“When society takes a collective approach to making access a priority, it stops becoming

solely my problem.” This was the closing comment of Amy Oulten during a TED talk in Brighton,
England. Amy’s story is fascinating in the sense that it she challenges the thinking and behavior
of able bodied people towards her. She is in a wheelchair for reasons that she did not share
with the audience, but alluded to the fact that one of her feet/legs is paralyzed. When she
started using a wheelchair, she mentioned that her body and her disability became a subject for
public conversation. Most of the comments she received she says were “comments that were
dressed up as compliments.” Though the person interacting with Amy may have positive
intent, the undertone is that Amy is not like them, and therefore, Amy says she has to figure
out how she wants to interact. The reality is that Amy experiences microaggressions wherever
she goes. When she goes to a night club people comment on how impressed they are that she
is out. When she backpacked around Southeast Asia, people were constantly amazed at her
resiliency, and how she got around. The long term effects of microaggressions on a persons
health can be substantial. It can create emotions of self doubt, frustration, and isolation (Sue, D
et al.). People are always surprised at her capabilities. Though her body may be compromised,
it is clear that her intellect, confidence, and resiliency are not. What can able bodied people do
to be inclusive of people with disabilities?
It is estimated that around 15% of Americans live with a disability (Olkin). A disability is a
physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more life activity according to the
American Disability Association. The reality is that their lives are more limited based on public
perceptions of them, the absence of representation in media, and a lack of access to services
that help establish independence. Through education and advocating for people with
disabilities we can begin to become more inclusive. Through a social lens, a disability is a social
construct that our environment fails to accommodate (Olkin). Instead of offering shallow
compliments we need to consider how people with disabilities perceive themselves. Here are a
few quotes from people with disabilities:

“Having a disability does not define you.”

-Christie Yimin (Brentano 2015).
“I am not stronger than you”
-Elizabeth Dellaratta (Brentano 2015)
“Different is not bad and it does not need to be ‘fixed.’ Different is good and should be
refreshing or educational”
-Rachel Ward (Brentano 2015)
“Its okay to ask questions, in fact I welcome them. I would rather you take the
opportunity to be educated than just stare at me”
-Cassie Musselwhite (Brentano 2015)

These are strong and resilient statements. Their perspective through perceive socially
offers a lot of advice. Just like everyone else, they are people who have needs and feelings.
Diversity, education, realism, and optimism are present in these quotations. This brings me
back to my original question, what can we do to be more inclusive of people with disabilities?
 A few simple ideas were presented by Joel Dembe during his TED Talk in Mississagua,
Ontario. First, is to change the outdated symbol off accessibility that we are all familiar with in
the United States. It would look like this.

This simple fix can change the perceptions of people living with disabilities. Instead of
needing assistance it says independent. Viewing people with disabilities as independent is a
huge step in how the public views people in a wheelchair. Secondly, London fitted all of their
taxis with wheelchair access during the London Paralympic games. This allowed anyone in a
wheelchair to access any part of the city. Think about the public transportation systems in the
Bay Area. BART has steps and escalators. Lyft and Uber are people’s personal cars. The Bus
lines are often packed with people. It would be a simple and compassionate piece of legislation
to demand that our public transportation systems include people with disabilities. Lastly, NBC
sent 2800 people to cover the 2012 Olympic games in London in 2012. They left 25 people to
cover the Paralympics and did not broadcast them on television. Broadcasting these games
could be every bit as inspirational as Keri Strug’s iconic vault at the 1996 games. It is vitally
important that we learn to be inclusive of people with disabilities. As Joel Dembe says “living
life with a disability shouldn’t prevent you from living life to its full potential.”

References

Dembe, J. (1, August 2017). Lets Change the Way we Think About Disabilities. Ted
TalkxMississagua. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFHOCc6Z8Ig

Oulten, A. (13, February 2018). Changing the Way we Talk About Disability. Ted
TalksxBrighton. Retrieved From: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WIP1VgPnco

Olkin, R. (2002). Could you Hold the Door For Me? Including Disability in Diversity.
Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology. Vol. 8. 10.1037//1099-9809.8.2.130.

Sue, D. Capodilupo, C. Torino, G. Bucceri, J. Holder, A. Nadal, K. Esquilin, M. (2007).

Racial Microaggressions in Everyday Life. American Psychologist. May-June 2007.
 Brentano, E. (2015). 25 Statements About Life With a Disability that Everyone Should
Hear. The Mighty. Retrieved From: https://themighty.com/2015/11/people-with-disabilities-
share-what-its-like-to-have-a-disability/