We Are All Potential Disabilities!
- Category: Gender
- Date 12-12-2004
- 609 views
It is only by the grace of God that many of us are physically and mentally fit, other than by our own means or wisdom. Those whose palm kennels have been broken for them by the gods must not forget to be humble, wrote Chinua Achebe, a prominent Nigeria-born African literary celebrity.
The story detailing the concerns of the deaf people, expressed during their debate in Mwanza recently was upsetting indeed. The association of the deaf in the region lamented over the disrepute occasioned on them whenever they are trying to access health services in hospitals and clinics. (See: The Citizen Thursday 2nd December 2004, page 3).
In maternity centres, the deaf women are quizzed by nurses about how they sleep with their husbands, get pregnant, or how they know that their children are crying. This happens in the presence of other unimpaired patients who reportedly enjoy the fun of teasing the unfortunate persons and end up bursting into laughter; at their perceived disabilities. Health workers profoundly detest the presence of the interpreters who normally accompany the deaf to help them communicate with the medical personnel.
Sometimes, the deaf expectant mothers are recommend for caesarean section even when they could be able to deliver normally, simply because the nurses have no patience to communicate with people who are not able to follow hazy, yet hastily given instructions to push the child. When in the queue, priority is given to clients (patients) who have sound hearing abilities, who can hear that a name has been called out or whatever has been said; the deaf are skipped and attended to last. The mother of all blunders; some doctors have such high impatience with the deaf that often they end up prescribing wrong medicines for them.
This kind of treatment is not merely cynical; it is also childish! Recalling childhood experience and behaviour, one recollects of the times when people with disabilities often seemed as a source of fun for the young. Of course, it would be unclear to the children whether a disabled individual was not pretending, deliberately making fun, or naturally handicapped. Given the children’s level of intellectual development, and their potential to think logically and critically, it all depended on the kind enlightenment volunteered by the older members of the community to the child to gain the required minimum appreciation of facts about disability and life’s bitter lessons. Where no opportunity for the appreciation of such is available, the children would grow with misguided mentalities and a general lack of sympathy, empathy and the desired human understanding.
Thus cripples would be despised, mistreated, and generally discriminated against. People with squints or defective limbs, the dumb, the deaf, the blind, the mentally retarded, as well as many other bodily or other deformities become subject of ridicule, humiliation and embarrassment. Sometimes, people with disabilities are rudely nicknamed, laughed at, exploited or tortured. They might even be excluded from advantageous opportunities and sidelined from merriments. When they use sign language, some people regard it as a form of entertainment, and enjoy making all sorts of cynical and disparaging remarks about this state of being.
In some societies in ancient times, disability would be associated with the sins of the parents or someone else, and therefore a curse by God, as a punishment to the errant individuals. Some people would still regard it as such today. In other cases, the cause of disability could be considered to be the work of malicious people in society, through witchcraft. Many other mysterious, not necessarily scientific, forces could be cited still as possible causes of disabilities.
The sad part of all this is the scorn which many of the people with disabilities have to endure, even when approaching the most respected trained professionals who should be leading the way in supporting and consoling them. Perhaps, the allegations labelled against the health workers by the Association of the Deaf in Mwnza are very true but would be extremely unbelievable, considering that it is in hospitals where even the most rejected and scaring persons with health hazards are attended to. Usually, one cannot help but admire the courage, apparent ease and interest, which the health workers demonstrate when handling and caring for a critical patient.
Simply, it is clear that people with disabilities deserve better than degrading treatment from everyone, not to mention the educated, enlightened members of society. Not merely because we all stand the risk of being disabled one day, but because human beings are totally endowed differently and deserve respect in their status and natural attributes or even shortcomings. You might as well become disabled through an accident, debilitating diseases, personal work, genetic comportment, or any other unforeseen maladies. You might give birth to a disabled child, through uncontrollable circumstances. Whatever the case, the state of one’s physical or other handicaps must never be a reason for ill treatment, but for acceptance and support, aware that the disabled did not invite their sorry circumstances, and do not necessarily enjoy them.
By Venansio Ahabwe
Source: Peering Eye, Sunday Citizen