Tembisa blind man finds a voice in writing

By Edwin Mano

Impairment is a condition of physical or intellectual paralysation due to nature, human error and negligence.

Disabilities are the effects of any impairment that limits the normal operation functioning of a certain body part.

A person may have more than one condition and the types of impairments can vary.

Some have minor effects whereas others are severe. Some conditions require devices to assist when others demand human assistance (caregiving).

Also read:

• Mano speaks about disabilities issues

However, despite all these conditions, people still need to be treated with human dignity. But a person with a disability encounters much discrimination by those who are not disabled.

Remember, apart from these visible effects, there are some behavioural attributes that develop due to disability and some of these attributes causes sensitivity towards any uncalled-for actions.

Let us concentrate on discrimination of which much of it is due to lack of knowledge about disability, maybe because people with disabilities are not eager to openly express their feelings about it or maybe some disabled members pretend as if everything is all right with them regardless of their impairment.

So, this makes it difficult for the society to appropriate the treatment or assistance – it just leaves them in a confusion zone.

Other discriminations are due to cultural beliefs; remember of the late bearing of a disabled child in a family would be regarded to be a curse that has been brought in by the mother who is suspected of being the infidel in her marriage.

So the disabled child is regarded as a punishment meaning that both the mother and the child are a curse.

These speculations went on until today but the truth is the above-mentioned causes of any impairment are factual. Some discrimination is hatred based.

In order to reduce this major contributor of discrimination which is ignorance, the society must get facts about disability from the disabled people. In this way, the impact of any types of actions towards a person with a disability would be understood.

Any action towards a disabled member contributes positively or negatively towards their disability.

The treatment that is given to a disabled person can increase or decrease the effects of any impairment.

I know for the fact that dealing with disabled persons is not easy due to the behavioural attributes that developed because of the disability.

Remember we are all people but with different abilities.

A family must love each other, it must take care of one another but in order to do so we should know and understand each other.

For more information call 083 423 2624.