December 3 is internationally recognised as a Day of Persons with Disabilities. The world stops and thinks about the ways in which the quality of life for those who live with disabilities can be improved.
This day made me look back 34 years ago, when I got shot by police at a protest in Sharpeville, which led to my paralysis. Thirty-four years means I have lived with my paralysis longer than I have lived without it. And in those 34 years, I have constantly had to navigate my way around barriers. So, it is not one day a year when I and many other people living with disabilities stop and think about these barriers because the world is commemorating this day.
Unfortunately, our lived experiences are dictated by these barriers, 365 days for most of us. This is not because of the disability, but because we are faced with structural and attitudinal barriers that are placed on us, by society. I have had to face stigma and rejection in some instances because of my disability. Buildings continue to be inaccessible, the state of public transport is dire, there is not only rejection but also scorn and rebuke when someone uses a wheelchair and tries to use a taxi as a mode of transport. The person is made to feel guilty for having a disability.
Having a disability while poor decreases the chances of one’s prosperity. Devices, schools, and the best care comes at a high price. Not only are you then unable to seize opportunities because you have a disability, but you are also limited by the fact that you are poor and cannot afford the devices or any aid you need.
People with disabilities do not need charity, we need opportunity. We need the removal of obliviousness and stigmatisation by those unaffected by disability. When one looks at the workplace. I always ask myself why is it that a lot of people living with disabilities have limited options when it comes to the role they can play. A lot of the time we are limited to admin, clerical roles – despite having advanced degrees/qualifications. Workplaces call themselves forward thinking in terms of not discriminating, or being equal employers. However, they too struggle to look beyond one’s disability and do not find it essential to invest in systems that capacitate their infrastructure for people with disabilities – beyond the physical structure.
A lot of the time, it is the physical buildings that get adjusted, but the attitudinal and psyche transformation does not take place. It seems, for most workplaces, transformation as it pertains to people with disabilities takes the back burner. Imagine being a woman who's black and has a disability – by design, the odds are against you. Our society has a paternalistic view when it comes disability. Society does not see people with disabilities as possibly being functional members of society. And when society does see an independent person with a disability, people watch on with amazement and glee, when in fact, we do not want that.
As a disabled person, I can tell you we do not want to be applauded for living, we want to exist without barriers. The literal hoops and barriers we face on a daily basis should not be a reality. I, like you, should navigate life easily. I should not be seen as a conqueror for having a disability and being able to do daily activities. It should be a norm, because barriers should be nonexistent. The recurring thought, when I think of my experience of living with a disability is that these barriers were imposed on me. Disability is not new, society has just for a long time limited us with structural and attitudinal barriers.
The theme this year is “Building Back Better: toward a disability-inclusive, accessible and sustainable post Covid-19 World”. This theme is a critical one because for a lot of people with disabilities, accessing services is difficult. As it stands, our police stations, are barely welcoming to women without any disability; can you imagine how difficult it must be to try access the help of police when you are a woman with a disability?
Already our society battles in believing women. Because of our society's regressive, paternalistic and disempowering thinking when it comes to disability, I am certain that a woman with a disability faces even more disbelief and ridicule when reporting injustice to the police – men too in fact. Disability, like race and gender, intersects with each and every aspect of the life of the person who lives with it, from accessing justice, education, public transportation, social services and work. And most of the time, the lived experience is one that has to constantly fight barriers – barriers imposed by society.
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