This semester I'm taking a class on disability and the lives of disabled individuals. I've never been one to talk about what might be considered a "delicate" topic in such an open manner, but with the recent Rio Paralympics I thought it would be a good idea to share my thoughts regarding this topic.

As a society, we should be moving towards being a more accepting environment for disabled individuals. In a broader aspect, as much as governments are looking for expanding their economies, creating new technologies and doing something as simple as constructing a new apartment downtown, they should focus their efforts on easing the lives of those who need it the most.

Disabled individuals also deserve to enjoy life and the pleasures it offers. And the only way they can do that is if we, as a society, work towards offering them as much of a “normal” life as we can.

There needs to be a shift towards a more inclusive society for people with disabilities. It is not enough to simply build ramps and elevators in buildings. Even though this might help, we should always try to shift our perspective and pre-constructed ideas we have of them. They’re not a monstrosity and more importantly, they are not sick and whatever their disability might be, they’re not contagious.

We must not discriminate or treat them differently in a demeaning way. On the other hand, what we must do is integrate them into society and not isolate them simply because they are “different” from us. With the Rio Paralympics, they've shown the world what they're capable of. They are achieving things that most of us "non-disabled" individuals have not even gotten close to achieving.

I, myself, have not had many personal experiences with disabled people but I do think they shouldn’t be secluded from society. We are moving towards a more accepting society in terms of race and culture, why shouldn’t we do the same with disabilities?