Disabled People, : An Economic Problem?

Europe hasn’t still recovered from the economic crisis and as world governments attempt to deal with the crisis brought about by irresponsible banking companies, the poor and socially excluded risk to fall into further poverty and social isolation. And, as more and more people find themselves unemployed and unable to maintain their former standard of living, there’s a danger that they start questioning whether those groups receiving financial benefits truly deserve to be assisted in the first place. 

I can’t deny that I’m concerned because one of the groups that are facing the threat of losing much needed benefits are disabled people. Being a disabled person myself means that even if in Malta (where I live), the recession hasn’t had a negative impact on the level of financial support disabled people get. Having said that, the financial assistance provided by our disability pension still doesn’t meet the demands of the present society and, indeed, was never meant to provide enough financial assistance to live more independently. However, even if I have a right to a decent quality of life and a right to self-determination, for some non-disabled people, we should be grateful for being left to live and shouldn’t expect too much - let alone have a chance to exert our free choices and autonomy..

But, honestly, why do people find it hard to accept that disabled people have an equal right to freedom and autonomy? There are many possible reasons for such attitudes towards disabled people. One of these is the fact that disabled people have been segregated and excluded from society for a long time. Sadly, such exclusion still exists within Europe. The second reason is that given our historical exclusion from society brought forward by industrialization, disabled people (then unable to contribute in a machine operated economy) became more like mythical or fairy tale monsters. This moment when disabled people were dehumanized led to the creation of various misconceptions, such as those which judge our life as “unfortunate”, our economic value as “unproductive burdens” and so on.

I grew up in a society which was slowly moving into accepting the idea that we had the right to be included and treated equally. However, we’re sometimes still expected to make all the effort to conform to a non-disabled world. And while many of us have spent some of our life believing there is something wrong with our minds and bodies, believing that we should become more “normal” to be truly happy and fulfilled. We were never told that, if society accepted us for who we are, then our lives would have been better then. And, whether people accept it or not, our minds and bodies are part of who we are and it had an important role to play in ensuring our true inclusion.. 

Unfortunately, when people tell me that they consider me non-disabled like them, I don’t know whether to be happy or sad. Because, in a way by forgetting my mind and body, aren’t they  really rejecting me? After all, isn’t our mind and body our only means to reach out to the external world? What I want is to be treated equally to others and that doesn’t mean that I want to receive the same treatment. Because, as long as the world is still created for a non-disabled “normal”, we still have to lobby for lifts, information in accessible format, provision of communication in forms such as  sign language or augmentative communication and so on. In this sense, treating me equally doesn’t imply treating me the same.

Treating me the same would mean inviting me to a party where the venue is only accessible by a stairs. Treating me the same would mean giving me a book in printed format when you know I have a visual impairment. Treating me the same would mean expecting me to participate in a discussion when I can’t hear what you’re saying because you failed to provide me with a sign language interpreter. Treating me the same would mean expecting me to understand what you’re telling me if you only use difficult words and fail to adapt to my level of understanding which is different than yours. Treating me equally means taking into account of my physical, sensory and intellectual differences and providing me with the means and support to maximize my potential.

Regrettably, I’m concerned that in spite of the progress made to promote inclusion, we risk regressing to a society which would prefer we were locked up in an institution. Even worse, with the cost of maintaining an institutional complex now being financially prohibitive, we may find ourselves earmarked for elimination as we are seen more as “economic burdens” than human beings.. 

This is not the product of some nightmare I had. The systematic extermination of disabled people  did take place in our recent past when the world was also experiencing a recession following the 1st World War when a European country was facing an economic crisis after its defeat in the war.. The country elected a leader who they thought would restore their former glory. The leader? Adolph Hitler. The country? Post-World War 1 Germany. And part of Hitler’s “final solution”? The systematic mass elimination of those considered unproductive, useless and “unworthy of life”. And, slowly but surely, people having an impairment were the first guinea pigs for the gas chambers. But this part of history is hardly mentioned or remembered. The first victims of the final solution.

