Disability Awareness Day

April 15, 2008. Geo and I had the privilege of attending a state disability conference dinner with representatives from a variety of agencies and some state legislators. The panel included people with disabilities who are successful advocates advancing disability rights, sharing their experiences and vision for future direction.

We learned that the disability rights movement took as its model the civil rights movement and promotes self-advocacy. One of the speakers gave insights into “inclusion.” He has a disability from childhood that is not readily obvious. He was not able to keep up with the other students in school and was put into special education classes. There he found there were many other students with disabilities, but that he needed to take the initiative to share about his own disability with them for them to know him and begin communicating about shared experiences. He began to realize that he was part of two communities – the disability and the non-disability. Just as he needed to share about his disability with those in his special ed class, he needed to be the one to reach out to persons without disabilities for them to know him and accept him. Prior to this, he felt misunderstood and marginalized.

Geo mentioned to me that so often, a usual approach is for society to “blame” the people without disabilities for not accepting or not understanding persons with disabilities, and not “doing more” for them. Self-advocacy places the responsibility on persons with disabilities to communicate who they are and what they need. Successful self-advocacy also increases one’s sense of well-being and worth.

What is needed in society is for any barriers preventing inclusion to be eliminated. Inclusion makes it more likely that all persons will be valued and able to participate more fully in society. It allows people to understand and accept one another and to communicate for the benefit of all.

One speaker said that sometimes persons with disabilities are looked upon as people to be ignored, healed, or avoided. Rather we need to come to know people as they truly are, accept one another and work toward removing barriers that keep us from understanding one another and allowing all to participate as valued members of a community.

All the speakers were persons with various disabilities, including a deaf person going blind who spoke eloquently by signing. He had an interpreter to assist him. All were very inspiring leaders. I came away from this meeting realizing I still have so much to learn by interacting with the disability community.