Re: [nukkad] Playing A Violin With Three Strings - People With Disabilities

["Samira Razdan" <>]

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Your only obligation in any lifetime is to be true to yourself. Being 
true to anyone else or anything else is ... impossible. 
-Richard Bach, writer (1936- )
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Adheer... Merci !!!
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... He smiled, wiped the sweat from his brow... and then he said
- not boastfully, but in a quiet, pensive, reverent tone - "You
know, sometimes it is the artist's task to find out how much music
you can still make with what you have left."
...
What a powerful line that is. It has stayed in my mind ever since I
heard it. And who knows? Perhaps that is the definition of life -
not just for artists but for all of us.   - Jack Rieman
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Itzhak Perlman is a genius... but Jack Rieman... the author of the
article is a wonderful human being. :-)

Perlman is physically disabled and he has learnt to make the most
of what he has.

But Rieman wrote the article without "emphasizing" that Perlman had
a physical disability... he merely mentioned it. The author treated
Perlman like any other human being... he did not draw attention to
Perlman's handicap (though that factor did make the article
more "touching"). :-)

I liked the author's approach very much. Because... why should we
treat people with disabilities any different? In 1999... a Newsweek
poll showed that 56% of able-bodied persons interviewed felt
embarassed and uncomfortable in the presence of a person with a
disability and 42% felt actual fear.

A year or so ago... a disabled person interviewed on the
Jay Leno show said something very interesting - People with
disabilities can lie, cheat and steal just like able-bodied people.
Disabled people can be fools, fakes, and frauds just like able-bodied
people. And unless we, the able-bodied, accept this... we cannot truly
accept the concept that disabled people are just like everyone else...
except they have a disability.

It is true that sometimes we do feel awkward in the presence of a
disabled person. But I think that is wrong. If we are expected
to treat people of different religions, diferent nationalities, our
elders, children, gays, lesbians, leaders,... with respect... then
why not respect people with disabilities also ?

They are just like us. In fact some of them are extremely intelligent,
witty and charming. For example, Stephen Hawkings... the astronomer.
He is so articulate... so gifted... and he is different... because
he has a disability. But people like him prove that a disability gives
a different perspective, not a different personality.

In some ways, we... the able bodied are responsible for "bringing out"
their disability. Because this world has been "designed" for folks
like us ... who can see, hear, talk, move, run etc.
This world has -not been designed- for people with disabilities.

So.. how can we help these people? Do we need a world whose "design"
is universal and seamless- like "one size fits all" ... with room
for customization ??  :-)

I think... yes! We have to. Because we... the able bodied are
programmed to grow old. And as we do so... we will lose most of our
faculties. We will suffer from vision loss, hearing loss, slow
movements, memory loss etc. And such a state will place us in the
same "category" as them - the people with disabilites !
  ... And for us to get there... is only a matter of time... :-)

Sincerely,
-Sam.






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