Persons with Disabilities

In celebration of National Disability and Rehabilitation Week, I dared join a photo-essay contest in our school which bore the theme: Mainstreaming Persons with Disabilities in Economic Development. I think this entry is still premature and I got confused with the rules and I don't wanna further burden myself with it and if I were doing it right, I literally only have hours to do further revisions anyway. And this is so subjective in every sense of the word. So I've decided to give up and just post it here in my blog where I may say things wrong, but I won't care cos this is mah site. Bahaha here it goes...

The supposed photo to come with the essay: (sobrang walang konek pero I tried)

PWDs or not, we are all under the same sky.

PWDs: One of Us

How do you mainstream a minority?

What do we know about persons with disabilities other than the fact that they are, obviously, persons with disabilities? As college students in a medical course, we are made aware not only of their existence, but instead and more importantly, our roles and responsibilities to them. Who are we, really? What can we do and what will we do for them? Even more so, how far can we go for persons with disabilities?

Disability is basically defined as the restriction or lack of ability to perform in the manner normal for a human being. Walking, for example, is an activity normally done by a human being. Thus, disabled is he who has lost his/her ability to walk --- regardless of how he/she acquired such. It’s as simple as that. But to look beyond their current situation, somehow, isn’t so simple to grasp.

It’s one thing to know about them --- their organizations and their human rights among others. But coordinating with them and helping act upon their issues and concerns? It’s a whole new level to embark on.

Being that PWD’s are a minority in the society, they are to be given the right attention to by no one else but us, normal people capable of normal activities as in there a human being. However, despite the countless efforts of various people, organizations, agencies etc. to provide the fullest life possible for a person with disability, discriminations and feelings of uselessness can still get in the way of PWDs. Herein lies the question how such a minority could ever be considered mainstream in the society.

As this country’s economy rises (or perhaps drop) to a certain extent, it would be most fitting to consider the needs of PWDs all the time. All the time. They ought to be accepted and fully cared for by the community that they live in. Their needs must never be overlooked. Instead of setting a barrier between normal people and PWDs, why not stand alongside them? In my opinion, this is the very definition of mainstreaming the minority --- the minority in the form of PWDs. In today’s pop culture, anything “mainstream” is either overrated or pleasingly conventional to the greater public. Somehow, this could be of relation to the issue of mainstreaming persons with disabilities in economic development. The only difference is that it doesn’t come with catchy lines or entertaining tunes. It’s a notion of whether or not the PWDs’ needs are being properly addressed to. They need acceptance from the greater public, acceptance which comes with provision and protection. To look beyond their disabilities and consider who they still are and what they can still do for the society --- this is what they need, not just from health professionals, but from all sorts of citizens in their respective communities. PWDs must benefit in all kinds of advancement in the country’s economy. Always.

As health professionals-in-the-making, we learn to appreciate PWDs more because, more than anyone else, we are the ones who will soon be first in line (hopefully) to attend to their needs, in their physical selves at the very least. Also, as we look up to the mentors who are most knowledgeable and are doing (perhaps even more) their roles and responsibilities for PWDs, our young minds are slowly and surely honed into finding out more and more of what we can do for PWDs.

How far could we go for persons with disabilities? Well, I think we could go as far as mainstreaming them amidst economic development. And we'll never stop.