WHOSE DISABILITY?

Yesterday, I attended an event hosted by Essex University and FirstSite on the theme of Holocaust and Disability. A large number of disabled people from all races were killed in the Holocaust as they were deemed to be too costly to look after. As it is they were already being treated badly in the hospitals, but these killings were an appaling final blow. The event was used to compare modern attitudes to disability and see what we can learn from the lessons of history. There was a panel of disabled speakers who spoke about their personal experiences.

For me as an able-bodied person, the event was really eye-opening as we rarely get a chance to see and experience the other side of the story. As a result, we often make assumptions, or move away from disabled people because they make us feel 'uncomfortable'. There are good facilities for 'normal' people, but disabled people often have to fight for rights of access and support because it is simply not there. Once again, the cost issue comes in, and this can be a reason why access or support is denied, even if it is their Human Right to be treated equally and fairly. What the panelists were most upset about was the extent to which decisions about their future were made by 'normal' people, without consulting them. Jobs and opportunities were constantly denied to them, and now there is a lot of talk about cuts to their living allowances.

At the end,  Professor Rainer said that one of the key lessons from History is that if there is discrimination against one group, there is a strong chance that it will spread to other groups, and if we want change, we must fight it at any level.

On reflection, we need to change our understanding and attitudes to disability. We need to develop empathy and a sense of social responsibility - there should be an equal opportunity for jobs, and businesses should see this as their duty and not a choice or favour. Practicing true equality demands unique leadership and empathy, and a vision to see that the organisation should represent the huge mosaic of nature, and allow all to co-create and share in the success. The more an organisation isolates itself from the outside, the more it will feel and act like an island, rather than a part of wider community and society.

Difference often makes us feel uncomfortable, but so can sameness. We must learn to not get too comfortable in our work and home, and instead stay alert and open to new ideas, peoples and challenges, exploring what we can do to make this world better, and doing it. We actively need to engage with difference. Dialogue is a start, and it does not matter if we cannot predict the end.

Article added on 27th January 2012 at 10:08am