Make an effort for disabled

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 6, Issue 323, 13 February 1990, Page 6

Make an effort for disabled

Being able to cope with everyday living and having the skills to live life "normally" is something most of us probably take for granted.

We have the intellectual ability to learn and adapt to the wider world as we grow from childhood into adults. However, there are some who are not as fortunate as others and do not have the same physical and intellectual ability. They will often need assistance to achi&ve

their goals for their whole life span. Young people with physical or learning disabilities have all sorts of problems in their attempts to take part in everyday life: maybe in working, moving, talking, playing or in school. Their disabilities get in the way. But that's often

only half of it. The real handicap lies in peoples attitudes towards them. Attitudes which stress too much what the disabled cannot do. Attitudes, which mean people are categorised by their disability, and which assume all people with disabilities are equally disabled. It's important to remember to treat the disabled as people first. Like the rest of the human race, each person with a disability has both good and bad features. Each one has different (& similar) necds, desires, ambitions and abilities, as well as a character all of her or his own. Treating the disabled as people first doesn't mean the samething as

ignoring the fact that they live with disability. The really important element is knowing that the differences don't actually matter very much when it comes to making personal contact. This week is for the Intellectually Handicapped. The perfect person does not exist. Those with an apparent disability have to leam to live with the disadvantage that their disability is obvious. So, don't be ignorant of pcople's disabilities. Make an effort to find out about them and give them the chance to give life its best shot. They deserve it just as much as the next person. Helen Pocknall Public Health Nurse