Equal?

It is so easy to forget that there is a very large community of individuals with special needs. I know I often do. To a large extent, we seem to forget about a lot of issues because we are too worried about our own issues, like getting to work on time, what’s for lunch or dinner, the credit card bill, car payment, and the list goes on and on.

As I think about it a little bit more, I think that in a way we all have special needs, it just so happens that a few have very specific ones, significant differences in the way they think, walk or not walking, going about life.

What if my child had a very specific difference?

Maybe if that were the case I would notice the specific areas in which we as a society are failing to provide everyone with equal opportunities. Maybe I would notice the lack of ramps on sidewalks, or how difficult it is to get around in a college campus, or any public venue if my child needed a wheelchair to go around.

As with anything in life, there is a lot of effort needed to get things done. We have a certain way of looking at things, and when what we see doesn’t fit our model we find opposition. It may be some form of selective appreciation. We see what we like to see, and when we don’t understand something, it’s always easier to look away.

But there is only so much looking away that we can do. Reality can be avoided, but sooner or later, it will catch up with us. We can’t pretend that there aren’t any problems because that only makes things worse.

I guess all I’m really saying is that we have to see the reality that we are living. The fight for equal rights hasn’t ended. There is still a lot of work, and progress to be made, and the more people are aware and involved in finding solutions, the easier it will be to reach them.