I wish to believe that history won’t repeat itself. But some countries, such as the UK, are already cutting on disability benefits. Thankfully, here in Malta, we're still unaffected. by austerity measures But, even so, we can’t afford to remain indifferent to thee situation currently facing disabled people across Europe and the rest of the world. We can’t afford to remain silent and retreat to the comfort of our own homes. Otherwise, we can’t say that we didn’t know when we’re find ourselves in a situation where our quality of life deteriorates to a point where even our choices are dictated by others. 

And that would be the real tragedy.

Disabled, Not Sick...

Before I start this post, I wish to apologise for my long absence. The truth of the matter is that I haven’t been well for a long while and so, I wasn’t up to writing on here- - although I’ve been regularly updating my blog, ZoneMind. I admit that these were difficult times and I needed time to think about my life and to reflect on the future ahead. Not that this is a process that will ever finish and I feel the need to explore my life through a different perspective, in this case from the point of view of Buddhism. I have said many times that I respect the fact that everyone has a right to believe what he or she wishes - as long as this doesn’t cause harm to others.

It’s here that I come to the topic of my post, which is the misconception that disabled people are sick people. I realised that this idea is still prevalent after a disabled friend of mine received an invitation to attend a mass for “the sick” on the occasion of the events that happened in Lourdes, France where it’s claimed that the virgin Mary appeared to a young girl and where many claim that they have been healed. Putting it in those words might give you the impression that I am a non-believer. But the truth of the matter, I have a healthy scepticism about miracles. While I can’t rule out the possibility of miracles, I don’t think that living hoping for a miracle is a good way to live a life. But then I ask, why did my friend receive an invitation intended for these so-called “sick people”.

The simple answer is that, more often than not, disability is associated with sickness or disease. To be exact, impairment is associated with sickness and not disability. This is because disability is the disadvantage imposed on us as people with impairment in refusing to include us as other members of society. In this sense, the link between impairment and sickness implies that disabled people lack an aspect of being human and that they need to attain the approval of the non-disabled world to be accepted and, even then, on non-disabled terms. While disabled people, like anyone else, can get sick, this doesn’t imply we are sick, broken or unfortunate. Even those who are sick most of the time and would be considered “sick people” shouldn’t be defined just but that situation.

Unfortunately, this idea that disabled people are sick is not limited to particular religious outlooks but are also endemic to the medical profession. The consequences can be disastrous for the person who is defined over and over as faulty and as not fully human. We’re not sick people. We’re not special people either. We’re only different and these labels only serve to disable us further.

International Day of disabled People 2011

Today is international day of disabled people. Although there is still much to be done to ensure disabled people, like myself, have true equality and full inclusion in our countries, I must admit that a lot of positive progress has taken place. In this post, I wish to share a few thoughts on one such important development - the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of Disabled People by the United Nations.

The Convention is a significant step forward because it redefines the old idea of ‘disability’ that predominated action in the field of disability which was mainly medically based favouring treatment and rehabilitation, to one that acknowledges that a large part of disability is created by an society that takes little or no account of those members having sensory, physical or intellectual impairment, mental health issues or other hidden conditions. In short, the Convention introduces the idea that disability exists in relation to factors that are, for the most part, external to the person. This relational model shares many features to the social model (despite the fact there are differences).

That is why when the Convention was formally adopted by the UN on December 13th 2006, one can say that we made a breakthrough insofar as having our rights finally acknowledged and the fact that our disability is mainly due to the failure of society and the environment to cater for our physical or mental differences. In short, finally we had a tool by which we can direct our governments to ways in which they can truly provide us with our human rights. It’s true that there are countries which haven’t yet signed it, and even less which ratified it but, I think, it’s up to all of us within the disability community and our allies who must make our voices heard. It can be frustrating, I know, but we must own the struggle to ensure that disabled people don’t remain simply objects of pity and charity but they are involved in society on an equal level to that of non-disabled people.

