A few weeks ago, my wife Stephanie and I began watching Downton Abbey. For the 1 or 2 of you that do not know, the show takes place in the early Twentieth Century, and follows the goings on at a large estate in the United Kingdom. As we began I really did not know what to expect, but was gripped by the show’s plot from episode one. The first episode, however, did include something that I did not expect, the story of Mr. Bates.
You see, Mr. Bates has a disability that forces him to walk with a cane. This means that he cannot carry and serve like the other servants. Lord Grantham decides to give him a chance and hires him as his personal valet. From the outset the other servants and members of the family don’t like Bates being around. They speak of him like he is less than human, and like he doesn’t deserve the same opportunities as everyone else. Some of the servants try and sabotage him and get him fired. Throughout it all, Lord Grantham stands beside him. He believes that Bates can be of value to Downton, and that he does deserve a chance.
As I watched this episode I couldn’t help but think of my own situation. We live almost 100 years after the setting of this story, and I am afraid that many of the attitudes found in this tv show still exist. People aren’t as abrasive and blunt, but their actions frequently label people with disabilities as helpless and incapable. I encounter people like this all the time. Those people who assume that I am incapable of crossing the street on my own, or those who talk to my wife like she is a saint because she has married “that blind boy.”
So, what can be done to help this situation? What can we do to break through these barriers and provide opportunity for all people? Awareness! We need to raise awareness of people with disabilities, and of the attitude that exists. I believe that most people don’t realize they have this attitude. Below are questions that diagnose this negative attitude.
•Do you ever assume that a person with a disability cannot do something?
•Do you ever use this belief as an excuse to not ask them to participate in something?
•Have you ever tried to force someone with a disability to let you help them?
•Do you avoid making friends with someone who has a disability because you are afraid they will be a burden?
•Have you ever not hired someone with a disability because you assume they cannot do the job?
These are just a few questions that help us think about the attitude we have. If you answered yes to any of them, then you have participated in advancing these negative attitudes. I would encourage you to think. Think before you assume; think before you act; and think before you unknowingly treat someone as less than a person.