Why do we describe them as ‘disabled’? Who determines what is normal and what is a deviation from what ought to have been naturally normal?
I find it uncomfortable when often times, the blind, cripple, albino and other people perceived to be suffering abnormalities are always described by their states than just their names and/or designations. It is as though these conditions are the first names of the people that have them.
Can’t we mention names of people without describing them with their supposed ‘infirmities’ or ‘disabilities’?
Recently, I nearly got trapped by describing Christian Morgan as ‘visually impaired’ in a story I did on ‘Talented Kidz’ reality show just as has been the case for most of my colleague journalists and by far, the general public. While I was proofreading my story, it occurred to me I had not done the right thing, so I quickly made the correction.
I had realised that in most news stories that the other contestants were mentioned without descriptions of their ‘abilities’ or ‘disabilities’- but any time Christian was mentioned he was described as either ‘blind’ or ‘visually impaired.’
Some may argue that ‘visually impaired’ is better than the word ‘blind’ but the truth is that they mean the same thing; the former, simply euphemistic.
What is disability?
I am of the view that certain schemas have become trite and have negative implications on some people.
We should only describe someone as dis-ABLED if they were not born with a condition – and that condition must have prevented them from being ABLE to have done what they used to do in the past.
Anybody who comes into this world as a cripple, blind or albino came just as they were planned to be. Scientists have their explanations to these but granted all these supposed ‘abnormalities’ were rectified, they cease to exist in creation – which to me, would have defied nature. Nature is what it is and not what it ought to have been. People with ‘abnormalities’ are God’s creation too, although in relative minority. To wit, if someone is born blind, he or she is not disabled because they have not had the ABILITY to see before; the reverse of that in describing them therefore, is inapposite.
That notwithstanding, accidents do occur and people lose certain ‘abilities.’ That, to me, is what can be termed ‘disability.’ You can’t be disabled when you had earlier not been ‘able.’
It is also worthy of note that everybody can lose an ability to do something in their lives. There can be a change in the body of an individual at any time. It can benign or malignant. How then you do describe someone with potbelly? How do we describe you when one day you go bald or lose your teeth? What about if you are a man and you lose your sexual potency?
Take off the stigmatic tag
Just as we don’t prefix such tags to the names of people who is sighted, non-albino, non-cripple, so do we not have to do to the blind, cripple or albino.
To me, they are also human beings like anybody and must not be treated as ‘the other.’ Journalists must learn how best to report issues related to different types of people so that they don’t hurt people’s emotions and sensibilities.
‘They’ need our love too
We live in a society where stigmatisation of ‘the other’ has contributed to suicides. The so-called able-bodied believe that the ‘disabled’ are at their beck and call so they treat them as rag in many instances.
The fact of the matter is that people with ‘disability’ are not the only people that need help in society. We all need each other and the fact that a point somebody needs you the most doesn’t mean you will never need them too. Let us not look down on any person in this world. It doesn’t matter how they were created. Respect to humanity must not be predicated on who we think was created ‘whole’ or ‘blemished.’
Was Christian favoured because of his condition?
After the ‘Talented Kidz’ finale, some people were surprised that Christian Morgan placed third in the talent hunt. They believed that the boy was not exceptionally talented than some of those who did not make it to the finals. According to them, Christian may have been favoured by the organisers so it will encourage other people in his condition to also work harder in pursuit of their dreams and talents. Affirmative Action? Maybe yes. Maybe no.
As much as I believe that there were other more talented contestants than Morgan in the competition, I also repose some trust in the judges – that they may have seen something in the boy than meets the ordinary eye. I trust that was not on the grounds of his condition.
If it was, it could be a recipe for mediocrity. Even though we need to learn to support each other [including the vulnerable], we should not let ‘the others’ in our society feel so alienated to the human race. Under normal conditions, such affirmative action activities may rather affirm inferiority complex among certain people.
By the way, I commend the organisers and congratulate the winners and contestants of the Season 8 of ‘Talented Kidz.’
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