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As a youth and high school ice hockey coach for many years, all I ever wanted was for my players to be on a level playing field, or in this case, sheet of ice, with our opponents.
That doesn’t mean I always wanted to play teams that were exactly as good as us. What I expected was for the refereeing to be fair going both ways and that the other team wasn’t taking cheap shots at my players, because that’s how my team would play against them.
We respect you and ask the same in return.
It’s the same in the world of developmental disabilities. All we want is a level playing field and for us to be able to have the same opportunities as our fellow man
What does that level playing field look like? Well, in the workplace it starts with reasonable accommodations. What are reasonable accommodations? They’re things a company can do to aid their employees with disabilities so we can do our job the same as everyone else. The accommodations generally aren’t big or costly.
In school that means reasonable accommodations as well, however, these accommodations will look different since they have to do with education and taking tests, learning in a different manner and things of that nature.
In our day-to-day life that level playing field means that we’re treated like human beings first and foremost. Yes, we are people with disabilities., but note the way in which I said that.
We are people. Plain and simple. The fact that we have a developmental disability is something extra that we have, but it does not define who we are. We define who we are, just like everyone else that’s so-called, “normal.”
But there’s more to a level playing field than how we’re treated in the workplace, school or out in daily life. These are things you may take for granted, but twenty years ago I guarantee people weren’t taking things like curb cuts for wheelchairs for granted. Or ramps to use instead of stairs.
A level playing field also includes making others aware of who we are, why we are the way we are and what we have to offer the community at large. There are still a vast number of people who don’t know how to interact with us and in some cases, don’t care to interact with us.
How do I know this?
Less than an hour ago I was on the phone with a large utility company asking a simple and non-confrontational question about my bill. The person I spoke with was rude to begin with and at one point she explained something that I didn’t understand.
I politely told her that I’m autistic and didn’t understand what she just said and asked if she could say it in a different way. Her response?
“It’s not my fault you’re autistic.”
Uh…Excuse me?
No one was blaming her and honestly, the only reason I mentioned the autism was that she was being so rude that I figured unless I told her why I needed a different explanation, all I would get was an earful of snarky attitude. Which I got anyway.
That was just an example and this isn’t about me, it’s about that level playing field for us all.
Is such a thing possible?
Can we actually get a level playing field for the disabled?
Can we have the opportunity to interact and work with people not having disabilities on fair ground?
Yes. It’s possible, however, unless our society does a 180-degree turn, it won’t happen in my lifetime. Still, I’ll go out there every day and fight for our rights, as we all should.
Sure, it’s great to have others go out and advocate for us, but lets be honest. Can we count on others to do our job? You do realize that it’s our job to not only advocate for ourselves but for others who can’t., right?
The more of us who step up to the plate, the sooner we’ll see that level playing field become a regular occurrence and not just something you see here and there.
Question: Who wants to see a level playing field?
If your answer is, “me” or “I do” then grab your gear, join me and let’s fight for our rights together!
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Photo courtesy Unsplash.