Find solution
How many people have disabilities?

How do you react towards people with disabilities?

  • I'm a 20-year-old girl and I was born with a skeletal disorder that makes it hard for me to walk long distances, and I use a wheelchair a lot when I'm out. Most of my friends also have various types of physical disabilities. One of my best friends has Spina Bifida and is completely wheelchair-bound. Another one has Cerebral Palsy and uses a wheelchair, but can take a few steps with braces and crutches. She has normal fine motor ability, and no speaking difficulties. I also have a friend with more severe Cerebral Palsy - she uses a powerchair and is very spastic in her arms, and some difficulty speaking. I have a friend with Spinal Muscular Atrophy type 2 who is confined to her wheelchair and is in need of a lot of assistance - and one with SMA type 3, who has a hard time rising to her feet after having sat down in her wheelchair, but once up can walk so well it's hard to tell there's anything wrong with her. These people I've just described are just a few of my friends. I have many more with very varying disabilities. The same diagnosis can mean very different things for different people. I have friends with Spina Bifida who are unable to walk and who need help with almost everything - and I also have friends with Spina Bifida who can walk very well and are very independant. Same with Cerebral Palsy. Some can walk, some can't. Some are spastic, some aren't. Some have trouble speaking and articulating, some don't. And so on. But I've noticed that out among the so called "normal" people, all of us have experienced being treated as if we are less than normal. As if being in a wheelchair automatically means mental retardation. As if intelligence is somehow linked with your physical ability. Why is that? How come, in our otherwise modern societies, people are still fascinated, confused or even creeped out when they see someone with a disability? Some people try to compensate for their own ignorance by being overly-friendly, speaking the way you would to a small child, and forcing help and assistance onto us. While others are the complete opposite - ignoring us or being rude. So my question to you is - what is your feelings and reactions towards people with disabilities? Not how you know you should behave, but what is your true feelings?

  • Answer:

    I was born with bilateral nystagmus - which means my eyes flick from side to side involuntarily - and the amount of people at school who would come up to me and shake their heads because they're "following your eyes" was damn frustrating! So I can understand in part what you're trying to say. I work as a carer and see the almost disdain some people with disabilities get treated. One guy has the Spinal Muscular Atrophy and he's just like your friend with movement and everything but he's always telling me people treat him less than they should. So I make an arrangement with anyone I have to take out somewhere that if someone starts to talk to me instead of them, I'll walk away. Sometimes I'll say: "It's them you're talking to, not me..." It then forced that person to deal with the disabled person. Or, if I have to stay by their side, I'll just point to the person if I'm asked the question and that's as a prompt for them to answer. The guy with MSA gets the most appalling looks from people, like "what are YOU doing being seen in public" (especially when we're having lunch or something) and it really riles me. He's the best guy to know and it's their loss they have that attitude. Sadly even some carers treat the adults like kids and that must be frustrating. When I see that first hand I'll either just roll my eyes or (if I don't particularly like them) say: "He/she does have a brain in their head you know..." Or I'll get sarcastic and say something about Stephen Hawking. Yeah, I could go on and on and on and on about this because it is just so damn frustrating to see people behave like that. And you can bet some of the people who have these kinds of prejudices would be the first ones to scream their t*ts off if they acquired a disability.

Emma at Yahoo! Answers Visit the source

Was this solution helpful to you?

Other answers

I do not look at them as dumb or stupid. Yes, if I see someone in a wheel chair, using a walker or using crutches I try to make an extra effort to hold doors open for them. But having physical problems does NOT mean you have anything mentally wrong. Hell, you could be a genius in a wheelchair! Don't let anyone discourage you. :)

Dazed

Yeah I know what you mean. I once had a sprained ankle and I used a wheelchair to get around an art gallery. I was surprised when everyone looked at me and treated me as if I was mentally defective.

Sienna

I have a disability known as dyspraxia which is a minimal type of cerebal palsy. I was diagnosed at first with minimal cerebal palsy. Although I am not in a wheelchair I still today get discriminated because of my disability I have difficutly with hand movements. Even in todays world with so much emphasis on seeing the people and not the disability - discrimination unfortunatley takes place.

Orla Hughes

Since I am also disabled and my son is disabled my feelings about people with disabilities is that they are just like anyone else. And deserve to be treated just like any other person. You do talk down to them, you do not try and help them unless they want or need assistance. You do not automatically assume the person has a intellectual disability , even if he did you have to treat him with respect. You do not teat a adult disabled person like a child, because that is degrading. you do not ever be rude and don't have to ignore a disabled person. I have also been around many disabled people , especially my son who has autism and intellectual disabilities, he is nearly 19 , and I also have many disabilities that are mostly hidden, accept for severe burn scars. i can be asked some very ignorant questions about the scars. .

doglover2

My mum has fibro myalgia, she can walk but she is in a lot of pain when she does so she often uses a mobility scooter (powerchair to some) to get around. When I see someone in a wheelchair or a powerchair I think of my mum, I don't treat her any differently than anyone else because she's in a chair because I know her and I treat anyone else I see with a disability in the same way although if I were in a supermarket say and I saw a disabled person trying to reach for something on a high up shelf I'd ask them if they'd like me to get it down for them, or if there was a flight of stairs and they had some things I'd ask if they'd like me to take some of their things up or help them. I know that I do this though because I'm familiar to people like that, others unfortunately often haven't come across anyone with a disability and either assume they're stupid and treat them like a child or be really rude to them, it's just ignorance though - if you can it's best to educate them for the next person they come across' benefit.

The Irritable Nerd

You need to have compassion for ignorant people. If they do not have any experience in communicating with someone with a disability, whatever that may be, their ignorance will make them uncomfortable and uncertain how to act. It's the same in many walks of life. I'm sure we all fall victim to our own ignorance at times. For instance, you make it seem like someone with "mental retardation" is lacking intelligence. I know many people with mental disabilities that are very intelligent. They may be lacking in social skills or be intelligent in other areas that are not deemed a priority by society. Every human being has their special gifts. We can all learn from each other when we have an open mind. Instead of being offended by someone, let it be an opportunity to open their eyes and show them how very much alike we all are as human beings. Enjoy your day!

Tina

I am in a wheelchair most of the time due to scoliosis and stenosis, and I've also noticed the same reactions from other people. It's the old "Does he take sugar?" situation - if I'm out with friends or family, people will ask THEM what I want instead of asking me, as though it's my brain or my mouth that's disabled and not my back and legs. My other main gripe is inaccessible public buildings. In particular, ones where they've thoughtfully installed a ground-floor wheelchair-accessible toilet, but hadn't thought to ensure that the front door is accessible. On the whole though, I still find that the majority of people are respectful.

Rod

Related Q & A:

Just Added Q & A:

Find solution

For every problem there is a solution! Proved by Solucija.

  • Got an issue and looking for advice?

  • Ask Solucija to search every corner of the Web for help.

  • Get workable solutions and helpful tips in a moment.

Just ask Solucija about an issue you face and immediately get a list of ready solutions, answers and tips from other Internet users. We always provide the most suitable and complete answer to your question at the top, along with a few good alternatives below.