Negative attitudes often greatest barrier for people with disabilities
As posted at: www.news-sentinel.com
Press Release by: Tony Belton, Easter Seals ARC
I’ve been fascinated by words for as long as I can remember; you pair one with another, and before you know it, find yourself on an emotional roller coaster. Similes. Metaphors. Poetry. The art of storytelling.But what I like most about words is their ability to paint pictures. And just like art, the same words can create so many different images with so many different people.That theory opened my eyes to a previously known unknown when I began working at Easter Seals Arc, ironically, as the PR guy. It’s as simple as ABC yet as clear as mud at the same time — people with disabilities are people first. Yes, disabilities are part of their lives, but disabilities do not define people.People with disabilities are part of the landscape in a diverse American portrait. The more than 55 million Americans with disabilities usually fall into the categories of mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, sons, daughters, neighbors, friends, classmates and co-workers. People. Did I forget anyone?Over the past decade, changes in laws, technology, public policies and attitudes have opened opportunities for people with disabilities to pursue education, recreation and employment in the mainstream of community life. Like other Americans, people with disabilities live, work, attend school, play, worship and volunteer in their communities.However, lately I have been hearing more people refer to people with disabilities as handicapped or referring to their person second:“Handicapped man confined to wheelchair…,” “girl stricken with cerebral palsy…” These words and phrases only shape inaccurate perceptions of people with disabilities.Negative attitudes are often the greatest barrier for people with disabilities to overcome. Even the word “handicapped” itself is considered insulting by many because it is a term coined by people who are not.Throughout the year, especially the holidays, I urge people to be a little more careful or sensitive when choosing words. The reality is that people with disabilities succeed not in spite of their disabilities but in spite of an inaccessible and discriminatory society. They do not overcome their disabilities so much as they overcome prejudice.When you think about it, it’s really a clear picture, but unfortunately it’s one of those things that everybody knows, but nobody really knows.Food, er, words for thought.
Tony Belton is community relations coordinator of Easter Seals Arc of Northeast Indiana.