By Katherine Magnoli
My 35th birthday is on Sunday, and it has me thinking and reviewing my life. I have gone through the normal thought process of analyzing all my triumphs, and tribulations. I have thought about all the people I have met and all the things I have done and I become overwhelmed with gratitude. Then once I finish with that I move on to the bigger question, “What more can I do to help the world?”
My mind wanders into a world filled with all that has been achieved by the advocates who came before and during my lifetime. There has been the creation of the Americans with Disability Act (ADA) established in 1990, created by a wonderful man named Justin Dart, whom lived with a disability. For all who do not know this law was put into motion to help people with disabilities live more independently in society. In addition; there has been the establishment of IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) to ensure our equal opportunity for education.
Furthermore there has been the establishment of the Special Olympics, which I have talked about in my very first article. This gives people with disabilities the chance to experience life in a more fun and athletic way. If that is not enough; there has even been advancements in science due to Stephen Hawkings who publicly lived with ALS.
In addition, now a days you can’t go on social media without seeing an article about the toy and fashion industries, creating clothing lines and toys specifically for people with disabilities. There are models with down syndrome who are getting the chance to be cover girls for big brand cosmetic products.
Lastly, who can forget the most recent accomplishment of Ali Stroker, a phenomenal actress and singer, was the first ever person with a disability to win a Tony Award.For all of you non musical fanatics, a Tony Award is the most prestigious award in the theater industry. In short, I have seen a lot and as proud as it makes me, it also makes me wonder “what took society so long to get here?”
The answer is simple there is a lack of understanding, that we are people that not only want but deserve to be treated as equals. In my humble opinion there should not have been the need for the ADA, IDEA, Special Olympics and so forth, all of these just should have been a natural part of society. Now, in no way am I minimizing the importance of these things but to think that they have only been around for a short amount of time brings me great sadness. Sadness for all those who came before me and lived lives in shelters and institutions. Now, I don’t want to get into politics too much but this is still a battle many are fighting until today, to ensure it never happens again.
Which brings me to my point it is not enough to sit back and be thankful for all we have but we must continue this trend by going out and educating people in any way we see fit. I encourage all who are reading this, whether you have a disability or not, to go to your local schools and educate children and even some adults if the case fits, about acceptance.
Another idea is you can advocate to your local and state politicians and demand more accessibility not just in places of business but recreational places as well. Such as; beaches and parks. I’ll never forget when I met with my local mayor and told him about the need for accessibility at the beach. At first, he was hesitant and in the end thanked me for educating him on something he did not understand.
Education doesn’t stop at just acceptance and accessibility. If we will ever get to the point where accomplishments like the ones listed above are not patronized by news-worthy inspirational articles and actually incorporated into society like it ought to have been since the beginning, then we must think bigger. We must continue to advocate for laws, I myself have talked to a former senator about the lack of representation for the disability community in Florida’s Anti-Bullying Law. Thus, no more than a year later at a Town Hall Meeting; I was informed that a group had started a petition to get this change in motion.
Furthermore we must go out everyday and show the world that we are far more than what society has painted us to be, a group of helpless individuals who need praise for wheeling or stepping outside into the cold cruel world. We need to showcase our talents until it is the norm to see it. In other words we must take what has been given to us and use it as a platform to create a world that we are no longer exploited for our talents and seen as heroes or worse something to profit from; but accepted and appreciated for our talents, beauty, and intelligence. Now to answer my first question; what I will do to further help the world? Well, I think this article is a pretty good start. Thus, I leave you with this; after reading this article, what will be your first act in helping better the world?
