The Word Disabled is Disabled
About 56.8 Million people around the world are considered disabled. Moreover, 1 in every 5 people in the United States is “disabled.” A majority of these “Disabled” people are discriminated against and treated very disrespectfully and emotionlessly. This is all due to a single or rarely more than one mishap which took place in their lives. Each one of us is equally vulnerable to such ill-fortune events, thus, we all have to take steps stop the injustice done to the disabled. This article is my first step to making the first step to helping the hapless people, who have gone through dark times in their lives. I believe that this is a massive issue in the world right now and we have to stop this issue in its track right now. After further thought and, I reached a resolution. No One Is Disabled.
The first thought in your mind right now would be “Yes, there are,” but a huge controversy surrounds the word “disabled.” The word has a huge problem. The term which really should be used is “differently-abled.” This word is the ideal replacement for the poor and bleak term “disabled”. However, the word complements the person rather than discouraging or boycotting them for the rest of us. This slight change in the word may have a huge impact on how the world views the differently-abled. The word differently-abled brings out the positive nature of the word itself. Small such steps can fuel and spark revolution which might just spread like wildfire throughout the world and overall create change.
In our current society, the word disabled is surrounded by a cloud of negativity. This cloud envelops the “Disabled” and separates “us” from “them.” This word is now more or less an insult to anyone. Thus, the words disabled should be burned, thrown, forgotten and replaced. The word disabled is “disabled.” This word causes huge problems due to its first half. “Dis.” This prefix naturally has a negative meaning to it, as it means apart. This word further pulls us together and creates indifference.
However, this is not where it ends. The real problem begins with the mindset of the community. Statistics taken from WHO, show that 36% of people believe that the differently-abled are less productive than the rest of the population. however, this is not the case. It may be true that their skillsets are slightly more limited, but they are as productive or even more productive than us “fortunate” people. Moreover, according to Papworth Trust, there are myths such as ” Accommodating workers with disabilities costs too much. ” This a very common myth and is absolutely wrong. Research suggests that in most cases the accommodations cost the same and in other cases, accommodations are lower. Furthermore, another common myth, ” People with disability can only do basic unskilled jobs.” This myth is especially horrible as is underestimates the capabilities of the differently-abled. All of the differently-abled bring a range of skills, abilities and talents to the workplace, which in many cases increases the productivity of the office.
All of these myths are busted by a single person, Ms Christina Lau. When she first came to UWC I was surprised by the positive aura she spread. I was instantly hooked on her speech. The fact that she gone through such tough times and yet was here spreading a positive atmosphere through her speeches. She is currently painting with just her mouth under an organisation called Mouth and Feet Painting Artists. She has several paintings selling for a good amount. She is incredibly productive and even increases the overall productivity where ever she travels.
Finally, I would like to thank Ms Lau for inspiring me and opening my eyes to the truth of the differently abled. The quote “We are not disabled, we are different” by Ms Lau has heavily impacted me and hopefully all of you too. I hope all of us take steps, even small ones, to make the lives of the differently-abled better, even if it’s just a tad bit. The smallest spark can ignite and start a fire.
