Disabled living in a cruel world
Posted by Sandy on 7th April 2008
Whether someone has a disability from an intellectual handicap, autism or cerebral palsy, children and youth can be so cruel. As Michel Mandel told us in yesterday’s column in the Toronto Sun, imagine getting on a bus with high school students and being harrassed with taunts like “retard” and “mental case” day after day after day. As Mandel says so aptly, the students who do this also have a disability and it is called intolerance.
There is a saying “there go I but for the grace of god.” No one chooses to have an intellectual disability. In fact, I would venture to say that no one asks for any disability — whether from birth, a medical incident or an accident (as in the case of a traumatic brain injury).
In the case in point, individuals with a developmental or intellectual disability, were just born that way. They have family. They have feelings. They have dreams. If there are any differences to the non-disabled, it is that they may think or speak a little bit slower. Sometimes they may also look a little bit different or walk a little bit slower. But, beyond that, they are just kids and adults like everyone else. I know this first hand, since my daughter-in-law has such a handicap. And, yes, she has told me of the names she was called and is still called, even to this day.
Parents, talk to your kids. Tell them not to make a difficult world even more difficult. Tell them it is not cool to be cruel. Talk to your kids about peer pressure as well because I suspect many good kids take part in this type of cruelty when others start it.
Let’s all do our part to stop this unnecessary abuse and cruelty.
Posted in Personal Issues, Social Issues, Special Needs | 2 Comments »