What is Disability? I have been thinking about this question for a long time since we've got an assignment on this in one of my course. Disability, this word seems simple for most of us but when we try to understand it, there are a lot of things hidden on it. When we hear the word disability, we often isolate this to people who are handicapped or those people who has lost some part of their body or even those who can't use it to move normally just like everybody else. But "disability" may be physical, cognitive, mental, sensory, emotional, developmental or even a combination of these things.
According to our ever dependable source, Wikipedia, the World Health Organization describe disability as an umbrella term covering impairments, activity limitations, and participation restrictions. An impairment is a problem in body function or structure; an activity limitation is a difficulty encountered by an individual in executing a task or action; while a participation restriction is a problem experienced by an individual in involvement in life situations. Thus disability is a complex phenomenon, reflecting an interaction between features of a person’s body and features of the society in which he or she lives. According to another source, it is the condition of being unable to perform as a consequence of physical or mental unfitness; "reading disability"; "hearing impairment".
People with disability usually are bullied and discriminated. They usually hear a lot of hurtful things about them. People without disability usually address them with bad names that hurt their feelings. For my point and if I'm not mistaken, in a humane way, we should not call them names to even hurt their feelings. They have already disability, we should not complement it with disabling words. They already feel incomplete, do not let look at themselves down. They need respect just like anyone of us. If you want to be respected, give respect. To help us know what are the correct way to address them, I've prepared a couple of words to tell and not to tell when addressing them.
Again, RESPECT BEGETS RESPECT. Mind your words. Always, mind your words.
There are an estimated 7.5 million Filipinos with disabilities in 2000 based on the World Health Organization's assumption that 10% of every country's population has some form of disability. In 2004, the Filipinos with disabilities would reach about 8.3 million. The 1990 census of population and housing indicated that there were about 755,000 persons with disabilities, only 1% of the country's population based on the same census.
A national registration conducted by the Department of Health were about 755,000 persons with disabilities, only 1% of the country’s population based on the same census. A national registration conducted by the Department of Health in 1997 showed that there were 469,707 persons with disabilities. This figure was not officially recognized.
Tell you what, people with disability has human rights just like anyone of us, in case you don't know. lol. Kidding aside, people with disability really has human rights just like us. They have the right to be happy, to laugh, to study, to vote, to enjoy themselves, etc. But because they are more challenged than us, they have their own special rights just to protect them from bad people. Here are some laws implemented for our brothers and sisters who have disability:
RA 7277
An act providing for the rehabilitation, self-development and self-reliance of disabled persons and their integration into the mainstream of society and for other purposes.
RA 9442
An act amending republic act no. 7277, otherwise known as the "magna carta for disabled persons, and for other purposes.
BP 344
An act to enhance the mobility of disabled persons byrequiring certain buildings, institutions, establishments andpublic utilities to install facilities and other devices.
RA 6759
An act declaring August 1 of each year as White Cane Safety Day in the Philippines and for other purposes
Proclamation No. 125
Proclaiming the nationwide observance in the Philippines of the Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled persons, 1993-2002
Civil Service Commission Memo Circular No. 23, s. 1999
Employment of Qualified PWDs
Circular No. 46-95
Accessibility of Courtrooms to Disabled Persons
Memorandum Order No. 59-2004
Authorizing the Court Administrator to Act on and Approve Requests of Lower Courts for the Hiring of Sign Language Interpreters
RA 6759
An act declaring August 1 of each year as White Cane Safety Day in the Philippines and for other purposes
Proclamation No. 125
Proclaiming the nationwide observance in the Philippines of the Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled persons, 1993-2002
Civil Service Commission Memo Circular No. 23, s. 1999
Employment of Qualified PWDs
Circular No. 46-95
Accessibility of Courtrooms to Disabled Persons
Memorandum Order No. 59-2004
Authorizing the Court Administrator to Act on and Approve Requests of Lower Courts for the Hiring of Sign Language Interpreters
Inspite of these given laws, people tend to forget to mandate this laws efficiently. I think that there are a lot of the laws are not implemented properly. Just like RA 7277. Sec. 22. Broadcast Media that states that Television stations shall be encouraged to provide a sign-language inset or subtitles in at least one (1) newscast program a day and special programs covering events of national significance. Although some television stations provide sign-languages, the major TV station do not provide it hence, it is not implemented properly. Another laws that is not implemented properly is RA 6759 is an act declaring August 1 of each year as White Cane Safety Day in the Philippines and for other purposes. I thought so because I haven't heard it. Of course, if it was well-implemented, people should have known this day as a special day for people with disability. Another is RA 7277. Sec. 25. Barrier-Free Environment. which states that the State shall ensure the attainment of a barrier-free environment that will enable disabled persons to have access in public and private buildings