Able-bodied Disabled

International Day of Persons with Disabilities

December 3rd is recognized as the “International Day of Persons with Disabilities” by the United Nations.

A couple of years ago I attended a seminar on diversity and inclusion related to those with special accessibility needs, the so-called ‘disabled’. As part of the workshop exercises, the attendees were challenged to wrestle with three questions:

  1. “What is Disability?”
  2. “What is Ability?”
  3. “What is normal?”

As I started thinking about it, I felt I was ‘disabled’ to come up with right definitions by myself. We were then asked to work as a group. What started out as a quiet mumble soon transformed into chatter and ended up in an enlightening discussion for all who attended the seminar.

It was such a thought-provoking discussion. Who decides who is ‘disabled’, and who is ‘abled’? What is ‘normal’? There was an example of this young man without a right leg. He plays competitive soccer, and can sprint faster, and run farther than most ‘normal’ people (if there is such a thing). Some people who haven’t seen him in action on a soccer field or running track are quick to pity him and provide help he does not need and certainly does not want. He just does not consider himself ‘disabled’, at least in terms of how narrowly the word is colloquially used.

Given a specific goal, each one of us may have some disabilities and some abilities that help or hurt our endeavors, and it’s perfectly normal to have these abilities and disabilities. Some of us may have special accessibility needs so we can fully participate in the world around us as it is currently built. Those with such atypical needs have every right to expect that those needs be fulfilled by our society, by fellow human beings.

We, as a society, need to hold each other’s hands and provide the help to address the need, whether it is temporary, permanent, physical, psychological, or any category it might fall under. When innovation, technology, and compassion come together there are hardly any needs that can’t be fulfilled to create a socially inclusive community.

The last thing those with physical or mental challenges need is pity. They need assistance just as any one of us needs assistance to get through challenges in our lives.

I came across this interesting video that shows how so-called ‘able-bodied’ people became ‘disabled’ in a town. I urge you to spend just 84 seconds of your time to watch the video. It may change your perspective just as it did mine.

Happy “International Day of Persons with Disabilities”. If it was up to me, I would rename it as “Happy Normal People Day”. With over one billion people having a ‘disability’, it’s got to be normal.

Sincerely,

Vish Paradkar
VP of Technology & CIO
cio@wit.edu

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *