We can't neglect the disabled

As children, respect was something that was taught to all of us in school. However, growing up as the sister of someone who has a disability, I think the world is pretty far from that ideal. Once, in middle school, we had a day of school when students from every class were mixed together for a day full of fun activities. Included in these activities were students from all grade levels, as well as the students from the special education class. Some people were very uncomfortable around these students with disabilities. Personally, I did not see this as a strange situation because my brother was one of these students with a disability.

During lunch, I sat with the kids from the special education class. And, even though I had little interest in fashion, I had no problem talking to an autistic girl about her nail polish. It was a simple conversation, one about how I liked the color, nothing awkward or too out of the ordinary.

However, later that day, while walking home with some friends, one of my friends laughed and asked: “Hey, why did you hang out with a group of idiots during lunch?” He was trying to make it funny situation, but I did not find it the least bit comical. I just smiled awkwardly and responded: “They’re not idiots. They’re just like us.” I truly believe in that statement. If a standard for stupidity is set, then you or I could easily fall into this category.

A special education teacher in my school said: “There is no such thing as a retarded or stupid person in my classroom... everyone is the same.” And, as a person who grew up observing the someone with a disability, I sincerely agree with this statement. Disability or not, we are all equal. Who knows, we could be the idiots to their eyes. The majority of problems I have observed in my personal experiences are the result of differences.

People say diversity is good—but is it really a good thing to those who are deemed too “different?” Society demands diversity, yet it doesn't truly embrace people from every type of background. It’s as if our faces smile and welcome diversity, but our minds feel otherwise.

There was one student in class who felt using money to care for disabled people was wasteful. She believed that disabled people contributed less to society as a whole. It was one of the worst things I have ever heard in person. In my mind, her interpretation meant that abandoning disabled people is the proper thing to do. What would that make us? We would be no better than the Nazis who murdered, sterilized and persecuted disabled people.

Just as some of us enjoy the benefit of public education, so do the disabled people for receiving the services for living. If the government said you should not be educated because you are not wealthy enough to afford for it, and ban all public educations, would you easily accept that? I am presenting the worst scenarios in order to stress the fact that there should be no one who should be deprived social care because she or he is less physically and mentally functioning than you or I. As all of us realize how there should be the system to support all individuals of living on certain basic standards of life, it seems to me that everyone is born the same under the condition of nonexistent perfection.

I think we can all agree that we want to live in a more ideal society. I understand that it is hard to achieve a utopia, but we can, at least, choose to think more compassionately and try to become closer to a utopia.