In light of the upcoming National Week for persons living with disabilities, this column will try to focus on some of the struggles that people living with disabilities face, and what we can do about it.
Many of us have been privileged, because we have been lucky enough to fall into the bracket of what society deems “normal”. It is accepted that it is “normal” to see, to hear, or to be able to walk. I say privileged, because since we fall into this category, we have had life easy. The world is built and functions around the idea of an ideal human. Even though no one person perfectly fits this idea, some of us are better fits than others, and so we have fairly few problems. Others are on the other end of the spectrum of things, and no one is more cognisant of this fact than people living with disabilities.
Our systems and infrastructure are designed to suit the so-called “normal” person. It treats those living with disabilities as though they are abnormal. A simple example of this would be wheelchair ramps. How many public buildings do you know that facilitates people who cannot walk? By not putting systems in place to accommodate all types of people, we hinder their capabilities.
Consider this. A brilliant young man is born who has the potential to become a world-renowned physicist. However, he is blind. Because of this disability, he never reaches his true potential simply because physics isn’t a course offered to visually impaired persons in Guyana.
This is not to say that there are no systems in place at all. The Guyana Society for the Blind has been working arduously to give students classes to prepare them for CSEC examinations, and has even been encouraging them to pursue tertiary education. However, not many CSEC subjects have been adapted to cater for visually impaired persons, and consequently, the students have a very limited range to choose from.
If this wasn’t enough, often times, persons who are disabled are mocked by peers, and labelled as “lazy”, by class teachers. We need to be mindful of our words. Statements such as these may leave a person feeling isolated, misunderstood, and could lead to self-esteem issues.
What can we do? It’s time to start thinking about others. Yes, we exist in our own personal bubble, but it’s time to care. Activists for people with disabilities shouldn’t have to be themselves disabled. You don’t need to have experienced a struggle to understand that it is a problem that is worth addressing. More and more people need to demand that we have better systems in place for students who can’t hear, can’t see, or who have learning disabilities. There should be an outcry for special- trained teachers, who will be able to work with and advise students. This way, no dream will be rendered unattainable. The louder the outcry for changes in infrastructure, in the school system and in society as a whole, to facilitate persons living with disabilities, the sooner we will see a response. We should also learn the correct terms to use, or find out the terms that the person is comfortable with, so that we do not unwittingly offend them. Being kind and understanding can go a long way in building up someone’s self-esteem and confidence.
Remember, at the end of the day being disabled is not someone’s foremost identity. That individual is a person above all else, and deserve to be respected and honoured as one.
