The Giving Hands

One of the preparations I made way before the Blogathon was to gather a few bloggers with disabilities and to “interview” them. The purpose of the “interview” wasn’t to glorify them or to make them sound like heroes for being who they are. Instead, the sole purpose of the “interview” was to obtain a clearer picture of the issues faced by people with disabilities and to spread the awareness to the general public on what can be done to overcome these issues.

Now, Peter Tan @ The Digital Awakening has contributed an article on disability:

There is a tendency to glorify disabled persons who have made it in life by portraying them as super achievers and people who have conquered their disability and made it against all odds. What about the millions of other disabled persons who have not accomplished such feats? How should we describe them? Where should we place them?

There is nothing special about a disabled person graduating from the university. If other people can do it, so can a person who uses a wheelchair. There is nothing unique about a disabled person who runs a successful business. This world is full of successful people.

What does it mean when we celebrate a disabled person graduating by splashing her face across the newspapers when there are thousands of other non-disabled persons graduating together with her? Stop and think for a moment. Are we trying to say that disabled persons cannot normally do well academically?

Whether we want to admit it or not, we are still bent on segregating people into different categories based on them being different from the majority. Those who are living with some forms of impairment often find themselves excluded from mainstream society.

The environment is full of manmade physical barriers that impede free and safe movement of people with mobility and visual impairments. There is still a general attitude that disabled persons are unable to live independently, and that they need sympathies, discounts and privileges.

The question begging answers is why is society applauding a disabled person for overcoming obstacles that was created by the same society in the first place? This irony does not make sense at all. At the same time, disabled persons do not need sympathies, discounts or privileges. What disabled persons want are equal opportunities in education, employment and all social, religious, cultural and political activities.

This can be achieved through a change of mindset from seeing disabled persons as people of lesser abilities to persons who are part of society and are entitled to the same rights as everyone else. Disabled persons should not deserve any less than what non-disabled persons are getting.

Disabled persons are not “overcomers.” We should not be portrayed as such. We are just living life as it is. My mentor and good friend Christine Lee summed it up best when she asked, “Why should we suffer so that others can be inspired by us?”

- Peter Tan @ The Digital Awakening

You can do your part to help people with disabilities by donating to Eden Handicap Service Centre. Detailed instructions on how to sponsor me can be found here — How to sponsor Eden Handicap Service Centre? Check out Eden Handicap’s Donation Page on how to send your contributions.