Penang Watch

Monday June 15, 2009
The disabled just want to live life well
YOUTH and Sports Minister Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek
said handicapped people should not be referred to as “disabled” but
“people with special ability” (“Disabled people have special abilities”
– The Star, June 13).
 
As
a person living with a spinal cord injury and tetraplegia, I
respectfully disagree with him in this matter. For the lack of better
terms, I would prefer that we stick to “disabled people,” not even
“people with disabilities” .
 
The term “people with disabilities” puts the burden of the problem on the person.
 
“Disabled
people”, on the other hand, describes people whose interaction in
society is limited by environmental and attitudinal barriers. We are
disabled by these factors which when removed also removes the
disability.
 
Our
collective desire to play an active part in society is severely
hampered by the multitude of barriers that we face at every turn of our
lives.
 
Referring to
the minister’s statement that many of us are not “disabled” because we
have special qualities that sometimes non-disabled people cannot even
match, I would like to point out that not every disabled person can
achieve such feats, nor do we desire to be super achievers of such
calibre.
 
Likewise,
not all non-disabled persons want to scale Mount Everest, swim across
the English Channel or are able to sprint 100 meters in under 10
seconds.
 
Most
disabled people want to lead ordinary, but meaningful, lives just like
everyone else. Even this simple desire can be difficult to be realised
for some.
 
The
Government should spend more time resolving the outstanding issues,
especially accessibility in the built environment and public transport
faced by the majority of disabled people, instead of coining terms that
do nothing to empower us.
 
What
is the point of being called “people with special ability” when we
cannot even get out from our homes safely because the environment
around where we live is inaccessible?
 
Does
it matter to us if the minister wants to use a supposedly more positive
term to refer to us when we cannot even use public transport to move
around conveniently?
 
We
cannot escape from the fact that no matter what positive phrases are
used, disabled people are still the most marginalised community in the
country.
 
The Government should
seriously work towards improving the quality of life of disabled people
by removing barriers and providing relevant social support where
required.
 
PETER TAN,
Kuala Lumpur.