Do you know what its like of have a disease or disability?
Jan 28 '03
The Bottom Line My sole purpose is that this will create greater public awareness about disease & disabilities.
How many of us really pay attention to the disabled parking signs? How many of us really know what its like to live day to day with a disease or disability? It never ceases to amaze me how many people without a disease or disability have all the advice without ever walking a day in the shoes of a diseased or disabled person.
Although I don’t specialize in working with people with disabilities, some of my clients have various diseases and disabilities. As I help them navigate through a healthcare system that operates like a maze. Listen to their descriptions of chronic and intermittent pain and how they deal with their daily challenges I often feel I’ve been placed in a unique position.
Working with diseased or disabled people can be challenging, but it is a privilege to have the chance to see the world through their eyes. A disease or disability can be debilitating, but it does not necessarily take away a person’s character, intelligence, resiliency sense of humor, or human spirit.
While I will never get the full picture of someone individual personal experience, and cannot change anyone’s conditions, I do my best to help people find a safe environment where they can share their feelings. Having a disease or disability can be a lonely world.
One client told me: I know what I can and cannot do; I understand the limits of my disability better than the doctor. I’m not like everyone else, one moment society expects me to be normal and get over it, yet the reality is I’ve got to deal with my real life disability and its limitations. I really don’t want disability insurance or a handout, what I really want is a job, one that will accommodate my disability. Is that too much to ask? Is it wrong for me to want accessible housing, clothing, computer equipment and other assistive devices for daily living?
My clients are more than their disability. One of the most important things I’ve learned, as a Social Worker and Personal Trainer is to listen to my client. One of their biggest complaints is that no one really listens to them without judging them or giving unwanted advice.
Although this opinion only scratched the surface of disease and disabilities my soul purpose is to create greater public awareness of such problems, and to increase our sensitivity. More people are surviving and living with serious diseases, but often with multiple disabilities. In addition, the American population is living longer, and age increases the risk of disability.
What do you know about health & disabilities?
Take the test below and find out:
1. True or False: A person can have a disability and not be handicapped.
2. True or False: People with disabilities demonstrate unusual courage and determination as they work within the limitations of their disabilities.
3. True or False: People with disabilities are appropriately described as a minority group.
4. True or False: The medical condition is the foremost factor in determining how well a person with a disability will carry out the activities and responsibilities of life.
5. True or False: The majority of people 65 to 74 years old have a disability.
6. True or False: The United States has never had a president with an obvious physical disability.
7. True or False: Society responds differently to specific diseases and disabilities based on perceived cause.
The American with Disabilities Act was signed into law in 1990, but people with disabilities continue to face various attitudinal barriers.
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