What causes disability? Do you live with disability? Is disability in the picture?

Oh Darin, you are such a classic! I love that bit of Monty Python! The mark of true courage, "come on you pansy!".

Jodi.

This talk by James Heywood on TED who had a brother with ALS seems to fit perfectly with this topic so here is the link. MS gets a few mentions throughout.

I get a lot of good info from TED on a huge range of topics so hopefully you will look around this site once you watch this video.

http://www.ted.com/talks/jamie_heywood_the_big_idea_my_brother_inspired....

Ok that's enough links for this thread!

That was a wonderful and thoughtful response...and a good one. Your statement "Disability doesn't reside in you or I Michael. It is a collective misguided concept of the community/societies we live in, imposed on us for a whole range of reasons" carries with it a lot of truth. I do not believe that this is just a matter of semantics. Words are the envelopes we use that contain our experiences either individually or collectively. I once wrote about handicap vs. disability (
http://www.ozms.org/modules/wordpress/?p=359 ) explaining that while I do have a disability, I am not handicapped.
For the most part, I think we are on the same page. At a minimum, you have given me cause for consideration. Thank you for that. I like to be challenged.
Michael

Hi all,

I've read this with interest. To put a brand new spin on this if we didn't believe we had a disability, or believe in disability, then we wouldn't expect people the community to provide us with better ways, or easier access to things? The reason we want these things is because we have a disability in getting around or using things like we should be able to.

Craig, I'm hearing you about the ageing process, BUT a disability is really gauged on what could an average person do, or be able to do at that particular age etc;

When we get old we expect our bodies to start to clap out from wear and tear, especially if we haven't treated them well. We expect our movements to slow up, to maybe become a bit stiff, to maybe not be as quick thinkiing etc; BUT should we expect this of someone in their 20's, 30's or 40's? In a period of time when our bodies at supposedly at the prime of their lives?? No, we don't!

I believe a disability is not being able to do the 'normal' things, that others can do without much effort. If one truly believed they were not disabled in any way, they wouldn't expect things to be modified for them, would they? The reason we have things modified is because we can't do something like the average person can and we need that help in order to make it happen.

The truth is a lot of us at some point with MS will become disabled in some way. Whether it be physical or whether it be mentally. I know my fatigue disables me in many ways but I try and work around it the best I can.

So I believe, yes, there is such a thing as disability, which is the opposite to ability, which means to have the capacity to do something. Now if we have modifications to help us achieve these things, well we've managed to work our way around some of the disability. But the disability still remains there, but maybe not as prominent, but once we remove that help or modifications it's there full-on.

But in saying that, it's what we do with our disabilities that makes all the difference. Do we let it define us, or do we keep moving forward doing the best we can with what we have, and what services or modifications are available to make us be able to do certain things. Which in turn makes us become capable to a degree, but maybe not as competent as someone without such a disability, who would be expected to do something in a shorter time period etc.

Some people will be lucky enough that with the aid of certain things to be able to do most things they like in a competent manner, whereas others will not be so lucky, as their disablity will not allow that to happen.

Sometimes I think the general public and some people with chronic illnesses etc; view the terminology of disability as a dirty word. It should NOT be viewed that way. We don't view 'broken' as a disability because it's something that can be fixed. So we need the stigma attached to the word disability to be changed, not the word or meaning.

Disability should be more viewed with the approach of how can we all make this world a better place so that people with disabilities can have an active role in society and not feel alienated. So we can all feel equal. The world is all full of talk about racism and that everyone should be treated equally, BUT why don't we hear the same about people with disabilities?

The world should be disabled friendly where the majority of workplaces, all transport, all schools etc have made allowances for people who do have mobility issues etc; so that the general population doesn't look upon disabled people as inferior, which unfortunately does happen a lot. People need to be re-educated. Disabled people are just as normal as anyone else but just can't do what others can do in the same manner.

