Disability Action Week is here in Australia for another year. Now, admittedly, I don't know what there is new for me to say on this topic, or if there could be a new way to reiterate what's been said on it, but I've established how it affects me personally and will as long as I live. Disabilities, whether congenital (like mine) or not, all can have that influence.
The long-awaited National Disability Insurance Scheme is soon to be rolled out Australia-wide; a new kind of pension which still endorses the disabled to find a job et cetera. It all (reportedly) will cover housing and medical costs and the like. With or without it the fight against ableism will continue, but I believe it will do something, however minor, to win that.
But the focal point here is what this week represents, and promotes in its name: action. We don't need a set occasion anywhere to do this, but it's an official chance for all Australians to show allegiance and to publicly reinforce what every person with a disability can offer to society. But before I sound like a cheesy motivational speaker, for all you ablebodied and/or neurotypical readers, I want to close with three nuggets of advice.
1. If you have a child with a disability, do not shut them off. Getting them out into society will help them greatly in the long-term, whatever it may mean for them in the short.
2. If somebody in a wheelchair doesn't let you touch it, don't take that personally. It's just about them being independent.
3. If you're dealing with somebody on the autism spectrum, and they react adversely to your trying to touch them, don't take that personally either. It's just because of a thing called sensory overload.
HAPPY DISABILITY ACTION WEEK 2017!
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