Disability Access News

Steve Blum of Fairport has Down's syndrome, and has worked at a hardware store for six years. He said he's never had a bad interaction with people he has met at his workplace or in the community.

"I like to talk to them like people," Steve said. "Because that's how I see people in general, just as people. Not with disabilities, race, color or whatever, I just see them as people and hopefully they'll see me in that same way."

Though Steve feels a sense of acceptance in society, the same is not always the case for other persons with disabilities – which is why disability advocates are working to remind the community that people with disabilities are people first.

"If I'm sitting with an individual that has a disability, I think that people automatically see a disability," said Fanny Furgiuele, service coordinator for ARC of Monroe. "And they focus on me, or they try to communicate with me, to communicate with them."

Advocates say speak directly to a person with disabilities, make eye contact, and when describing someone, remember that a disability is only a diagnosis. It's something a person has, it's not what a person is.

"Just keeping in mind how your words affect others and what you say is very important," said Furgiuele.

As Steve likes to say, it all comes down to the "Golden Rule."

"Treat others as you like to be treated," he said.

The ARC of Monroe is holding an upcoming open house at their new Institute for Social Inclusion. For more information on this event, check out the Related Link to this story.

I thank the New Vision, for highlighting the plight of persons with disability as seen in the April 16 issue article titled �Parents advised on disabled kids.

The article quoted Dr. Regina Zulianello, a paediatric physiotherapist with Katalemwa Chesire Home in Kamwokya, as saying that many children with disabilities die because their parents and guardians associate disability with witchcraft.

Zulianello's views correspond very well with the findings of Uganda National Action on Physical Disability (UNAPD), a non-governmental organisation for people with disabilities.

Zulianello asserted that many Ugandans have wrong beliefs about the causes of disability, coupled with a bad attitude towards people with disability.

It is worrying that there are many average Ugandans who still believe that disability is caused by witchcraft or a punishment from God.

Such people fail to take their children with disabilities to hospitals because they fear to be seen around disabled people. The result of this is that the child may die due to neglect or failure to get adequate treatment for the disability at an early stage. This might even result into secondary disability. Parents should take their children to health facilities as soon as they detect a disability in them because many disabilities can be corrected at an early stage.

The main causes of disability are birth defects, accidents and diseases like polio and malaria.

We should not look at the disabled people as a burden to society. This burden is created by you when you fail to socially, spiritually and economically empower disabled people the way you do your normal children. All children, regardless of their physical status, should be treated in the same way. They should have access to the basic human needs.

Ugandans should look at people with disability with a positive attitude so as to enable them realise their full potential.

Hamad Lubwama
Information Officer UNAPD

Published on: Saturday, 26th April, 2008

A WOMAN walking from Kalgoorlie to Perth to highlight the lack of disability services in regional areas passed through Merredin on the weekend.

Jo Russell, whose children Daniel (18) and Megan (4) suffer from autism, said people in rural and remote communities were considerably disadvantaged by the lack of support.

Ms Russell, who was born in Merredin but now lives in the Goldfields city, said the walk from Kalgoorlie had taken four months to prepare and had been tough on all involved, but would be worthwhile.

She will present a petition to Kalgoorlie MLA Matt Birney on the steps of Parliament House when she arrives in Perth next week.

Ms Russell attended St Mary’s Catholic School when she lived in Merredin and later worked at the Southern Cross Hospital as a registered nurse.

When she arrived in Merredin on Saturday, she was met by family and friends and said it was great to be back in the town.

She is being accompanied on the walk by her husband, John and 73 year old father, Cobber Roger who is a well known former resident of the district.

The walkers passed through Carrabin about 12 noon on Anzac Day on their way to a night stop at Mr Rogers’s brothers in Burracoppin.

Ms Russell left Burracoppin on Saturday morning to walk into Merredin and was met on the way by her cousin Dianne Grigson who escorted her into town.

She said she could hardly walk when they arrived in Southern Cross and had to replan some of their strategies.

“My feet have been badly blistered so I have spent some time cycling to alleviate the problem,” she said.

“But the support and encouragement from communities and motorists has been great.

“Every person we see agrees with what I am doing and we have collected an enormous amount of signatures.”

Any donations given to Ms Russell will be handed to the Royal Flying Doctors Service as Ms Russell said they are an organisation which provides a service to the country.