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[CHAT] Different abilities not disability!

Personally, I have always felt as though disability would never be something that could impact me or anyone in my family. It wasn’t until a close family member of mine was diagnosed with a progressive condition that began to affect his physical mobility that I began to question just how rare disabilities really are.

 

ability

 

All sorts of other questions began to race through my head too - what will life be life like for him? Will he enjoy a healthy quality of life? At the end of the day, I just wanted my uncle to be happy and enjoy his life as anyone else could.

 

The truth is, we've all got differing abilities and what's called 'disability' is simply a part of human diversity. One in five people in Australia, almost 4 million people, have a disability of one kind - some of which people are born with, while others are developed later in life. Some can affect mobility, but often they are not visible - it could be the ability to learn things, it could be thinking processes or the ability to hear or see.

 

We know that discrimination has a big impact (negatively) on mental health - and there is a lot of discrimination that people with disabilities face and it's so engrained in our culture....

language

 

Due to discrimination and society generally making life hard unless you fit a certain mould - people with disabilities face low self-esteem and confidence, and can find it difficult to maintain employment and a healthy social life.

 

The impacts of disability can also extend to a person’s family and friends. On the positive side, it can bring a family closer together, but on the negative side, it can place heavy emotional demands on a family and affect their physical and mental health. Being a person who has battled anxiety for a long time, I find that I can become particularly overwhelmed just by thinking about how my uncle has been impacted by his disability.

 

One of the most crucial things to remember is that whether it be your own, or someone else’s, a person’s disability does not define them and should not stop them from achieving their goals in life.

 

How can we all help to create communities that are inclusive and help to address th challenges people with disabilities face in order for everyone to achieve any goals and aspirations they may possess?


Join us on the forums this Monday (1st December) at 8:00pm AEDT to discuss your thoughts and experiences with disabilities. Hope to see you there!

benjamin_
benjamin_Posted 26-11-2014 04:33 PM
 
 
 
 
 
sunflowers5
sunflowers5Posted 01-12-2014 09:19 PM
One way to make our communities more inclusive would be: Mixing of people from different backgrounds, opinions, race, well-being! It would be a first hand experience for everyone to understand others in a personal manner and it would definitely make a difference in creating more respect and less discriminating. I think because we live in a world where its so easy to communicate to others across the world it creates diversity but also conflict! And so, mixing around can't always lead to what we want it to... but it definitely has an impact by raising awareness and educating ourselves.
 
 
 
 
 
ruenhonx
ruenhonxPosted 01-12-2014 09:21 PM

We have been pretty serious through-out this session so just a light hearted question 🙂

Who are some role models you can think of when it comes to people with disabilities?

 
 
 
 
 
sunflowers5
sunflowers5Posted 01-12-2014 09:25 PM
Stephen Hawking! That man is a genius and definitely didn't let his disability stop him from reaching new heights.
 
 
 
 
 
benjamin_
benjamin_Posted 01-12-2014 09:24 PM

Who are some role models you can think of when it comes to people with disabilities?

 

My uncle! He's just a super cool and really smart dude. I've learned a lot from him and hope to have the kind of positive influence he has on other people!

 
 
 
 
 
radio_RO
radio_ROPosted 01-12-2014 09:31 PM
It's been awesome Benjamin how you describe your uncle and the impact he's had on you!
 
 
 
 
 
radio_RO
radio_ROPosted 01-12-2014 09:33 PM
Wow, check these out! http://hcdg.org/famous.htm
Albert Einstein had a learning disability!
 
 
 
 
 
sunflowers5
sunflowers5Posted 01-12-2014 09:35 PM
Yeh! I can't believe I forgot him! Albert Einstein is definitely another inspiration.
 
 
 
 
 
ruenhonx
ruenhonxPosted 01-12-2014 09:36 PM
I have learnt that some mental illnesses are disabilites.
 
 
 
 
 
ruenhonx
ruenhonxPosted 01-12-2014 09:27 PM

I love Tom Cruise he is one of the best actors and we share the same birthday and he has dyslexia 

 

Stevie Wonder is such an amazing singer and gets my hear every time and he is visually impaired 

 

Will Smith, I have no words but I love that man and he has ADHD 

 

 

 
 
 
 
 
benjamin_
benjamin_Posted 01-12-2014 09:29 PM

@ruenhonx I love Stevie Wonder. He is an absolute genius with music his talent is out of this world. 

 
 
 
 
 
radio_RO
radio_ROPosted 01-12-2014 09:01 PM

@ruenhonx wrote:

We are half way there guys. This is some really quality conversation tonight 🙂 

Can you think of some challenges that people with disabilities overcome?


- Challenges with studying - university etc. There are disability support officers at universities (that provide note keepers, counselling, adjustments etc) but individuals still have to work so much harder just to finish their studies.

- Discrimination

- Travel and public transport

- Sports - how about the paralympics! 

