Supporting
International day of persons with disabilities
INTRODUCTION
There are different cultures backgrounds in our planet with a lot of passionate views covering different topics.
This ranges from saving our planets against climate change, standing up against violence towards women, racism and valuing the human rights of LGBT.
However this seems to be one area can be easily to overlooked and not recognised. This is regarding valuing and respecting those with disabilities or with difficulties.
BACKGROUND
The examples of passions mentioned in the introduction of this blog can lead to those living with disabilities and difficulties feel undervalued sidelined and seem left behind.
One of the biggest problems is not looking beyond stereotypes type casting and one-sided presumptions. Also this approach can be only limited related to care support and accessibility.
Personal perspective
Since the world wide pandemic, I have been paying greater attention to the voices of politicians & key decision makers on how the approach issues and topics related to making decisions making which will affect everyone.
I am disappointed that I do not see enough passions from key leaders like politicians and public servants in society that values a person with disabilities and difficulties. Instead the matters are limited to issues such as a care recipient, encouraging disabilities to access employment and social media bullying
There are comments & viewpoints from people with disabilities or difficulties would like to work but not enough representative voices on the obstacles and what factors which everyone needs to consider to not make disabilities and those with specific difficulties a disadvantage.
I have observed the some organisations who is supposed to representing disabilities & difficulities are filtering their voices with limiting multi choice questions. This can mean specific expressions, viewpoint, insight and perspective can be unfairly ignored.
We need to use our passions and do better to value disabilities and difficulties better beyond typecasts and stereotypes including:
Respecting and valuing the human rights of disabilities and those with difficulties
Creating an environment in communities and societies so to make sure those with disabilities and difficulties are not a disadvantage
Not to impose changes to society without making it harder for a person with disabilities and those with difficulties to maintain their ability to function
Make corrections to the type of passions that wrongly undervalue disabilities and difficulties when seen in society
Standing up against ableist and discriminatory behaviour and practices
DISAPPROVING PASSIONS
One of the problematic taboos is disapproving disabilities and difficulties when they are passionate and ambitious. Through my personal experiences and observations there are certain voices in the support and care sector for example would judge and categorise a passionate person with disability or difficulties as a nuisance disruptive and wrongly categorise as troublemakers. This can cause damaging problems related to accessing opportunities which most people take for granted from employment, education, to being inclusive or having an intimate relationship with someone.
THE CONSEQUENCES
If we do not change how we balance our patterns to include disabilities then we’ll always have a separate and the second gated society which enables a metallic ceiling to hold disabilities and difficulties back compared to the rest of society.
If we do not change our attitudes towards disabilities and difficulties when they are pasted then when we will never have a culture of equal opportunities for everyone including those with disabilities therefore we will always have a divided society against disabilities and difficulties.
WHATS NEEDS TO CHANGE
Everyone needs to stop being lazy by using stereotypes and presumptions to denigrate, oppress a person with disabilities and those with difficulties when seen in society
Leaders and those in authorities need more patterns to value disabilities and difficulties and not simply made this decision for them
Businesses and companies need to stop making any changes that makes life difficult or impossible for disabilities and difficulties
We need to speak up better against disability hate crime and ableism on the same level on the same level against sexism sexual or violence and hate crime against women, LGBT and those from a multicultural and multi-faith background
To make that happen more people need to intervene and in some cases make corrections to those who make wrong attitudes.
Also we must stop filtering voices of disabilities and disabilities which can cause harmful misrepresentation. Stop demonising a person with disabilities and those with difficulties who are passionate and ambitious.
WAYS FORWARDS
Everyone needs the balance their passions do more to value disabilities and difficulties place in society
Move away from stereotypes and see a person beyond the disability and difficulties
Move away from stereotypes and stop not use this to make distorted perceptions
Move away from type casting and stop mocking, ridiculing and abuse and ableist bullying and abuse towards disabilities and difficulties
A person with disabilities & difficulties voices must not be filtered and be fully listen to a face value.
FINAL POINT
Passions are for everybody not just the popular issues and those with a louder voice it means everyone (including those with disabilities and difficulties from all backgrounds).
Written by Keith Mckenzie
Project Director Plus Value Awareness
Click here to discover more about the project director
RECOMMENDED PROJECTS
From the Plus Value Awareness family
Positive Value
The introduction projects as a starting point to value hidden differences as citizens
Valuing Hidden Differences
The information project to explore detailed examples to value a person with hidden differences
USEFUL LINKS
Plus Value Awareness information page for supporting International Day of Person’s with Disabilities
INFORMATION
Hidden differences are used as a collective description of independent and articulate young people and adults who live with types of difficulties that are not visually obvious
Visit the Understanding series index to explore
Keith Mckenzie
For Plus Value Awareness
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