by Rosemary Redfern

Created on: July 21, 2010   Last Updated: July 22, 2010

Disabilities cause a number of restrictions to an individual and they come in many forms. For most of us who are able bodied it is difficult to understand the frustrations and limitations of any disability.  As a result the disabled are often perceived as a nuisance and the public is impatient with the time they need to complete any action and often the specialized access to public building they need.  Society is beginning to understand the needs of this group of people, but real insight is often missing. 

Being disabled, even temporarily as with a broken leg or arm, suddenly shocks us into a change in how we do things. Nothing is automatic and movements which we normally don’t even consider, become actions which have to be thought out.  To someone who has to live permanently with a physical issue, a number of problems rise and they usually cost money because they demand extra materials. 

Moving around the house is awkward.  Whereas the able bodied can slip though gaps in furniture, climb stairs, move through narrow doorways, anyone with crutches or a wheel chair needs much more space to move around. 

Access to public buildings needs ramps for wheelchairs, useful also for mothers with buggies, although steps are easier for damaged feet because they don’t exert pressure on broken bones or stitches. Within buildings, elevators large enough to accommodate wheelchairs, are needed. 

When parking cars, extra space is needed to open doors wide enough to permit a disabled person to emerge with dignity. This is also an issue with families with children small enough to need their own transport.  In France, in parking spaces labeled for the disabled, they have a sign which states, ‘take my space, take my disability’. This has impact. 

Often the public do not want to acknowledge disabled individuals.  The sight of someone with disfigurement, twisted with rheumatism or struggling with sticks is often frowned upon. There seems to be no understanding that because someone has a disability, they are no less in need of the same things as the rest of us. The disabled, for whatever reason, are like the able bodied in their wants, needs and desires, but they need more space, time, and often specialized equipment. 

There is something about disability which challenges the average person’s perception of perfection.  Few of us are physically ideal yet we conform to accepted standards.  With a disability, an individual reminds us of what can happen and it is something many do not want to acknowledge because it is frightening and off putting. 

While society may pay lip service to looking after the disabled, with access to public building and jobs, the reality, has in the past, been different. With the usual confused mix of political correctness and what people really want, gradually some things are improving. 

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