Know Your Neighbor
Our town is really small, but being involved in my community is important to me. I love being able to chat with people within the social groups in which I feel a part. There’s church services on Sunday, employees at my local post office, friends within the small local pharmacy, the folks at the bank and other places, which enables me to know those within the space in which I live. There is a feeling like no other when I walk into any of these places and know the person behind the counter, or many who come through the front door.
This environment aids face to face conversation, meaningful relationships, and a unifying experience. This is called community. Not every one is able to utilize ‘community’ with the flexibility their non-disabled peers have. There are those at the church where I attend who are in a wheelchair. Their disability puts them at a disadvantage to my ability to hop in my car and go, or even while in town, walk the several blocks to attend to my different errands.
Community is important to each of us, even if in different ways; as one person put it, ‘being in, is not the same as being part of’ the community'! We are all members of larger families. We are neighbors, friends, acquaintances, shoppers, bankers and everything that revolves around (and in) our community. We want to have relationships within each of the ‘groups’ to—and in—we belong. Accessibility is key to making this happen!
Additionally being able to contribute to the community is also a way to feel like we are part of it. Involvement in any number of ways makes us feel useful; like we’re doing our share, or at least being ‘heard’ if solutions are needed and we have ideas!
I read an article about a lady who was born with Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI) which causes her bones to break easily. Her first break came at 9 months old while trying to roll over. She describes her parents as those who were determined to not let her disability keep her from being part of their community. Along with her family, she had friends who she could count on as she grew up, when she needed them. This environment continued through grade school and more.
At college, however, the scenario changed since she didn’t know anyone, and it took her a while to find ‘her people’—those she knew she could count on when needed, to aid with her wheelchair or walker. When she took a position in a large city, however, after college, where she again knew no one, she recognized a stark difference in the acceptance of her disability and even in those she could count on for help.
This circumstance make her especially passionate about advocating for community for not only herself, but others who faced this dilemma. We all, regardless of any disability, or character trait we inhibit, race, gender, or religion, deserve to be treated kindly, respectfully, and as a vital part of where we live.
We deserve to have relationships that can grow, be a contributor to the services and different businesses within the community, without feeling like a burden. We want acceptance of who we are, no matter what we can or cannot do.
This ideal will take time. Our society is not currently ‘given’ to unconditional acceptance, being ‘my brother’s keeper—or helper, accepting of total inclusion, and believing that everyone deserves to be treated equally. It is getting better because of advocates, from both those disabled and those without a disability, who want to see the ‘way things have always been’, change to a better quality of life for all. And if we all work together, one day; one project or idea at a time, progress can continue, so we can all live free from the barriers which darken our world.
#Community #workingTogether #oneIdeaAtATime #communityProgress #StrongerTogether #IdeasThatWork
#DisabilityInCommunity #DisabilitiesAndAcceptance #QualityOfLife #Connection #UnconditionalAcceptance