A final point I wish to make that I think is important is that the UN Convention is not creating new rights that are specific to disabled people. Rather, it is providing states with clear practical guidelines on how to ensure our rights are safeguarded and necessary action to achieve equality is taken. In truth, if you consider that impairment can affect all of us at some point in our lives, especially in old age, the Convention is also there to ensure that the quality of life of the future you will not regress just because you have acquired an impairment. Inasmuch as this day is one dedicated to disabled people, it is also a day that reminds me of the fact that we should celebrate difference and our ability to strive on in spite of the obstacles we still face in our society and our environment.

To read or download the UN Convention, please visit the UN Enable website where you’ll also find a lot of other useful resources related to the Convention.

Adventures on Arriva!

A way back in July, I reported how in Malta, an accessible public transport service had been introduced. Now, after using it for my 5th time, I can say that I’m satisfied on the whole but acknowledge that there needs to be better time keeping. However, I definitely think that the service we have today is far better than we had before.

For starters, riding on a bus may not mean much for the general public. However, as a wheelchair user who has been excluded from using public transport for more than 10 years now, it is progress. Again, it might not mean much for the average person but being with other people on regular transport does give me back some dignity. Don't get me wrong, I will still make use of the accessible van for work and such and I have made good disabled friends on my travels. Yet, there’s no denying that the accessible transport I use remains a segregated form of transport and inasmuch as it is improved, it still separates me from my community and was the only choice I had up to now.

Of course, the new accessible public transport is far from perfect. I spent one hour waiting for a bus the first time I used it. On later dates, the waiting varied from 15 to 30 minutes which is quite frustrating and forget getting to an appointment on time unless you plan ahead. And yet, I cannot really complain that much and you know why? Because for the first time, I can grumble and complain with the public. You see, my discomfort is a shared thing. It’s not just users of the ‘disabled vans’ they wrongly sometimes referred to) as) who are inconvenienced but every body (disabled or not!!

To wrap up, I want to make it clear that I believe that the service still needs fine tuning. However, if I had to compare the new public transport service with the one we had before, Arriva! wins hands down. Yes, it has been claimed that our old fleet with all the coloured buses gave them character. To this, I say, I rather want a bus I can use rather than one I can only look at as it passes me by. At least now, I can be up there with other passengers! after all, we must look ahead and not live in a past that so often is idealised and hence distorted.

On this day... my birthday!

On November 8, 1981, I was born. As I celebrate my 30th birthday, I can't help reflecting on how significant this day is. For, if you think about it, this day was when it all started, when I took that first breath of air with my own mouth. We say that life is a miracle that it has become a cliche. Something we say out of habit rather than reflection or much  thought. This same "miracle of life" quickly becomes the source of a lot of complaining and, in fact, some of us have even come to the point when we wished we hadn't been born at all. But, then, is this because we take life for granted. Believing that we should always get what we expect or what we want. 

I am 30 today. Yet, as I write that number, I realise that over the years, it's not just my age that has changed. Indeed, I'm not the same baby boy born back in 1981. I am not the same 5 year old starting primary school. I am not the same person who  loved to write. I am not the same person who was admitted to hospital. Or the one who graduated. Or the one who attended Church. That is my past. That is who I was. 

Mind you, the past remains an influence on my present but it is something that I have no control over. It would be foolish to keep clinging to what was as if we could reclaim our youth or innocence. It is also foolish to believe that we are who we are today because we worked for it and that we can lay claim to independence and autonomy. Indeed, my re-discovery of Buddhism and my recent experiences has made me aware that much of who I am today isn't a matter of my personal decisions  - although our decisions play an important part in our life. On the contrary, we are who we are today because of  the experiences we have in our life, the things we learn and the people around us and those we meet in our lives.

Thus, on this day, I  must reflect on who I am and where I am heading and ask myself what have I done over the course of my 29th. Of course, this year was full of its ups and downs; moments I am proud of and others I am not quite happy with and I made new friends and went through new experiences. But inasmuch as I would like to believe I made it through out of my self-determination, deep inside I know that all the people in my life - friends and even enemies, family and strangers, things I read or heard and so on, played a crucial role in getting me through the hard times and also where there in my happy times.

So, what I want to say is that I am grateful for all this and more. I wouldn't be here if it hadn't been for the persons in my life. And even if we don't get to say it often...

Thank you for making my life possible!