Get Over Yourself ... We're Only Disabled Part 18
Get Over Yourself... We're Only Disabled!
Hey my lovely readers, hope you are well.
Chapter 18 We have a brain and a heart
Sometimes people can find it difficult to communicate with a person in a wheelchair, a walker or may look slightly different due to their disability. This makes me feel sad, however truthfully, it does happen and I strongly feel that people need to focus on the whole person more, not just the disability that they have. A person’s disability isn't the whole image of them - their qualities, interests, hobbies and beliefs are just as important and others should identify these too. Our brains might be damaged but it doesn't mean we don't have one! We do have our own thoughts and emotions and we have a heart, let us use what we have to be part of the world and have our place in society. We have been put on this planet to be able to have our thoughts and use our emotions, don't take this from us because we are disabled.
Thinking about disabilities as a whole, everything that people need support with should have their best interests at the heart of the people who care for them. To be able to feel happy and listened to, people need to explain to others what makes them feel positive and motivated. It is good for the carer to understand what the person feels strongly about and what they love, to be able to form a good working relationship. If people don't listen to the person, they won't know how they think or feel and sometimes it’s really difficult for someone to get their message across, especially if they have speech difficulties.
The disability that springs to mind as I write this is Down Syndrome because I feel they talk from the heart and their feelings can have a lot to do with their behaviour. People need to understand that people with Down Syndrome have a lot of love in them and maybe their abilities might not be as developed but they have a huge heart and people should recognise and give them the love and affection they deserve.
Don’t allow people with disabilities to feel misunderstood and not important. This is cruel and hurtful. Also, people need to be aware of what they say to people and not make them feel low about themselves. This may make people feel like they are not good enough and feel upset about not feeling understood. People deserve to feel listened to whatever way they are able to communicate.
Most people know what they need or want to do something, and they can have the same emotion and passion as everyone else. Some of them can let people know what they want and feel but others would find it harder to communicate so people who are caring for them, need to watch the person's behaviour and attitude to understand what they are thinking or feeling.
Also, we don't like to be spoken about when we are within earshot. Many of us understand everything that goes on around us and what people are saying. If we understand what people are saying, this can cause us to feel sad and we might start to doubt ourselves about how we feel and come across to people. This can also make us feel disheartened and feel down about ourselves.
Knowing about people’s thoughts and feelings can help to build on inclusion and diversity. We all like to be treated fairly, so remember that we all have a heart and it is horrible to have it broken. We often think about heart-break in terms of relationships but this also describes how people think and feel.
Remember, the next time you speak to somebody with a disability, bear in mind that they have a brain and a heart. Most people with a disability can understand what is going on around them and will have their own thoughts and feelings, so this should be respected by the person who is caring for them.
Thank you for reading this blog, I hope you enjoyed it.
Abbie xx
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