[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.
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....
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!
@ruenhonx definitely, I think educating people and getting the word out there is crucial!
It is awesome that we are all being open and sharing this tonight
What are some of the myths and misconceptions about people with disabilities?
What are some of the myths and misconceptions about people with disabilities?
Some rather hectic, strange, and horrible myths and misconceptions about people with disabilities that I've come across are:
- People usually think 'disability' refers to only physical disabilities
- That people with disabilities are severely impaired and can't do anything at all
- That they're usually in wheelchairs (which is not true!)
- That they have severe behavioural issues and problems
What are some of the myths and misconceptions about people with disabilities?
One of the biggest misconceptions my friend faced about her disability was that it destroyed her life and she feels inadequate because of it. She's shown that it has only empowered her more because she now knows how much her body and mind can handle. Given this confidence, she can handle stresses in life much better than she used to and can solve problems quicker.
There are so many @ruenhonx
I think two of the big ones are that people with disabiilties are helpless.
I think it's wrong to assume that all people disabilities need help. Many people want to be independent and take control over their own life.
Personally, my uncle has plenty of support available for him from my family if he needs it, but he is incredibly independent and I think that we really need to respect people's independence, regardless of whether they have a disability or not!
One misconception I see ALOT is that many people do not think mental illnesses are disabilities as earlier mentioned. And for this reason, a lot of households, schools etc tell the individual struggling that 'its nothing' and basically make them brush it off and not give it significance.
Personally, I think mental illnesses can be far more damaging than physical ones. And its really upsetting that they do not get acknowledged in many cases.
This is a great point @sunflowers5 , @radio_RO mentioned this too!
This brings me to another myth, that disabilities are obvious.
Mental illnesses can sometimes be very difficult to perceive, yet they may be affecting a person in a powerful way.
@sunflowers5 Definitely! Just because it can't be seen, it doesn't mean that it's not a disability!
That's an interesting point @radio_RO
I often hear people associate "disability" with something physical
@benjamin_ I think if those with disabilities can overcome challenging barriers, life can become very pleasant and easy to adjust to. I think that's were self-talk is really important!
Happy Monday everyone 🙂
Welcome to tonight's Getting Real session!!! Tonight benjamin, Sophie and I will be co-faciliating. We are chatting about different abilities and educating ourselves and others on how we can help create communities that are inclusive and help address the challenges people with disabilities face.
So tonight we want to openly discuss this, we want to know your experiences and just get more aware about this topic. 
As you all know, it is important to keep to the forum guidelines please have a read if you haven't already and if at any time you need to talk, check the emergency tab at the top right and get some support.
So to start us off tonight:
We've all got differing abilities, but how would you define disability? What are the different types?
Hey everyone! 
We've all got differing abilities, but how would you define disability? What are the different types?
Hm~I would define 'disability' as something that impairs or limits physical and mental functions.
hey @Myvo 🙂
I agree with that definition and I know what you mean about the stigma! Sometimes I prefer not to describe it that way for that reason.
We've all got differing abilities, but how would you define disability? What are the different types?
Yeah you are right @benjamin_ it is super broad. I would describe it as a person who is disadvantaged in an area like blindness, speech, hearing, physical and learning, but this makes other areas stronger.
I totally agree that other areas can be stronger @ruenhonx
Ultimately I don't believe that disabilities should stop anyone from doing great things or having advantages in other domains.
Yea i like the way you said that, interacting with the world in a different way, there is no better way but just different way of doing it.
welcome to our chat @radio_RO !
I definitely agree with you on that! It doesn't mean someone is helpless at all and a large part of the challenge can be linked to the stigma often associated with disabilities or mental health issues.
Hey @ruenhonx 🙂
We've all got differing abilities, but how would you define disability? What are the different types?
I think disability is a big thing to define! The quickest things that come to mind are things that impair certain functions like vision or hearing but I think it's definitely broader than that.
In the most simplistic way described, I think disability is change.
For those born with a disability, they may have a different lifestyle to everyone else.. or different way of thinking. Which creates a change in personality.
For those who are diagnosed within their lives.. it can bring in mental and/or physical changes.
Like Benjamin said, we all have differing abilities.. so no two people can be the same no matter how much we try to generalise. All disabilities are different because they are influenced by our own individual experiences, opinions and environment.
