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Perspectives of Committee Members
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Crystal Best
10 August 2009
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PERSPECTIVE OF A MEMBER WITH A PHYSICAL DISABILITY
Dictionary Definition: Webster’s New World Dictionary Third College Edition
Disability – 1. a disabled condition 2. that which disables, as an
illness, injury, or physical handicap 3. a legal disqualification or incapacity
4. something that restricts; limitation; disadvantage
Handicap – Negative connotation
Handicapped – something that hampers a person, disadvantage or hindrance,
– wearing glasses, -hearing aids, -stature
Disabled Person’s International (DPI) has adopted The International
Classification of Functioning (ICF) definition of disability as “the outcome
of the interaction between a person with an impairment and the environmental and
attitudinal barriers he/she may face.” (May 19, 2005)
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I recently asked three people that I know and trust the below two questions:
1. What does being disabled mean to you?
2. How do people behave towards / around you and others in similar positions?
Here are their responses:
Response from Former Able Bodied Person:
What does being disabled mean to you?
I don’t feel disabled until I need help from others such as going up steps
or something of that nature. This causes me to feel like a burden.
How do people behave towards / around you and others in similar
positions?
Friends don’t notice but others are too quick to offer assistance. Some
people will make glances from the corner of their eyes. I feel this is worse than
staring.
Response from Sight Impaired Person:
What does being disabled mean to you?
It’s a way of life. I think the most important message to get out there is
that people tend to make a lot of assumptions about my abilities and limitations
without having all the information. Their assumptions are typically based on
their own experiences with loss of sight. In particular they often base their concept
about what it would be like to do things on a daily basis without sight. Since they
have always had sight, they assume it would be impossible or much more difficult
to do things without sight. People are often surprised at how easily I perform tasks
they think would be difficult without sight.
How do people behave towards / around you and others in similar
positions? Interestingly, a lot of people don’t ask themselves
the question of how I perform my duties while working. They are often preoccupied
with how difficult it must be to cook, do laundry, and raise children without sight.
It would never occur to them that I would be able to iron my own shirts.
Response from Able Bodied Person:
What does being disabled mean to you?
A physical or mental impairment that limits or hinders everyday activities. A
A physical or mental impairment that limits or hinders everyday activities. A
lot of disabilities are not visible. Some of these include both physical and mental
– i.e. lung disease, heart problems, psychiatric or psychosocial disabilities
(phobias). Disabilities can affect many people regardless of age and gender. In
my view - I think the list has "thankfully" grown in recent years - many
years ago - people would not have looked at some of the non visual impairments as
a disability.
Nastasya A. Kennedy
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IDENTITY AS A VISIBLE MINORITY
My name is Nastasya Kennedy and I was raised in the community of Cambridge, which
is a village of the County of Kings. There are a large number of people in the County
of Kings who belong to the Mi’kmaq First Nation community and I am delighted
to have the opportunity to be here representing my Mi’kmaq culture for the
Race Relations and Anti-Discrimination Committee.
I was born in the city of Halifax to my mother who is of Mi’kmaq First Nation
descent and my father who is of Scottish, Irish and Cherokee descents. This leaves
me being a bi-racial mix of different cultures. We moved to the Annapolis Valley
when I was a young child around the age of 2.
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I will never forget my first day of school when I realized I looked “different”
from other children in my class. I asked my mom why I looked different from the
other children. This is when she had to revisit my heritage with me and explain
that I came from a few different cultures.
During my life I have experienced many acts of racism, discrimination, and prejudices,
and sometimes still do. Throughout school, I have been called many racial slurs
because I was different from a lot of the other students and was a visible minority.
I have been discriminated against in several different occasions and a lot of people
have been prejudice against me. My parents were very supportive and taught me how
to deal with these kinds of experiences in the right manner. They always told me
people who commit such acts have no respect for themselves or anyone in society.
And they don’t know what it is like to be discriminated against or understand
what it means.
Growing up I have been taught by my family to have respect for everyone regardless
of race, gender, colour, sexual orientation, religion, disability, beliefs, values,
etc. My experiences have helped me build respect and dignity with everyone in society,
since I grew up in a very diverse family setting myself. I knew my stepmother was
of different culture, she came from Indonesia. I knew some of my family could speak
our language Mi’kmaq. I knew friends who were gay. I knew my cousin suffered
from a physical disability. I knew a friend who was Jewish. This has helped me deal
with my experiences with racism, discrimination, and prejudices and made me stronger,
more proud of who I am and where I come from. I have always been proud of my heritage
and not scared to share it with anyone because it is who I am.
My experiences, education and endeavours have made me who I am and influenced my
beliefs and values. I have become a role model to a lot of the younger generation
in my community since I choose a way of life they admire. I appreciate to be a member
of this committee and I believe that everyone in the County of Kings have the right
to an inclusive environment and equality opportunity despite of who they are, what
they believe and where they come from. As a committee we can work together with
the surrounding people and committee to meet our goals and prevent the ideas of
racism, discrimination and prejudices.
To end my presentation I would like to share a quote which I think it significant
to my beliefs as a visible minority.
MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.:
I look forward confidently to the day when all who work for a living will be one
with no thought to their separateness as Negroes, Jews, Italians or any other distinctions.
This will be the day when we bring into full realization the American dream -- a
dream yet unfulfilled. A dream of equality of opportunity, of privilege and property
widely distributed; a dream of a land where men will not take necessities from the
many to give luxuries to the few; a dream of a land where men will not argue that
the color of a man's skin determines the content of his character; a dream of a
nation where all our gifts and resources are held not for ourselves alone, but as
instruments of service for the rest of humanity; the dream of a country where every
man will respect the dignity and worth of the human personality.
Sharon Criss
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PERSPECTIVE OF A MEMBER OF A VISIBLE MINORITY
The biggest challenge, both practically and emotionally, was in not knowing my heritage
so I could explain to others the appearance of my children and so they could more
fully understand themselves.
The basis of my happiness appears to be the solidity of my grandparents and the
reputation they established in the community, upon which I, my siblings and my children
have been able to build stable and productive lives.
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