There should be stock standard cars on sale for people with hand controls at a reasonable price, rather than one having to pay alot of money for a conversion, or make a special order. There should be ramps at all train stations etc; There should be some form of public transport offered in major cities for people with mobility issues; such as special bus services and the list goes on...

But one thing that is really needed in our society is compassion, as that seems to have disappeared. If people had compassion so many people wouldn't lose their jobs once their illness was revealed. People would work together to find a way for a person to still contribute without taking advantage of them, which once again unfortunately happens as people seem to think that disabled people are worth less money in the workplace. Just plain wrong!

The other thing that is lacking is respect. Respect for elders and also little things like giving up your seat for someone else who one can see is having balance issues etc; but these things just don't happen often enough anymore because our society has become all about ME syndrome and PERFECTION.

I think it would be wrong to say there is no such thing as disabilities and that it would in fact totally offend those who, not by choice, cannot participate much because they are limited because of their disability. No-one asks to be disabled and I think that's what the general public just doesn't get.

One cannot take away the fact that people instantly notice an odd walk, a person in a wheelchair, frame or walking stick, a person who has a slur or slow speech as being different, because these people are not the vast population, therefore not perceived as normal, as normal does what normal sees. It's more to do with how do we re-educate and change societies views and get more resources so that people with disabilities can become more able to do things...

Disabilities will always be there, but it's how we provide for that to make people more abled within their competencies that will make all the difference. There needs to be a meeting of minds where people with disabilities are also willing to allow people to help them in order to provide better services without taking away peoples' self worth etc; It has to be a two-way street or it's never going to improve.

That's my two bobs worth.

I don't think being called disabled is the problem here, I believe the problem is the way it is perceived.

For some reason both the person with the disability and the person who is abled seem to have issues with the word. Not all people but there are quite a lot.

To me it is quite simple, the word disabled speaks for itself meaning we can't do the same as the average person in the normal way, or what we could do before. But there are definitely varying degrees of it. But with help we may be able to do more, such as modifications to houses, workplaces etc.

We don't sneer at words like chronic illness, or fatigue which can be very debilitating and disabling but yet mention the word disabled and people jump up in arms!!

The word has become a 'label' if you like, of a perception. It's not the word that's the issue but the perception of the word.

We need the perception to change in everyones' views.

People with disabilities will always have a disability of either physically or mentally not being able to do what the 'normal population can do, in the same manner as they can' but, that doesn't mean that the disabled can't do something, or even possibly do better than someone else if given the right tools to do it.

That's the point I'm trying to give. That there's nothing wrong with the terminology but rather the perception of the term. The gov'ts campaign has not helped this perception at all in my view.

We are all equal no matter what our disease, race or colour and everyone should be treated as such. No-one should be discriminated against based on any of these things.

What needs to happen is that people with disabilities need to stand up and be proud and say yes I have a disability BUT if you give me access to the right tools, or flexibility with things, I too could do as well as you but maybe in a different way!

We need to stand up and state what we need in society in order to make it a better place for disabled people, to enable them to become more abled instead of being excluded because of lack of recognition eg; access to venues etc.

But this doesn't happen. People say I'm not disabled and don't need help which sends the message well okay if that's what you want...; when in fact many people do need help in order to follow their dreams and aspirations. It may be help in the form of material modifications, it may be in the form of having help to look after themselves in order to have a better quality of life.

If we didn't have access to things or anywhere for those in wheelchairs etc; imagine the outcry. The fact is we do need this type of help to become more abled but we should not be made to feel less of worth because we need these things. If disabilities were taken into account when building workplaces, housing, units etc; it would become a normal and accepted part of life which is what we would want it to be. Not to be made out to be different, if that makes sense.

Imagine if property developers who were building a block of units close to amenities thought to make the ground floors into wheelchair friendly units, imagine if other developers like the Lend Lease (not sure if they're still around?) built a house or a few houses in each of their housing estates that was wheelchair friendly and had modified kitchens etc; that would be unreal!! but this sort of thing doesn't happen but it should!!