Winner: 2008-2009 Atlanta Magazine High School Essay Contest
By Harrison Saylor, Junior, Flowery Branch High School
Every generation, someone somewhere is fighting the government about civil or human rights. About two generations ago, African Americans were pursuing civil rights, and the last generation focused considerably on the rights of homosexuals. For my generation, the focus is largely on civil rights for individuals with disabilities.
People with disabilities are often mistakenly viewed as unintelligent, lacking ability, and unable to make their own choices. They are many times excluded in their schools and communities, forcing them into a life of reclusion. Because exclusion reinforces the idea that those with disabilities should be kept away from “normal” people, the “normal” people often talk down to them and judge them by their appearance and what they can’t do, as opposed to what they can do. Many “normal” people just avoid people with disabilities in general. The best way to fix this would be to better assimilate those with disabilities into schools and communities.
One way we can address this problem of exclusion is by reforming our language. Advocates for the disabled call this “people-first language,” which is simply respectful language. The technique is all about putting the person before his or her disability. For example, instead of saying someone is mentally ill, it would be better to say that the person has a mental health condition. Using this language is less likely to make the person with a disability uncomfortable, and it will help you, and those around you, to see the person for who they really are.
For those my age, a great way to help assimilate people with disabilities is to be active in a school’s Partners’ Club, which helps kids with and without disabilities interact at social and community service events. My school,
Flowery Branch High, started its Partners’ Club three years ago. It is currently the largest club at the school. Kids in the club go to movies together, have parties, and even, in some cases, go to prom together. It has successfully served its purpose by assimilating kids with disabilities into the mainstream student body. The Partners’ Club extends outside of school through community service. An example of this is when I had the opportunity to volunteer for Disability Day at the Capitol. I worked side by side with individuals who have disabilities and saw hundreds gathered to speak with legislators, all working for the common goal of achieving better conditions for the disability community. It was truly inspiring.
In many communities, people with disabilities cannot get around very well because of inadequate accommodations, and that is the reason for their reclusion. We can help them by building wheelchair ramps and other such tools that make public spaces more accessible.
People with disabilities are often barred from sports. We can remove that barrier by asking kids who are disabled to play sports with us, if their disabilities allow. Many sports can be modified to let those with disabilities participate. Three sports that come to mind are wheelchair basketball, wheelchair fencing, and Beep Ball. Wheelchair basketball and fencing are pretty self-explanatory, but Beep Ball is not. Beep Ball is baseball for the blind. Teams of blind and nonblind kids play on the same team by using special equipment that lets players follow the game using sound instead of sight. A kid who is not blind pitches a ball that beeps to a kid who is blind (or blindfolded). The batter swings and then runs to a beeping base. Just as the Olympics allows many countries to come together and break down barriers through sports, kids with and without disabilities can come together and break down barriers through sport
There are so many ways to include people with disabilities into our lives. But we don’t do it. Some complain that it’s too much effort. They are just being stubborn and ignorant. If they actually got to know someone with a disability, their opinions would change. If they were in a disabled person’s shoes, they would want to be a part of society because, after all, people with disabilities are part of society too.
Published in the April 2009 issue of Atlanta magazine
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