{"id":145,"date":"2010-03-09T21:51:02","date_gmt":"2010-03-10T03:51:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.hyperboreans.com\/heterodoxia\/?p=145"},"modified":"2013-06-16T19:57:00","modified_gmt":"2013-06-17T01:57:00","slug":"disability-redefined","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hyperboreans.com\/heterodoxia\/?p=145","title":{"rendered":"Disability redefined"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The very basic function of the concept called \u201cdisability<\/strong>\u201d has perplexed me for decades. Why is it automatically given a negative connotation when thought or spoken out loud? Why do we teach our children that it\u2019s inappropriate to look at a disabled person rather than encouraging them to inquire freely? It seems to further ingrain the lesson that disability is something to be avoided rather than approached as an opportunity for learning.<\/p>\n

For the sake of brevity, I will focus solely on the World Health Organization\u2019s (WHO) definition of disability which states:
\n\u201cDisabilities is an umbrella term, covering impairments<\/strong>, activity limitations<\/strong>, and participation restrictions<\/strong>. An impairment<\/strong> is a problem<\/strong> in body function or structure; an activity limitation<\/strong> is a difficulty<\/strong> encountered by an individual in executing a task or action; while a participation restriction<\/strong> is a problem experienced by an individual in involvement in life situations. Thus disability is a complex<\/strong> phenomenon, reflecting an interaction between features of a person\u2019s body and features of the society in which he or she lives.\u201d<\/em> 1<\/p>\n

I propose a different definition for \u201cdisability<\/strong>\u201d: \u201copportunities unrealized<\/strong>\u201d. It\u2019s simple, straightforward, and uncluttered by unnecessary negativity that surrounds the WHO standard definition. As most of you are familiar with the Chinese word for crisis is a combination of \u201cdanger<\/strong>\u201d and \u201copportunity<\/strong>\u201d. It\u2019s spelled as weiji: wei = danger ji = opportunity. I won\u2019t be discussing the etymology of the character in depth, nor the meme behind it, but only to illustrate the idea that disability should be viewed in the same light.<\/p>\n

\u5371\u6a5f<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Weiji<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

In today\u2019s society, we put too much emphasis on the medical condition of a person\u2019s condition rather than seizing the situation as the perfect opportunity to make a difference. We find it easier to categorize them, push them into the furthest corner of our minds, perhaps to avoid acknowledging our own fragility, or should I say potential innate strengths? Recent studies have shown that the disability group has \u201cthe largest rate of increase of college graduates, . . . set continuously high rate of retention of loyal employees across all industries, benefited the most from technical advances regarding accommodations, and has the greatest potential of creating innovative solutions to organizational and external problems\u201d2 yet they\u2019re one of the most ignored segment of the population. In other words, opportunities are being squandered<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

In this day and age, we have the potential of redefining the viewpoint of how we see disabled people, from one of enabling and exclusion, to one of empowering and inclusion. After all, if we were to look at every disabled people that we meet, rather than thinking about what \u201cthey<\/strong>\u201d cannot do, we should readjust our attitude and ask ourselves what \u201cwe<\/strong>\u201d can do together, and in the process enrich the community, not just for the disabled people, but for ourselves as well.<\/p>\n

Here are several examples of how by utilizing the opportunities created by the disabled segment that went mainstream that ended up benefiting us all:<\/p>\n