Imagine Inclusion
Imagine sitting next to someone in a cafe, identifying that they are of a different cultural background to your own and not making a presumption based on stereotypes.
Imagine going to the gym and using a machine next to someone who has different mobility than your own and not assuming that their workout is more difficult than yours.
INCLUSION
The things we learn from disability inclusion through the lens of human rights are things that have the power to lead us to equity for all. There is a difference between recognising something and labelling it. What separates those two things is, acceptance.
Amy: “Why do you have that?” Pointing at my cane.
Me: “I use it to walk.”
Amy: “Why?”
Ruby: “Because she walks differently to us and that’s ok.”
Amy: “Ok cool.”
Amy and Ruby were two 17-year-olds at a school I volunteered at. Amy has Down Syndrome and Lily is Autistic. As a makeup and skin care professional, it was my job to help the young people in my class with their personal development in preparation for the workforce. It was also my job to create a comfortable environment for each individual to learn in. In actuality, it was the other way around.
I was nervous about answering questions about my physical impairment, especially from young, inquisitive people who also identified as people with disability. Lily sensed that I was a new kid on the disability block and took the time to show me the ropes. When Amy asked about my cane, Lily’s response taught me about advocacy and Amy’s acceptance taught me about equity.
Words you should know and understand
Unconscious biases: social stereotypes that individuals form outside their own conscious awareness. Unconscious biases stem from one’s tendency to organize social worlds by categorizing.
Ableism: discrimination in favour of people without disability.
I steer away from the word “ableism” and “able-bodied” and euphemisms in general. Alternatively I suggest, “discrimination in favour of people without disability” and “people without disability”.
Diversity: the state of being diverse; variety.
Equity: Acknowledging difference and accepting it as part of the human experience.
Universal design: Universal Design is the design and composition of an environment so it can be accessed, understood and used to the greatest extent possible by everyone.
Inclusion: the act of including; the state of being included.
Humanity: the quality or state of being human; the quality or state of being kind to other people or to animals.
When you enter into the world of disability, you don’t get a manual. There is no book to explain the wave of emotions you will experience when someone uses the word lame in a derogatory way or how your heart will race when you can’t independently order a coffee at a cafe because the counter is too high and the EFTPOS machine is fixed in one place.
In the early stages of my journey, if I was invited to a cafe that was not accessible (despite my discomfort) I wouldn’t take my wheelchair. When I found myself at a hotel that was advertised as accessible but had 3 stairs at the entrance, I allowed my boyfriend to carry me and I didn’t tell the staff or leave a review.
My identity was moulded around discrimination. I didn’t realise there was another option. I had no understanding of exclusion and no context for inclusion because I couldn’t see diversity in the world around me. After spending time with universal thinkers like Amy and Ruby, I could see the other option. I began to understand that discrimination stems from a lack of education and resources and I learnt that the only way to change our future is to advocate for inclusion, universal design and humanism.
“Humanism is important because having a non-superstitious worldview allows you to make more ethical choices based on a general desire to do the most possible good”. — Tim Minchin
The people who came before, the ones who amidst their own private battles of exclusion chose to battle publicly for a better future, they are the ones who got the ball rolling. In the beginning, they strived for the most basic human rights. Now we can strive for inclusion.
