According to the ADA (Americans With Disabilities Act), “a person with a disability is a person who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities. This includes people who have a record of such an impairment, even if they do not currently have a disability. The ADA also makes it unlawful to discriminate against a person based on that person’s association with a person with a disability.”
The ADA categorizes conditions that would be considered disabilities:
- Respiratory conditions such as asthma
- Mobility impairments
- Visual impairments
- Hearing or speech impairments
- Paralysis
- Orthopedic impairments
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Bipolar disorder
- Depression
- Anxiety disorders
Singer songwriter Fred Small tells the tale in musical form of an encounter with a woman whose mode of mobility was a wheelchair. The final line of Talking Wheelchair Blues brings the point home with clarity.
“See, we’re all the same, this human race
Some of us are called disabled, and the rest—
Well, the rest of you are just temporarily able-bodied.”
In 1992, December 3rd was designated as International Day of Persons with Disabilities by United Nations General Assembly Resolution 47/3. It highlights the importance of inclusivity and accessibility for people with physical and emotional challenges. Beyond the physical barriers are attitudes that need adjusting.
In an article called Changing attitudes towards disability by Dana S. Dunn, Ph.D., Dr. Dunn addresses stereotypes that society in general holds toward those who are experiencing physical or psychological disabilities.
There is a sense of ‘othering,’ and a fear that disabilities are contagious. Accessibility to buildings and infrastructure that ‘able bodied’ people may take for granted are daily problems for those with disabilities.
We need to reframe our perspectives and recognize that people from all social strata and professional fields experience disability. I have always had psychotherapy clients who are people who use wheelchairs to get around, who have limb prostheses, blindness, deafness, and hundreds with psychiatric disabilities, as defined by the ADA. These do not define her friends. They are just factors of the glorious range of humanity. Each of them learns to immerse themselves in activities that they love, such as music, running, writing, acting, healing, art, swimming, meditating, etc. Most find careers that make a positive difference in the world.
January 20th was tapped as National Day of Acceptance, after social entrepreneur Annie Hopkins designed the wheelchair heart symbol as a way of declaring worthiness and equal place in society for those with different abilities. The beautiful film Superman: The Christopher Reeve Story (recently released) highlights what happens when a superbly able-bodied person, who, through a moment of fate, has an accident of epic proportions. The documentary shows how he learns to live with his new disability, which renders him in need of 24/7 medical care. When once, through the magic of Hollywood, he could fly, he becomes a wheelchair user.
The documentary is also a love story, depicting a montage of before and after images and interviews with those who knew him best. In 1995, Reeve, who played ice hockey, skied, sailed, and rode horses in competition, was thrown from a horse which caused a spinal cord injury. Like many who experience such life altering events, he had thoughts of wanting to die. Even greater were thoughts of wanting to live. Dana, his wife, and stalwart companion came into his hospital room and reminded him, “You’re still you and I love you.”
Following a long and arduous therapy process, he was able to rehabilitate and become a resilient thriver who used his own experience to encourage others. The Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Act was signed by President Obama in 2009. The focus was to “promote collaborative research, rehabilitation and quality of life initiatives for millions of Americans living with paralysis and spinal cord injuries.” The Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation has as it’s mission, “Today’s care and tomorrow’s cure.
There are numerous TED talks on the topic of disability to open your perspective.