Before I get started, let me give you some background on myself and how I have come to this conclusion.
First off, I am a college student who is majoring in Psychology at Olivet College. I have worked with people who have developmental disabilities for about four years now, starting out in high school. I paired up with a very unique student who allowed for me to really see what life might have been like for someone with a disability.
Rachel Stoneburner
After high school, I continued my journey on to college and was looking to fuel this learning process and engage in more experiences. My sophomore year, I served with AmeriCorps at Peckham. Peckham is a company that hires people who are disabled, homeless or refugees.
I did my service for a year and then landed a job at Peckham's group home. Here, six adult men who are developmentally disabled live and enjoy their lives. I am a direct care worker at this home. I simply provide basic care, such as cooking, cleaning, giving medication, and other minimal tasks. Once again, I was immersed in how people with developmental disabilities actually live their lives, not just what they do while in school or work.
Throughout this process, many people told me that they were inspired by the people that I work with. At first, I thought nothing of it. But then I started questioning why they were inspired. To me, it made absolutely no sense. What exactly were the people I work with doing? What was it that made them inspiring?
This question continued to spark in my head throughout the things that I do. I am Vice President of Olivet College's Disability Rights Council. As a group, we decided to give a disability rights, history, and etiquette presentation. While helping put this presentation together, I came across this video. It was one of the first things that was actually speaking the way I was thinking.
To call someone inspiring, there must be something different that they are doing that is looking to instill change in yourself. When looking at people who are disabled, there is nothing that they do that is inspirational. They are living their lives the same way anyone else does. But because they are different, whether it be the way they look or act, they are considered inspiration because they are living.
The language that we use around people with disabilities has to make a change and this plays a large piece in it. If we don't continue to recognize people with disabilities as people, not just what they look/act like, we are not going to get anywhere. I can guarantee you that my friend (pictured below) does not feel as though she is inspiring people for graduating high school. Now, if we were to tell her that we were proud of her, that is different.
Pride is so important to express to everyone, but this group of people especially. In the picture below, all I said to her was "I'm so proud of you." It can truly change the course of your interaction forever. Encourage them, express emotion to them, but do not make them feel any more different than society already does. Because they are no different, they are people too.
Rachel Stoneburner