It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a person with a disability must be in want of an opportunity.
By Tom Jamison
July is, of course, Disability Pride Month. I’m sure you’ll forgive me for paraphrasing what was, arguably, Jane Austen’s finest line. Of course, she was writing about the social distinctions between men and women, and rich and poor. I’m writing about the distinction between disabled and non-disabled people in much the same tone, so I’m sure she wouldn’t be upset.
I’m writing about the difference between people who are handed an opportunity and those who have to fight for one.
The thing that made Austen’s aphorism so memorable is that it sums up so much, in so few but powerful words. I can’t help feeling that how we identify ourselves and what the term disabled people means, is going to be increasingly important over the next few years and that Disability Pride can’t be allowed to fizzle out.
The world seems to be on the brink of losing so much progress towards equity, inclusivity and diversity, that it makes this year’s Disability Pride Month that bit more important than in recent years.
The answer is in keeping faith with what we might call the disability confident movement and looking out for the small opportunities that can be exercised towards making a bigger point. As disabled people, we’ve all got a responsibility and a part to play, and happily this month, that means taking an opportunity to be visible and willing to talk about and celebrate what the disability journey represents.
Imagine, for a moment, what the world would look like without disabled people…
Where disabled people bring resilience, we’d have weakness. Acceptance and inclusivity would become rejection or division.
Where disabled people understand how to live well with disability or illness and bring problem-solving skills and determination, we’d have laziness, lethargy and shame.
Where disabled people bring imagination, we’d have conformity and monotony. And where they bring knowledge, we’d have ignorance.
The sinister reality is that there really are people who would prefer to ignore that disabled people exist at all. The challenge is to take the opportunity to show how the best qualities and attributes of disabled people are actually the best of all humanity, full stop! The only way to stop ignorance is through enlightenment and education.
Even though disabled people are so often underserved in education, overlooked in the workplace and underrepresented in positions of authority, it’s clear that they make an incredible contribution.
Just think of the wonderful things that would happen in the world if disabled people were handed more opportunity and a chance to shine. It’s enough to make me feel very proud indeed.
