Disability awareness changed my Life

Overview

Self-reflection of this paper is about the unawareness world of disability to the awareness that has significantly changed my life, my opinions, actions taken and further road-map.  

Unaware…

I’ve seen them around yet did not saw them in the wisdom of my sight. I did not listen to hear their voices and understand to reach out to inspire their dreams and aspirations.

My whole world was blanketed with no idea of disabilities thus did not capture them in the picture of my dreams and aspirations.  When my unknown world become widen, I had no room to hear their silent voices calling out in the wilderness for help.

It was an honest view of myself because I was not educated about the importance of disabilities, their vulnerabilities, and their potentials to contribute to their families and the community.

According to the Australian Human right Commissioner, disability discrimination is defined as when a person with a disability is treated less favourably than a person without the disability in the same or similar circumstances (definition).

So, what happened to me….

After so much exposure to disabilities through many field visits, lectures, videos, literature review and learning about the level of Queensland State Government structured disable support programs, indeed I was crushed into dust. Those experiences have changed my truly unknown worldview of disability, and now I am not the same person I used to be.

What’s my opinion….

Absent of countrywide government structured social welfare support services; non-accessibility and availability of disabling person-oriented living conditions in rural villages; lack of understanding disabled people as an important member of a community and their potentials to contribute to the community where they were born to live freely and grow;  lack of educational awareness disseminate into the hearts and minds of millions of Papua New Guineans;  I think Papua New Guinea as a country for a long time did not hear the silent voices of disabled people.

This is how disabled people speak up in Singaut Bilong Pikinini video:

It’s very difficult for disabled people living in Papua New Guinea: “Also challenging to reach the unreached and touch the untouched disable person in rural communities” said Ishmael Leave.

Emma a disabled primary school girl from Goroka in Eastern Highlands Province said:

“School kids describe me as having doubt fingers, twisted leg and trouble heart”.

“Despite those discrimination words, I go to school to fly my dreams of becoming an air hostess one day and help my family and community” (Experience of Disable person). 

What action taken….

From my first block break, I travel back to Papua New Guinea. I jump on a waiting 15- seater Public Motor Vehicle.  The passengers share their stories as we cruise through the Markham valley. Everyone was filled with many stories shared and interviewed me to share the Australian experience.

The story was on educational awareness about disability in our community. I engage the passengers asking this question; have you seen a disabled person in your villages? Many passengers said they’ve seen disabled people in other places but not in their villages.

I talked about the importance of disabled people; their vulnerability and special needs; not to look at their disability but see them as people with a lot of potentials; abilities, dreams and aspirations and can contribute meaningfully in our communities.

The Public Motor Vehicle driver did not talk but listen with great interest as he carefully negotiates many potholes along the road. I fill him enough to break his silence and this is how he puts it:

“Your stories have changed my world of how I see the disabled person”.

“In my village, I have a disabled person, I haven’t driven him around in my car, not even one single day taken him to shops and never treated him with care”.

“From now onward; I will drive him to shops with my kids for ice, buy foods and look after him, then he said, thanks to you”.

What’re my future actions…

So, to conclude as long I live, I will conduct educational awareness about disabilities in whatever capacity in my country. I will not fear or pull back, but I will support and disseminate disability information where I can reach.