A little rant.

Having been brought up in an environment where those with disabilities are seen as complete equals, it never ceases to amaze me how cruel and heartless some people can be on the subject of disability, especially in the case of children. Today, I was told of one particular instance that really had me fuming. A grown woman, a MOTHER in fact, actually had the audacity to request that one mother leave with her disabled son as he was "scaring her daughter". Now, I'm sorry...WHAT?! How on earth is this mature, adult behaviour? What sort of twisted message is this sending to her daughter? Surely she should be teaching her not to be afraid, teaching her that we should treat every person in this world with love and respect. And if she had a problem, I'm of the opinion she should have got up and left herself!

Amidst my outrage at this completely inappropriate behaviour, though, I also have questions. Are the people who say things such as this cruel? Or are they merely uneducated? Are all these negative attitudes towards disability stemming from the fact that these people genuinelly just do not understand? Is it possible that, if they had been taught from the word go not to be so wary of disability, they would actually be much more accepting of it? Perhaps this particular mother was not asking the other to leave in a malicious way, rather she did not know how to deal with a situation involving a special needs child.

So now I wonder...what can we do? It seems to me that so many people in this world, so many otherwise lovely, kind people, are harbouring fears and anxieties about those who may have differing needs to their own, those who have disabilities. And these fears and anxieties, I believe, stem from a lack of education, a lack of experience. It scares and saddens me that such people will then undoubtedly pass on similar ignorant beliefs to their own offspring, and the cycle will continue. How can we stop this? How can we get through to people that disability is not something to fear, that those with special needs should not be alienated, that they're not all that different from anyone else?

I don't know what point this blog post had. I suppose it was just a rant on my part, a chance for me to express my utter outrage at how so so many still think it is ok to treat others like crap. It's time it ended. It's cruel, it's heartless and it's ignorant. It deeply upsets me, too, that it is so easily avoidable. If people would just open their minds, open their hearts, I think this world would be a much better place. We need to speak up. But I'm not sure that's enough. We need action. We need to ACT, we need to PRACTICE WHAT WE PREACH. For me it's just natural to treat all people with care, respect, love and equality. I barely bat an eye because I am so used to my home being filled with kids, some disabled some not. I view them all as just that, kids. And they're awesome. It's time for action. And it's time for those who don't know, those who are still harbouring these ancient and outrageous fears, to stand up and be willing to learn.

Barnardo's.

^^Click it.

<3