DR RADICA MAHASE
Advocating for the inclusion of people with autism and other special needs, and disability on the whole in Trinidad and Tobago, can be the most depressing, daunting task ever.
Every time I feel we have made some progress, every time I feel there is some hope for our country, something happens to highlight the reality – and the reality is that people with special needs/disabilities are really and truly treated like second-class citizens at all levels in this country.
Last week our NGO, Support Autism T&T, held its Sensory Santa event at C3 Centre. This was an event where anyone with any disability could meet Santa in a safe and sensory-friendly space.
While interacting with the public, a common comment was, “This child doesn’t look like he has a disability," or, “She looks normal." These were from adults who simply did not understand why there were some children with special needs/disabilities who could not go to the mall to meet Santa any time. The idea of including children with disabilities at a Christmas event did not even cross their minds.
I felt it is necessary to really explore why we are at such a backward stage in TT when it comes to disability inclusion.
The first thing that comes to mind is the negative way we perceive special needs and disabilities. When I say "we," I mean society, people in general, the entire country. I feel embarrassed when I see people’s attitude, the general disregard for differences, the lack of humanity and just simple respect and courtesy.
This attitude is manifested in our everyday behaviour, the little things that we do – for example, parking in spots reserved for wheelchair users, without thinking that those spots have been reserved for a reason. We don’t even think that when we park there, we might be inconveniencing someone who really needs it. This is something we see too often, with even police vehicles parked in wheelchair-accessible parking spots.
[caption id="attachment_991647" align="alignnone" width="1016"] Inclusion means giving people with disabilities the same opportunities as "normal'" people. - Courtesy Rahul's Clubhouse[/caption]
The next thing that I think about is the language we use on a daily basis which enforces negative stereotypes and disrespect for people with disabilities. Consider these:
“Boy, like yuh blind or what?”
“Yuh deaf, yuh didn’t hear meh?”
“Yuh handicapped, how yuh walking so?
“Yuh dumb?”
These are common expressions in TT, which are used frequently by people in general. I remember, some time ago, hearing an MP ask another member, while Parliament was in session, if he was blind.
I mean really, when our educated and "elite" citizens are using that kind of language, do you expect any different from our children, or society in general?
In most people’s minds, using these terms may seem harmless enough. It’s just words to express how we feel, and so on.
The thing is, historically these words have been used to refer to various types of disabilities. The harm of terms and uses like this is
