise that people with disabilities are not one-dimensional people without feelings, but are the same as you and I.
PS - Fio, totally agree r.e. the married couple that you know. I bet they are a lot happier than most couples