Often, parents teach their children ABCD. They teach them to score well, speak English, win competitions, and succeed. But do they also teach them how to treat a child who cannot walk, speak, understand, or learn in the same way they do?
I am a person with a disability. I have never struggled as much because of my physical challenges as I have because of the way people behave.
If your child scores 90%, wins every competition, and excels in every field, but laughs at a child in a wheelchair, mocks someone’s stammering voice, excludes a child who looks different from their group, or constantly परेशान करता है a slow learner or a child with ADHD, then understand that the problem is not in that child—it is in our upbringing.
I have often seen that even educated and so-called civilized people keep their children away from people like me. Their child wants to play with me, but they stop them—“Don’t go near him,” “He is strange,” “He is hyper,” “He might hit you.”
The pain becomes even greater when people in schools, parks, or malls stare at me as if they have seen some kind of spectacle. Some show pity, some whisper, and some ask questions that go straight to the heart.
At first, I too used to feel uneasy under those stares. I would think, I wish I could just leave this place. But time made me stronger. Now, if someone keeps staring at me, I smile and say, “Go ahead and look. Smiling is absolutely free. But if you want to know the whole story, you’ll have to become a friend first.”
Now it bothers me less, because I have learned to accept myself. But not every person with a disability reaches this stage easily.
Yes, there are many good people in this society too. Some people’s genuine smiles, normal behavior, and respect without pity make me feel that I am also a valued and equal part of this society.
If a child is struggling with Cerebral Palsy, their nervous system does not allow their body coordination. If a child is living with autism, they may seem lost in their own world. If a child cannot speak, that does not mean they have no feelings. Every disability is different, but every person has the same right to respect.
Unfortunately, even today, many people pass judgment before they try to understand behavior. Many children are bullied in schools. Many parents are forced to keep their children away from society because they fear that people will not accept them.
I believe the greatest degree in humanity is Empathy. It is not just feeling pity for someone’s pain, but understanding their situation and standing beside them with respect.
If you truly want to raise your children to be good human beings, teach them that every person deserves equal respect. A wheelchair, walker, prosthetic limb, different way of speaking, or different behavior is not a person’s identity. Their identity is their dreams, their hard work, and their personality.
And to all my fellow persons with disabilities, I want to say just this, do not hide yourself from the world. This world belongs to us just as much as it belongs to anyone else. If people stare, smile. If they ask questions, answer patiently. And where needed, raise your voice for your rights.
Society will change only when we all, together, make respect, not pity; equal opportunity, not sympathy; and inclusion, not isolation our habit.
Let us teach our children not only to be successful, but also to be compassionate human beings. Because a truly inclusive society is a truly educated society.
