Persons with disabilities should not be viewed as objects of charity, medical treatment and social protection, but as full and equal members of society with human rights. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
They are persons who may have one or more disabling condition, and prefer to be referred to in the media or by anybody else, as \u201cpersons with disabilities\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is according to Fanie du Toit, Adult Basic Education practitioner of the National Council of and for Persons with Disabilities (NCPD). <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Du Toit wrote an informative piece from various sources on this issue for December, which is Disability Rights Awareness Month, with 3 December the International Day of Persons with Disabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cImpairment is a perceived or actual feature in the person\u2019s body or functioning that may result in limitation or loss of activity or restricted participation of the person in society with a consequential difference of physiological and\/or psychological experience of life,\u201d he wrote. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The International Classification of Disease (ICD) could be utilised for purposes of defining physical, sensory, intellectual, psychosocial and neurological impairments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the South African White Paper on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities recognise disability as an evolving concept and states that \u201cdisability results from the interaction between persons with impairments and attitudinal and environmental barriers that hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Impairment is what happened to you and disability is what society or the environment does to you. Disability has nothing to do with ability, but everything with discrimination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The way in which persons with impairments are perceived and treated, rests to a large extent with society. Statements that deny that a certain impairment may be a disability or that persons with impairments are not disabled by society, but rather differently abled, implies that the person with a specific impairment has the \u201cpower\u201d over how he or she is perceived and included or excluded in society. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Language can be used as a powerful tool to facilitate change and bring about new values, attitudes and social integration. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Negative words and stereotypes are a barrier to understanding the reality of disability. Misguided language and many prevailing attitudes promote out-dated beliefs that persons with disabilities are suffering, sick, disadvantaged, needy, and, in general, not like \u201cus\u201d, and have juxtaposed persons with disabilities with those who are \u201cable-bodied\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
These are some of the reasons why the NCPD, of which the Association of and for Persons with Disabilities \u2013 Frances Baard District (APD-FBD) is affiliated to, discourages the use of phrases like \u201cMy ability is stronger than my disability\u201d, \u201cthe only disability is a bad attitude\u201d, \u201cdifferently-abled\u201d, \u201cable-bodied\u201d or \u201cnormal people\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dorothy-Anne Howitson, secretary of the APD-FBD, said similar phrases in Afrikaans include \u201caan rolstoel gekluister\u201d (while wheelchairs give a person freedom), \u201cgestremde persoon\u201d (rather a person with a disability) or \u201cvertraag\u201d (rather a person with an intellectual disability). <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Persons with disabilities should not be viewed as objects of charity, medical treatment and social protection, but as full and equal members of society with human 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