Edward walks alone
The most serious mistake is to surrender to an obstinate and apparently invincible enemy. Disability is a condition that disrupts people’s quality of life. It is a condition often invisible to those who are not affected. It can lead you to live your families together without the world seeing you realize (or pretend not to notice).
When you live in a context where accessibility – both physical and social – is not contemplated, a profound desperation takes over, which is almost always associated with marginalization and a thousand other problems, unfortunately sometimes incomprehensible for the people you turn to for help and support. It is therefore not surprising that this state of affairs leads to a progressive wear of interpersonal relationships within society. Whoever denounces continually the limits of a “disabled society” and therefore of an apparently invisible and ineffective state risks being considered a strange and depressed type. In fact it is not easy to be positive and smiling when you are NOT independent and do not have the strength to face the normal tasks of everyday life. For all this I fight, so that we understand that the disability resides in society and not in the person.
Today Governments, which in matters of disability – except for rare and enlightened exceptions – have often had stuttering and inconclusive attitudes, must begin to deal with it concretely, finally planning a real system of interventions aimed at accurately assessing the existing reality and consequently to field every kind of possible resource for the enhancement and inclusion, at all levels, of people with disabilities who, like any individual, can and must contribute to the growth and development of the countries of the world.
Governments must be able to promote real integration processes, real processes of change in the organization of cities, neighborhoods, transport, schools, all public structures. They must take responsibility for promoting an entrepreneurial policy capable of industrializing the enormous and extraordinary progress made by scientific research and technological development and at the same time allowing all people with disabilities to be able to benefit from it.
The filmed document attached to this article shows that disability can be defeated forever, that very often – as in this case – people with disabilities are real heroes, great people, courageous and very strong.
It is necessary that the health system contemplate greater investments for the creation of listening centers for families, which must never be left alone. It is necessary to facilitate inclusion, to value each citizen’s abilities and attitudes and, above all, never to allow anyone to fall behind, isolated and without hope.
Edward, keep walking alone!
All the best, Salvatore