and establishments and such other places mentioned in Batas Pambansa Bilang 344, otherwise known as the "Accessibility Law" and RA 7277. Sec. 26. Mobility. which states that The state shall promote the mobility of disabled persons. Disabled persons shall be allowed to drive motor vehicles, subject to the rules and regulations issued by the Land Transportation Office pertinent to the nature of their disability and the appropriate adaptations or modifications made on such vehicles. There are still establishments that has barriers and people with disability will have problems in getting in and out of the buildings. When I went to the United States, buildings have a special automatic door just for people with disability where they just have to push a button accessible to them near the door when they get in and out of the building. Also, there are cars that has a built-in ramp so that people with disability can go in and out of the car so that they would not have a problem in transportation. There are also enough ramps for every streets so that they can use the sidewalks if they need to go to some place. Parking spaces in United Stated has enough space for the built-in ramps to be put on. I think it would be better if establishments and cars here in the Philippines have the same features for our fellow citizens that is mobility impaired. Lastly, BP 344. Section 2. that states that in case of public conveyance, devices such as the prominent display of posters or stickers shall be used to generate public awareness of the rights of the disabled and foster understanding of their special needs. Special bus stops shall be designed for disabled persons. Discriminating against disabled persons in the carriage or transportation of passengers is hereby declared unlawful. People with disability have the right to be informed. That's why government and even private establishments should provide enough devices to help people with disability to be informed of those important things that we need to do.
For me understand more about disability, I've watched video of Aimee Mullins talks about Disability. In the first part of her talk, she gave a brief definition of Disability according to a dictionary that is disturbing because of the fact that the words describing it are full of discrimination. Not only the synonyms of the word "disabled" but also the antonym are really disturbing because it tells people how incapable or how incomplete the word "disabled" means. She discussed how frustrating, these words are for it to describe a word that harsh. I quote "it's not just about the words, it's what we believe about the people when we name them". She tells that words are so powerful that it affects people with disability. They would look down to themselves because we also did. We might overlook them as person who is limited rather than being a person who is empowered. She discussed that no matter how a thousands of people discriminate you for hat you are and what your not capable of, remember that there still are a millions who can help you make the diversity. Millions of people that can make you feel complete, can make you feel just like what they are.
So why is protecting the human rights of people with disability important? Simple. Because they are human like us. Inspite of their impairments and in spite that they're not complete, they are still just like us. Remember that everyone has an equal rights to live. We are blessed to have a complete set of feet and hands, a working pair of eyes and ears, a complete and working brain and stimuli so what we need to do is to share what we have to them. They don't have hands? Let us be their hands. Don't have feet? Let us carry them to wherever they go. Can't see? Can't hear? Let us be their eyes and ears for them to experience the beauty of the world. God made the Earth for everyone. Even though they lack in some ways, they are still entitled to everything we experience, everything we have. If we can do it, they can do it too, maybe even better. TPH
Sources:
For me understand more about disability, I've watched video of Aimee Mullins talks about Disability. In the first part of her talk, she gave a brief definition of Disability according to a dictionary that is disturbing because of the fact that the words describing it are full of discrimination. Not only the synonyms of the word "disabled" but also the antonym are really disturbing because it tells people how incapable or how incomplete the word "disabled" means. She discussed how frustrating, these words are for it to describe a word that harsh. I quote "it's not just about the words, it's what we believe about the people when we name them". She tells that words are so powerful that it affects people with disability. They would look down to themselves because we also did. We might overlook them as person who is limited rather than being a person who is empowered. She discussed that no matter how a thousands of people discriminate you for hat you are and what your not capable of, remember that there still are a millions who can help you make the diversity. Millions of people that can make you feel complete, can make you feel just like what they are.
So why is protecting the human rights of people with disability important? Simple. Because they are human like us. Inspite of their impairments and in spite that they're not complete, they are still just like us. Remember that everyone has an equal rights to live. We are blessed to have a complete set of feet and hands, a working pair of eyes and ears, a complete and working brain and stimuli so what we need to do is to share what we have to them. They don't have hands? Let us be their hands. Don't have feet? Let us carry them to wherever they go. Can't see? Can't hear? Let us be their eyes and ears for them to experience the beauty of the world. God made the Earth for everyone. Even though they lack in some ways, they are still entitled to everything we experience, everything we have. If we can do it, they can do it too, maybe even better. TPH
Sources:
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