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Inclusivity for people with disabilities doesn’t stop at environmental adjustments to help them gain physical access. Instead, society should take steps to ensure its citizens understand the world from multiple perspectives.
Empathy is hardwired in people.
Almost everyone has a natural predisposition to empathize, except sometimes it seems with those who are physically different. Imagining life in their shoes may cause cognitive dissonance or imbalance, given that people’s perception of the world is already heavily molded by their experiences. But if they were to try it would still be easy to understand how differently people function with their conditions.
Yet, comprehension is separate from action. Regardless of how sympathetic society is, there is still space to improve when it comes to its inclusivity for people with disabilities. Perhaps the difference is between sympathy and empathy. We can usually sympathize without a lot of effort; empathy requires truly getting into the other person’s shoes.
The Importance of Inclusivity for People With Disabilities
Stand Up or Sit Out by Anthony Candela is written from the author’s divergent perspective of the world. As an athlete and author dealing with blindness, Anthony explores how he had to work out his routines more carefully than other people. He details the adjustments he had to make to go about his life; his condition often prompting him to veer from life’s typical course.
In his memoir, readers get a glimpse of his experiences. They are shown a side of the world they’ve never experienced. While it’s important to acknowledge that life is imperfect for everyone, Anthony hopes that through his memoir, people will understand how much faultier it gets for people like him. He writes not to incite pity from others but to let them know the challenges people with disabilities go through to live in the same society as everyone else.
This is the value of exposing the notion of inclusivity for people with disabilities.
It’s not only about knowing how to bring them comfort but genuinely stepping into their shoes. It’s not just about ticking boxes and meeting requirements but seeing people’s value for who they are beyond their conditions.
It’s About Social Inclusion
Everyone wants to be included. It’s fundamental to human nature to want to belong. Inclusivity for people with disabilities ensures these individuals feel so regardless of their differences. It ensures they encounter equal opportunities to maximize every aspect of their lives.
Empathy increases and so does inclusion as society recognizes that the desires of people with disabilities are the same as everyone’s. Inclusion cultivates an environment where disabilities aren’t a source of shame, nor do individuals feel ashamed of their differences. Embracing them leads to their thriving despite their disabilities. Acknowledging that disabilities shouldn’t hinder how they can contribute to the world is the greatest sign of empathy and inclusivity...
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Inclusivity for people with disabilities ensures that people belong in spite of their differences. It makes them feel a part of the whole, helping to ease the psycho-social burden that may come with their conditions. Such initiatives shouldn’t only enhance their quality of life but also their self-images, changing the world from the inside out.
How Can the World Be Made More Inclusive for People With Disabilities
Despite society’s positive progression and best intentions, it may still lack proper initiatives toward the best means of inclusivity for people with disabilities.
Everyone understands that such inclusion means ensuring these individuals are given the same opportunities. But to what extent should they receive them? There may still be bits of confusion surrounding the intention, mishaps that would occur because of misinterpretations. Hence, in a way, regardless of intentions, there may still be inadequacy in how society includes these groups.
Inclusivity for people with disabilities is beyond understanding what diversity is and how it looks in public. Instead, it’s about turning these good intentions into better and proactive behaviors.
Putting on Their Shoes but Not Assuming What They Feel
There’s a difference between stepping into these individuals’ shoes and assuming how they perceive the world. A thin line separates empathy from imposing one’s perception on another, and people should avoid the latter. It’s important to note that disabilities impact people differently. They represent a diverse group of individuals who may share conditions but not the same experience of life.
To foster a better sense of inclusivity for people with disabilities, people should never assume what is possible or impossible for them. This prompts hindrances that may limit their potential. When people assume these details about people with disabilities, they ignore the differences and short-circuit the possibilities of what they could share with the group. What one can endure and adjust to isn’t identical across all people.
With all of this in mind, to presume what people with disabilities are capable of without getting to know them is potentially offensive. It can be associated with stereotyping, which puts everyone in the crowd to similar standards, an unfair way of looking at them.
Of course, it is respectful to be considerate of them, but people must stay away from thinking they know everything about the conditions and lives these individuals live.
If you’re interested to read more about Anthony Candela’s life and how his condition has affected it and how he accomplished his goals, grab a copy of his book now!
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