The government is trying to drive this point home this month.
October is the National Disability Employment Awareness Month. It has two
purposes: To remind those of us with disabilities we can acquire the skills to
be employed and we are valuable employees. The theme for this year was “Because
We are EQUAL to the Task.”
Those words are more than just a slogan. We of differing abilities
are gaining equal rights in many areas, far more than imagined by this writer
who was born with cerebral palsy right after World War II. There are laws to
battle discrimination in nearly every area of life.
We are in public doing the same things as others so it’s not
unusual to see our accomplishments. Because of this, attitudes toward the
disabled have changed since so many thousands spent their lives in
institutions.
The jobless rate among the disabled is around three times the rate
of the able-bodied and as high as 70 percent for those who are blind. That’s a
waste. We belong in the workplace and most I know would rather work than
receive an entitlement.
There’s dignity in work. It gives one a sense of purpose and
accomplishment and allows us to be economically independent. My money is just
as good in a store as anyone else’s and I’ve been blessed to be able to earn
it. Someday sooner than later employers will realize those of us with
disabilities can improve the corporate bottom line.
And, some people I know who have a disability inspire others
because they’ve almost died and returned. When you see the being in white
light, you know there is a God and you have innate value. You also learn fast
that beauty is in one’s character not the body.
My brush with death came in August of 1956 when I fell into a coma
after being overdosed with ether before double knee surgery. When I woke up
four days later, the cleaning lady ran out of the room as though she saw a
ghost.
I always asked God to take away my braces by age 10. Those
surgeries allowed me to throw them out. But the extra gift I received was to
learn to see what I could do instead of what I could not do.
As years went by, I was blessed with everything one could want in
life and I realized God had been guiding my life since birth toward documenting
the progress of those with disabilities in America. I am sure God is touching
the lives of others with disabilities so they know for sure they are equal to
holding down a job and living life each day with joy.
Jerry Wolffe is the writer-in-residence/advocate at large at the
Macomb-Oakland Regional Center. He can be reached at 586 263-8950.
