By Barbara Harris
There is one word that has been used for a very long time and by many people across the social, economic, cultural, religious and political divides that is beginning to grate on me.
The word is “disability”. Like an old shoe, perhaps, the word has been with us so long that even though it doesn’t quite fit now, we have somehow become attached to it.
For many people, in fact, ‘disability’ is their preferred word to describe who they are. Some people introduce themselves to me with, “I am disabled” or “I have ‘schizophrenia’.
This raises the issue of self-identity where one is defined by their condition rather than by their person. And in many situations in which that occurs I say, “I’m Barbara.”
“Disability” immediately sets up a state of contrast and a negative one at that. It sets up a dualistic view where some people are “able” and some are “disabled”.
“Dis” conveys meaning of “un” or “not”. “Disability” continues the thought that this person has lost the ability, or never had the ability to do ‘x’, ‘z’, ‘y’.
But, that is not necessarily so. A person may not achieve ‘x’, ‘z’, ‘y’ in the same way as their peers. So why are they “disabled”? We are even very selective in our use of the world “disabled”.
“Disability” is a mostly used as a generic medical term to identify a particular human condition. The word is closely related to the application of ‘labels’ such as “cerebral palsy”, “vision impaired” or “intellectual impairment”.
But sometimes we are very specific and sometimes we generalise, e.g. we label Debbie as “intellectually disabled” because she cannot read, but Debbie can cook, clean and catch buses.
Mary is disabled because she can’t walk and is in a wheelchair, but she has a PHD in aerodynamics.
I can cook very well but I do not make a decent scone. Does this mean I am “disabled”? As people of faith we would like to know where God sits with the meaning of disability.
The Bible contains a good deal of language and imagery related to disability. We often find that the disability imagery of the Bible might actually be about something else.
The language is often used as a metaphor to criticise what is happening with the people of God and describes how the people are failing to act like people of God – they are blind, etc.
The story of David’s care and provision for Mephibosheth (“lame in both feet”) in 2 Samuel 9 is a great illustration of the unconditional love that God has for us.
Reference to a disability may be about acknowledging the sovereignty of God over all human events.
While we are aware of how the Bible uses language about disability we need also to be aware of the many assumptions we make about disability and bring to our reading of the Bible.
For example, a serious accident in Biblical times more often than not would lead to a permanent disability.
For many people today an accident can mean some time in hospital and rehabilitation and then it is back home and on the job.
A brief look at how the Bible confronts ‘disability’ may give us the impression that ‘disability’ is not of God’s will and perhaps is a result of sin and God wants ‘disability’ to disappear.
Such an attitude, though, causes much grief for those with disability as well as for their families and carers.
In Exodus 4: 10ff, for example, Moses, because he does not speak well, pleads with God not to send him to Pharaoh.
God’s reply to Moses is that God makes people deaf or mute. It is God who gives them sight or makes them blind.
There is no reference to sin or fault. God is in charge and God’s response is not to make Moses speak clearly but to give Moses his brother, Aaron to speak for him. Is that an invitation for us to see that only if we help each other will we carry out God’s will for us?
We can be so clumsy with words. “Differently abled” could mean ‘super powers’ We so often want to get down to a single word that describes what we are talking about.
If someone is coming to visit you, if you know nothing more, you would not know what to expect. If, for example I said “Fr Cyril Axelrod is coming for tea and he signs 9 languages and speaks 7 others including sign and spoken Chinese, you might feel honoured to welcome such a guest but have no other inkling of what might happen, although the fact that he uses sign language might hint that he is Deaf. Would it surprise you that Fr Cyril is also blind? He is certainly “differently abled”.
In the old days we used the word “handicapped” and that word, too, conveys some negativity.
Is it carrying an extra burden as might happen in a horse race? (Although in this instance the burden does not level the playing field- quite the opposite.)
The obstacles we put in place unfairly disadvantage others. The ability to hear, may be a problem for some people and in a meeting situation they can be indeed “handicapped”.
If they have the use of an audio induction loop and a public address system, they might participate as freely as anyone.
”Disability” may be the word that will be with us for a long time until we can come up with something better. In many ways the use of the word depends on attitudes.
Our Church including myself in our humanness are very good at putting things into the “too hard basket” where good ideas and creative challenges languish and sometimes die for lack of will to make things happen. However, for all of that, the challenges remain for all of us.
People who see themselves as disabled first will forever be a ‘victim’ of their circumstances.
People who see themselves as ‘made in the image and likeness of God (Gen 1:27); as “part of the Body of Christ” (1 Cor 12:27) and on the journey with Jesus (Luke 24: 13-35) will live life to the fullest.
People who see others as disabled first will forever be victimising others. People who see others as made in the image and likeness of God (Gen 1:27); as “part of the Body of Christ” (1 Cor 12:27) and on the journey with Jesus (Luke 24: 13-35) will share the journey in love.
I can hear people asking, “So what word are you suggesting we use?” I don’t profess to have all the answers; in fact, I’ve come to see that as I grow and expand in my spiritual understanding, I see that hard and pat answers simply do not exist.
One of the hallmarks of my reaching a certain level of spiritual growth will be my ability to admit and accept that I cannot know with absolute certainty what lies beyond this physical experience.
True freedom is being completely okay with not having life all sewn up in terms of absolute answers for everything. I am saying, “I do not know” and I am okay with that. Are you?