Understanding
Often when I am out in public, my family, staff and I feel that some people look at me as though I am different because I’m in a wheelchair. I also notice that some find it hard to have direct eye contact with me and some don’t seem to try to listen to me when I speak to them. We often notice that some waitresses at restaurants totally ignore me when I try to order my meal as if I’m not there and only talk with my family or staff. I know that my speech is sometimes slurred and hard to understand because of my disability but I can communicate well by spelling if someone tells me that they can’t understand what I said.
I’m not quite sure why some people act like this but think it may be because they are either ignorant, fearful, disrespectful or insensitive to the disabled or all of the above. Just because someone is disabled or in a wheelchair or has slurred speech doesn’t mean that they should be treated as second class citizens or be totally ignored which sometimes happens.
We think there needs to be more public education on understanding disabilities and how to better understand, respect and treat the disabled with sensitivity for we are all human beings just like everyone else in this world.
I asked Kathleen, my Low Vision Specialist if she had any materials on educating the public about disability or about being more sensitive and respectful to the disabled and she sent me the list of web sites that are pasted below.
If you have ever experienced the same type of discrimination that I’ve felt, then I would suggest you give the person who treated you like this some of the wonderful information on these web sites regarding understanding the disabled and treating the disabled with respect and dignity.
Kenny and Company
1. People First Language “To ensure Inclusion, Freedom, and Respect for all, it’s time to embrace’
http://www.disabilityisnatural.com/peoplefirstlanguage.htm
2. Easter Seals “Easter Seals provides exceptional services to ensure that people living with autism and other disabilities have equal opportunities to live, learn, work and play.”
(1) Easter Seals: Myths and Facts About People with Disabilities http://www.easterseals.com/site/PageServer?pagename=ntl_myths_facts
(2) Easter Seals: Disability Etiquette
http://www.easterseals.com/site/PageServer?pagename=ntl_etiquette
(3) Easter Seals: Understanding Disability
http://www.easterseals.com/site/PageServer?pagename=ntl_understanding
(4) Easter Seals: Resources: Friends Who Care
http://www.easterseals.com/site/PageServer?pagename=ntl_friends_wwa_care
