As a child I remember watching the show Raggie Dolls on tv. The series is set in Mr. Grimes’ Toy Factory, where imperfect dolls are thrown into a reject bin never to be valued or played with. While unobserved by human eyes, the dolls come to life and climb out of the reject bin to have adventures. One had a limb that kept falling off, another one’s head was on backwards, one didn’t look like all the other dolls in the production line, one had a stammer, and one was rejected because looked different and he was too sad: I had never identified with a TV show more.
When it comes to human beings, it can be very easy to dismiss those of us who are a little different from the norm. Some of us have limbs that don’t work properly, some of us have speech impediments, and some of us just don’t look right.
It’s hard to believe that in 2024 we still treat people who have disabilities in this way. We tell them that if they are not able to do something the way it is written in an imaginary book somewhere, that we are not wanted, nevermind that the job we were asked to do was done and finished regardless or we are told “if you’re not paralysed you’re not disabled” and “you don’t deserve a £10 christmas gift from the government”. And yes, these are all things that have been said to me in the last year, either in person or online.
Many people have the stress of having to deal with being perceived as lazy because of long term illnesses like Kidney Disease. Being unable to work or hold down a job long term is something many kidney patients struggle with. Having dialysis treatment 3 days a week or every single night leaves many people too tired, sick or just unable to do a job during the day, and who would employ someone who needs 3 days a week off in the middle of the week?
I remember having a short lived conversation with someone whilst on a “day off” from dialysis about what I had done during the day. He had told me he had been at work and it had been a tiring one. When asked what I had done, I told him I had slept for a bit and then played some xbox games. He replied “Lucky you.” Yes, I was lucky that I didn’t have a job, that I was constantly feeling lethargic, I had to undergo dialysis treatment 3 times a week and that I had no idea when or if my life would get back to a place where I could find a job and be one of the unlucky ones who gets to live their lives like a “normal” human being. I’ve also had conversations with people who have lightheartedly said “I would sell my left kidney…” whilst I was waiting for a kidney transplant. Thankfully someone else pointed out their faux pas and they sheepishly appologised and swiftly changed the subject. It was funny at the time but when you hear things like that often, it does get tiring. People have diminished my panic attacks by telling me they have had to go to work whilst having a panic attack, meanwhile I’m in hospital having a full body check up to ensure I’m not having a heart attack.
France recently hosted the Olympics and Paralympics and for the first time, both were held at the same time. What an inclusive idea, right? Stories of wheelchair users travelling to Paris to spectate the sporting event, only to find the wheelchair platform overrun by non wheelchair users, or people sitting on the ramps making the access non-existent with not an official in site to help rectify the issue.
Celebrities and movie stars do not go unpunished either. The latest box office smash Wicked features a character called Nessa who uses a wheelchair. Marissa Bode, who plays Nessa, has had to publicly speak out on the crass and “gross” comments she has personally received due to being in the movie. “Disability is not fictional,” Bode continued. “At the end of the day, me, Marissa, is the person that is still disabled and in a wheelchair. And so, it is simply a low-hanging fruit that too many of you are comfortable taking.” Bode continued – “Aggressive comments of wanting to cause harm and push Nessa out of her wheelchair, or that she deserves her disability, are two very gross and harmful comments that real disabled people, including myself, have heard before,”
And that’s the bottom line. People see us as low hanging fruit that is far too easy to pick at, to dissect, to tear up and reject. To throw us into the box and forget about, so they don’t have to accommodate us, adapt their plans for us, assist us so we can do a job in the best way we possibly can, because it is inconvenient for them to change their ways. Changing this stigma is difficult and a long and winding not so yellow brick road that requires everyone to really consider how they view people, because at the end of all this, we are still human beings and we deserve to be treated as such and not discarded like broken or unwanted toys.
Last Reviewed on 10 December 2024
