I translated this article from russian. Here is thoughts of Russian woman about tolerance and disabled. I hope you will understand.
Tolerance. I remember how and where I first knew this word. This word was written on the stairs of Germany city hall. It was in 1992. I was among my schoolmates. The stairs were very narrow and a lot of people were there. We all afraid to fall down.
«Tolerance» was written on every stair. I did not know what does it mean. I asked my German friend to explain the word. She was surprised – «Shame on you! Why you don`t know?» She explained me very emotional. I understood this new word as «condonation». But why this word was written on stairs of Germany city hall? I did not understand that. I forgot this story soon for many years. But why did I suddenly remember that moment again?
Every travel of children of our hospital begin of question «Can we take all the children or only children which can walk?» We went to the museum without children using wheelchairs. Children with disabilities have long been accustomed to such a classifier. And I can not accept this fact.
The new building of the museum's all done "the latest" LCD monitors at every step, they are even at the entrance, on the street, emphasizing modernity and prosperity. View hovers over them without stopping, and then goes to the entrance stairs lead down. AGAIN STAIRS!!! From whom do we protect our museums? Maybe from wheelchairs owners? Or maybe from children which can not walk and paralyzed old people? Probably we protect our museums from some disabled guy in wheelchair which ask for money in the street. And that is cruel joke of our world. Maybe this guy only one of millions who can come to our ideal world without disabled. (Author of this article meant that many russian disabled often can not to leave their homes without help). Our Russian people know only such kind of disabled. Very poor and pity disabled…
- How can I communicate with a disabled child?
- As with a child.
- And if he have no hand or leg?
- As with a child.
- And if he is 10 years old and he still doesn`t talk?
- AS WITH A CHILD!!!
I am not able to explain it to a person who come to our hospital and can not see the children, only their illness.
People are often afraid to offer to the disabled child something which he can`t make himself because of his disability. But do not be afraid! This offer never offended real happy disabled child even if he is not able to do something. But he maybe only ask for your help. But if disabled child feel the fear when you offer him something difficult to him… That means only that someone «kind» explained to a child that he is not able and will never be able. WHY? WHY YOU TELL IT TO THE CHILDREN?
Why should we strive to depict each boundary of the scope?
And, denoting our attitude to people with disabilities often fall into two extremes: one in which they - the object of pity and condescension, and another, in which, on the contrary, we tend to exalt their success to the skies. And note that in each of these relationships, we conduct border: here we (two arms, two legs, a standard set of chromosomes, all indicators are normal), and there they are.
Recently, the committee told us that every day the city hosts several events for the disabled. You know about them? Hardly, because they are insulated, they only emphasize border habitats. There is a line for which they do not cross. Rather, it is possible, but only in the form of the very begging and unhappy. Then what is tolerance? We are all human. If a person is not up to washbasin, we substitute bench him if he stumbles, then we take him by the hand, if he does not walk - it sits in the wheelchair. At what point in a person ceases to be a man and becomes disabled and why we look at them with different eyes? Tolerance is impossible without understanding. Do you remember the movie « untouchables»? black African American cares for paralyzed millionaire There's a great episode ringing mobile phone millionaire, a black man stretches out his phone, oblivious to the fact that his client can not pick up the phone. And this attitude is healing for the soul of man stricken with paralysis.
Last time I was pursuing a keen sense of inferiority of our reality from which seized the whole spectrum of colors, seized so long ago that our senses have forgotten how to perceive them.
I understand that it will not be in our country for no change: honest politicians and officials, policemen and watchmen polite, as long as a happy child with Down syndrome, fun bouncing between parents, others will be perceived as a failure in the matrix around which diverges inverted pulse wave heads bewilderment: where it came from?
midwife recounts newborn fingers, a geneticist - chromosome, and there, on, other elements, another derivative of the same reality, recount already with you our "fingers" and also exclude us from the list of "suitable". Useful to have an opinion, entitled to be equal, but simply to be human.
And if offends you scornful look official, if you want fair elections and respect for you as an individual, then as keenly to want to see next to a happy child with Down syndrome and children with cerebral palsy.
