Acceptance and Inclusion Unite Us: Guest Submission from Yuchen Qian, Special Olympics East Asia Youth Leader
I first participated in Special Olympics activities 2 years ago, and was amazed at the force that unite people together, and the power to make the world a better place. But from the implementing of my project I realize that it is not an easy task. Lots of thoughts and passion must go in and the most important thing to do is to act ourselves. Small actions might not be conspicuous at first, but they can form a strong current to inclusion, just like the “Spread the word to end the word” campaign.
In China, lots of people have been aware of how the R-word hurts people with ID, but the old prejudices are not easy to be adjusted. There are still people, who are either showing off with their new vocabulary, or are unaware of its meaning and effect, that use the word occasionally. The former are usually adolescents, who are easy to be given explanation and persuaded through efforts, while the latter are usually middle-aged, who take more time to understand and revise their behavior. Examples existed in daily life, and I would like to share my story with you about the latter.
Once I was in a noodle restaurant having dinner. The noodle is quite famous in Shanghai so the restaurant was crowded with customers. Hearing an impatient utterance of the Shanghai dialect “Gangdu”, I looked up and saw a young men about 20 years of age with yellowish hair and a confused look. He was waiting in line and when it was his turn, he pointed at the menu but could not make the cashier understand his order. His speech and gesture reflected that he was a man with ID. The cashier was urging him, and the more she urged him, the more puzzled he was. Now the cashier was peering at him and was about to let him stand aside. Everyone else in the restaurant stopped eating and was watching.
I walked up to him, my hand on his shoulder. Turning to the cashier who was still murmuring something to herself, I said, “Beef noodles, please.” The cashier was quite embarrassed, and printed the receipt reluctantly after I paid. I let him sit beside me, and we chatted while eating. I learned that he was a student of a vocational school and his home was not far away. After he finished his meal, we stood up and took our leave. My eyes met the eyes of people sitting next us, and they nodded at me and smiled. We waved a pleasant goodbye outside the restaurant.
It was a small incident, but it gave me inspiration. It is acceptance and inclusion that unite us together. As we know people with ID are part of society, not different, not inferior, and not a spectacle to play jokes on, we shall treat them as ordinary people and reach out our hands for them. Any words or actions that mark them as different can harm them and it is for this reason that the R-word should stop. Only as a big family will we join hand in hand and achieve the Great Special Olympics Dream together. So we should find the impact among youths and make positive changes.
By Yuchen Qian
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