 

 
 
 
 
 
radio_RO
radio_ROPosted 01-12-2014 09:07 PM

Something we often don't think about when it comes to challenges is the intersection of discrimination against disability and other issues like racism, sexism, homphobia etc.... So if you are a person with a disability and a refugee and a lesbian then the challenges are exacerbated...

 
 
 
 
 
radio_RO
radio_ROPosted 01-12-2014 09:09 PM

I found a human rights commission report that described the challenges faced when it comes to employment

 

• Inadequate information and advice about how to enter the open workplace and obtain ongoing support. For example: there is no ‘one-stop shop’ for people with disabilities looking for information, advice and ongoing support

• Financial costs of participation. For example additional transport, support and other costs associated with work, many of which
are not subsidised OR foregoing the Disability Support Pension and associated benefits, such as the Pensioners Health Care Card Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission National Inquiry into Employment and Disability

 

• Inflexible working environment. For example: o difficulties with physical access to the workplace, and getting to and from work

• Limited opportunities for people with disabilities. For example:

• Stigma and discrimination against people with disabilities

 
 
 
 
 
Myvo
MyvoPosted 01-12-2014 09:00 PM

Can you think of some challenges that people with disabilities overcome?

Two challenges that people with disabilities overcome are finding employment and physical activity.

 

With stigma and discrimination being all alive and well Smiley Sad, finding employment can be really difficult for a person with a disability. Whether it's physical or mental, a person could fear disclosing any medical information about themselves when it comes to jobseeking as they may feel that it would be demanding too much from an employer. But some organisations or local councils are making it easier for people to find work and giving them a fair go Smiley Happy

 

Physical activity is also a challenge too, depending on a person's disability. Limited movement in some parts of the body, or even finding motivation to get active can be quite a challenge. But there are programs and other methods (i.e. prosthetics) that allow them to go out and participate. 

 

 

 
 
 
 
 
ruenhonx
ruenhonxPosted 01-12-2014 09:02 PM
I think one is being dismissed like "your disability is not bad enough" I guess this goes back to if people dont see it then they find it harder to believe.
 
 
 
 
 
sunflowers5
sunflowers5Posted 01-12-2014 09:05 PM
Really goes down to struggling to empathise because we haven't been in that situation..
 
 
 
 
 
sunflowers5
sunflowers5Posted 01-12-2014 09:00 PM
Biggest thing to overcome, is to be seen and then treated differently...
 
 
 
 
 
benjamin_
benjamin_Posted 01-12-2014 09:03 PM

that's true @sunflowers5 

 

It's a shame that this is the case but it is a barrier that some people can face. It's definitely not fair to make assumptions about a person and treat them differently because they have a disability. 

 

@Myvo  employment is a big one. It can be really tough but it's encouraging to see that some organisations do try to make it easier. It would be great to see this more. 

 

 
 
 
 
 
benjamin_
benjamin_Posted 01-12-2014 08:59 PM

Can you think of some challenges that people with disabilities overcome?

 

One thing I can think of is overcoming the challenges associated with impaired mobility. For example, if a person's mobility became impaired later on in life they would need to navigate the world in a different way which might take some time to get used to, while still maintaining their own independence. 

 

 
 
 
 
 
Myvo
MyvoPosted 01-12-2014 08:49 PM

How can we combat these stereotypes in our everyday lives?

We can combat stereotypes by asking ourselved why we have them in the first place and finding out information. It's like a research challenge! These could be finding out about an organisation that helps people with disabilities in your community, reading up on information from your university's student services or a student society/faculty, talking to someone who has a disability and gaining a new perspective, volunteering your time to an organisation, and doing some mythbusting (i.e. what words/phrases/terms are or aren't ok). 

 

 
 
 
 
 
ruenhonx
ruenhonxPosted 01-12-2014 08:48 PM
  1. How can we combat these stereotypes in our everyday lives?

Having discussions like these with other people, actually talking about it and not pushing things under the rug. Learning about the different types of disabilities is sooo important as well. 

 
 
 
 
 
Student94
Student94Posted 01-12-2014 08:48 PM

How can we combat these stereotypes in our everyday lives?

I think you need to first make sure you don't feed into those stereotypes.

 
 
 
 
 
Myvo
MyvoPosted 01-12-2014 08:41 PM

@radio_RO Ooo! Completely forgot about that one - that's pretty interesting. It can be perceived as a pretty controversial topic to talk about with some people who may not know much about disabilities. But it's definitely something to be talked about!

 
 
 
 
 
radio_RO
radio_ROPosted 01-12-2014 08:45 PM
Very controversial Myvo! Disability rights advocates are fighting for more open conversations about sexuality with people with disabilities
 
 
 
 
 
radio_RO
radio_ROPosted 01-12-2014 08:48 PM

One thing we can all do is top using the word "retarded" to describe something that's negative....

 

retard

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