The social contract denied to people with disabilities

These outcasts of society

Two statues of men, one blindfolded and the other looking on

We like to believe that every human being has the same opportunities and is as much a part of society as everyone else, provided they act appropriately. However, people with disabilities can do everything, and yet they don't have the same rights as the so-called "able-bodied", a term that already shows the condescension present in the social sphere.

Because disability situations are multiple and complex, the icon of the man in the wheelchair should never have been used, as it is so reductive. The reality is heterogeneous, affecting millions of individuals who, over the course of their lives, will experience temporary or permanent constraints requiring adaptations.

Except that no one really wants to make these adaptations. Public transport and housing are still largely unadapted. French companies prefer to pay fines rather than hire people with "limitations".

Every day, people with disabilities hear speeches either pitying or admiring them, some even daring to assert that, in such a situation, they would take their own lives. Hence the importance of remembering that it's not these people who are the obstacles to society, but rather we who pose them with a misplaced sense of superiority.

Running time: 13 minutes

Image: Stefano Ferrario from Pixabay

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