LOVE WHERE YOU LIVE – Voice Of The Township

If you stop by our office this coming month you will see on the wall in our lobby a big colorful poster saying, “Love Where You Live.” Step up closer to it and you will see in smaller print, IndianaDisabilityAwareness.org. That’s the website, by the Indiana Governor’s Council for People with Disabilities, that offers all kinds of information about living with disabilities in Indiana.
March, you see, is Disability Awareness month. I am always happy to hang posters and hand out the stickers and bookmarks that come from the Council in March because I think that it’s so important that all people get equal treatment and opportunity in our society, and to make that happen we need to be aware of the conditions around us that affect everyone, including the disabled.

Just over 19% of Indiana citizens are considered disabled. That is one out of every five people. Chances are, with numbers like that, you know a person with a disability—maybe at work, maybe in your home; maybe you even help care for someone in your family with a disability. More and more of us do these days. By knowing and talking to people with disabilities we can learn what kinds of things are important for them. The Governor’s Council focuses on three conditions that disabled citizens need to live the kinds of fulfilling lives that many of us take for granted—those are independence, equality, and empowerment.

In our society we all have many freedoms—to move about, to go where we want to go and do what we want to do; but those freedoms can lose their meaning if you are a person with a disability. One may be free to cross a street, but if they depend on a walker and can’t make it up or down a curb, that freedom becomes meaningless. A flight of stairs will stop any wheelchair-bound person from entering a building whether or not it’s a free public space. The more we see the world through the eyes of someone with a disability, the more we realize the many kinds of barriers and restrictions that block their way.

By hindering those who are less able, we are hurting not just them but our society as a whole. So many disabled people have so much to offer our world. There’s a movie out right now called “The Theory of Everything” about Stephen Hawking who is confined by the effects of ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease. Even though he can no longer move or talk, he still is making great contributions as a thinker, a scientist and a writer. Wouldn’t this be a poorer world without him?

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Since 1990 the Americans with Disabilities Act has been in effect with the aim of “leveling the playing field” for people with disabilities. This has been a great thing for our country as it has meant many changes that allow the disabled to gain, among other things, greater access to services and more tools to fight discrimination. But we must stay vigilant. There is still much to be done to ensure equality, and the ADA still needs enforcement to fulfill its goals of free access.

This quote from the IndianaDisabilityAwareness.org website makes clear the meaning of the poster, “This year’s theme is “Love Where You Live,” which reminds us that communities thrive when we all take an active part. This year’s poster features a colorful illustration of several types of livable, vibrant and diverse communities and shows us that when you embrace your community and the people who live there – everyone feels at home.” “People are the heart of community, and when you embrace diversity, spirit and possibilities, everyone feels at home.”

Richard A. Stevenson, Sr.
Wayne Township Trustee