- The majority of disabled people are wheelchair users. But the truth is less than 10% of disabled people use wheelchairs. And of this number approximately 3% use wheelchairs full time.
- 70% of disabled people of working age are unemployed. This is the fact. Many disabled people who would like to work cannot get jobs. Disabled people are regularly discriminated again in employment. Many employers think that they will take a lot of time of sick.
- A person with a visual impairment can hear better than sighted person. This is not true. A person with visual impairment may rely more on their other senses and learn how to use them better, but it does not necessarily mean that they can hear better.
- All blind people like to wear dark glasses. It is a common stereotype,popularised in film of the 50's and by musician like Stevie Wonder.
- All deaf people are very good at lip reading. Not all people of hearing impairments are taught to lip read. Lip reading is not solely a reliable way to understand what's being said,as skilled lip readers can understand about 50% of spoken word and the rest is guesswork. Sounds are also made in back,middle and front of the throat and not on the lips.
- Exaggerating your lip movements can help someone who lip reads. The fact is you should never exaggerate your lip movements,as this will distort you lip pattern making it impossible for someone to understand what are you saying.
- If a deaf person doesn't understand what you say the first time, you should keep on repeating the same thing until the do understand. What yo should do - you may repeat yourself a second time and if they still don't understand please re-phrase the the sentence using different word if needed.
- If a person who has epilepsy is having a seizure you should put something in their mouth. The fact is - do not interfere with someone who having a seizure - trying to force something into their mouth could result in breaking their teeth, choking the object or you getting bitten.
- People with Down's Syndrome(DS) cannot have a mental age higher than 10. Learning disabilities vary widely from person to person as it does with people without DS. It wrong to make assumptions on the basis of someone's impairment.
- People with mental health issues are more likely to be dangerous and unpredictable. The are no more likely to be dangerous than people without mental health issues. Usually, the mass media have sensationalised incidents to make the public generalise in all cases.
- When assisting a disabled person you should ask what wrong with them. Never ask intrusive or nosy questions. A person's impairment is their own business and not a subject for general discussion.
Notes: So many myths and not easy living with label
Ulasan
Terima kasih kerana melawat ke blog saya yang tidak sprtinya itu.
Memang benar seperti yang anda katakan itu. Selalunya kerajaan buat sesuatu tanpa ada tindakan bersepadu.
Kekadang pula tindakan diambil janji ada sahaja. Berjaya atau tidak lain cerita.
Sebenarnya saya tidak dapat ada pengalaman atau merasai apa yang OKU rasa. Paling hampir ialah pernah menjaga anak saya yang tercedera dan memerlukan kerusi roda untuk bergerak untuk sebulan dan crutches selama 2 bulan lagi. Itu pun kami sekeluarga sudah merasakan kepayahan yang berkaitan dengannya. Inikan pula seperti anda yang akan selamanya mejalankan kehidupan sebegitu.
Namun saya rasa kagum dengan mereka termasuk anda yang gigih menghadapi dan melalui kehidupan seperti mereka2 yang lain juga, malah lebih aktif lagi. Maksud saya berpersatuan, menghadiri begkel dan seumpamanya.
Tahnah kpada anda dan suami, semoga hidup anda diberkati dan di rahmati Allah s.w.t.
Tulisan yang sebegini lebih mendekatkan saya [maksud saya lebih memberi kefahaman saya] dengan golongan OKU. Untuk berlaku adil kepada masyarakat, saya mengandaikan, kalaulah masyarakat di luar sana diberi kefahaman yang secukupnya juga timbul kesedaran, mungkin jurang diskriminasi terhadap OKU dapat dirapatkan.
Tentang no 2 itu. Saya bersetuju sangat. Peluang seharusnya diberi sama rata. Bagi saya, pekerjaan yang bersesuaian, yang tidak memerlukan pergerakan fizikal, misalnya, sepatutnya diberi peluang juga kepada golongan OKU. Bagi saya, golongan OKU juga mampu menyumbang kepada produktiviti, kalau diberi peluang. Baru-baru ini saya ada terbaca keluhan Ras Adiba Radzi itu.
Terima kasih atas tulisan ini. :)
Itulah sebahagian ilmu yang saya kutip dari seminar untuk dikongsi. Memang saya OKU - tapi saya juga kadangkala tidak begitu memahami masalah mereka yang berkerusi roda @ yang punya learning disabilities maupun yang punya visual/hearing impairment.