Just when you thought they couldn't do it!

Hey Families,

Have you ever looked at someone with physical, mental or emotional disabilities (or, the more PC term "handicaps") and excluded them from an activities purely on the basis that they "just couldn't do it"? I'm sure you have (no judgement)!

I've always come across someone who was handicapped, whether they were hard of hearing or they had a physical handicap. I love working with all children, but my passion is looking after those with a handicap, whatever it may be. Maybe it's because I've got a disability myself (Asperger's Syndrome and Chronic Granulomatus Disease, which is an immune disorder). I don't mind using the word "disability," mainly because I don't let it define me; it's just a word.

I've had the prejudices that those with disabilities/handicaps couldn't do everything that 'normal' people could, depending on your handicap, but as I grew up and was surrounded by these people who were handicapped, I started to realise that they could do everything "normal" people could, and I started to seriously question the word "normal." Why is it in our dictionary? Nothing is normal, is it, especially when describing someone, a thing or a lifestyle.

I went to high school with a young woman who had a physical handicap, but she didn't let that hold her back in life. She still doesn't. At first I doubted that she could do everything we could, especially lifting weights with her arms, as she didn't have enough muscle mass to write and such, but she opened my eyes and made me realise that she wasn't incapable of doing the things that we take for granted, like lifting up weights, or walking around. Of course, she can't physically walk, but she can crawl/wriggle along. I was amazed, but I shouldn't have been. Of course she can get around without her wheelchair or anyone's help! Even though she can only verbally say a few words, she communicates by her hands and her head, as well as making sounds.

As soon as I found out that she could pick up weights, any doubts left my minds. I knew that it was impossible to be incapable at doing something, and no excuse was acceptable to be excluded from any activity.

I've met a couple of children with physical handicaps while working in child care, and I can confidently say that while they need more supervision and help with the simple tasks that we take for granted, they can do everything. I learned that you don't just need to sing 'the Wheels on the Bus,' but you can use your body to do physical exercise while singing it. People with physical handicaps can also do it. I guided his legs in a cycling motion as we pretended to ride bicycles; I helped him press an imaginary horn, reach up to the stars; pretend our hands were windscreen wipers, so we were washing the windscreen; read a newspaper and so forth.

Children tend to exclude or bully those with physical or intellectual handicaps because they're ignorant; no-one's explained to or showed them that those with handicaps can do anything and basically everything they can; they just need some patience and understanding.

I remember that when I was in school (starting from primary school going through high school - elementary to secondary school) I was bullied for "being different," but when I was in the compulsory anti-bullying (or whatever it was called) class, I mentioned to everyone that I had Asperger's and the room went silent; none of the students had ever heard of Asperger's! I was still bullied by some people, but not for having Asperger's Syndrome.

I think there needs to be more information and exposure to those with handicaps in order to fully understand them and their abilities, and to eliminate that prejudice.

If you work with someone with a handicap, or your child goes to daycare or school with a person with a handicap, take the time to speak to them and get to know them for them, and not for their disability. Treat them like normal people, while still understanding that they have their limits, which may be different from ours, and they may need extra help with certain activities.

Go up to that person, introduce yourself, ask them if they need any help (if it looks like they're struggling), and share your interests with them. You never know, they may have the same interests as you, or can open your eyes to a new interest.

People with one or more handicaps are people just like us with feelings.

Take care of yourselves and others.

Tokana