Unequal Lives, Uncertain Futures

As a member of the disabled community I’m dismayed by this retrogressive storyline that is to be featured on Emmerdale. Once again it would seem that disabled people are reduced to being disposable, discarded obstacles in a life that expects perfection, free of hassle and hindrance.

I won’t go into the political minutiae of the Medical vs Social Model of Disability because it would take too long but it’s safe to say that the discrimination, inequality and prejudice against disabled people has never been more virulent. Especially after 10 years of austerity policies which have served to measure our lives in monetary terms, meaning how much we ‘cost’ the state. This is pertinent in particular due to the Government slashing Council budgets as a fruitless and punitive attempt to rein in public spending. Of course any funding cuts will effectively be detrimental towards meeting the needs of thousands of disabled people across the country.

A storyline of this nature, whilst I admit is a choice that is made by women in many cases, is unhelpful in advancing the dialogue regarding disability issues. We are considered expendable by society and because of our support needs, health issues, inequality of opportunities, we are fair game for all manner of oppression. We were the first to be sent to the gas chambers during the Holocaust. Hitler described us as “useless eaters”. Our stories are rarely told and we’re only seen as pitiful charity fodder, equal opportunity tokenism or not at all. Thus our lack of visibility contributes directly to our absence of emancipation.

Let me be clear, I’m not anti-abortion but I am against dehumanising and invalidating those who haven’t even been born because of how negatively disability is seen by society. It’s a very curious paradox that in some Liberal countries women’s autonomy over their own bodies is actively promoted and yet these self same countries have no problem with women ridding themselves of an inconvenience or burden just because the child has been given a “worst case scenario” diagnosis. Sadly Iceland is a prime example of this confusing juxtaposition. On the whole society is fundamentally lacking in any form of disability awareness training and thus it’s easy to fall back on previously long held beliefs that impairments are to be met with fear, pessimism and anxiety.

We should always remember that people are different! That’s the beauty of humanity, our diversity and our uniqueness. People become disabled through various reasons beyond their control so are we saying that their lives are devoid of any quality? Surely we should be accepting that it’s a fact of life? It’s normal and something we desperately need to embrace rather than choosing to divide people according to how ‘able’ they are relating to societal preferences and conventions.

How about we start valuing those who have additional needs? Let’s make sure that families are fully supported in raising a child with a disability? Our human rights are slim and frequently overridden by Governments that treat us like sitting ducks. Easy pickings because of how much we cost so they have us over a barrel on many different levels.

We are far more than a list of health compromised individuals with hopeless futures holding out persistent begging bowls! We are people and we deserve to be valued on equal terms. Our ‘worth’ shouldn’t be decided on the bleakest picture possible or how narrowly society measures success, but on the journey that is taken by someone who sees life through a different lens.

That will only happen when everyone in society collectively understands, embraces and believes in our human rights. Not on the primitive notion that your very right to life depends on how congenitally ‘normal’ you are, which is beyond your control.