SAFETY FIRST
A person may cause evil to others not only by his actions but by his inactions, and in either case he is justly accountable to them for the injury.
John Stuart Mill
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The safety of children and adults with disabilities is paramount in the minds of many: family members, teachers, service providers, and others. A variety of different statistics indicate people with disabilities experience abuse (sexual, physical, verbal, etc.) at much higher rates than people without disabilities, so concerns for their safety are justified.
Unfortunately, the methods used to create a wall of safety around them have not always been effective, and may have even contributed to people being more vulnerable. Furthermore, the efforts of others to keep people safe may prevent them from being able to keep themselves safe. So let’s rethink this...
How do people without disabilities maintain their own safety? “Fight or flight” is the most primitive response to danger. You can choose to fight or run away; you can call out for help, too. You also make decisions every day to stay away from dangerous people and places, and ensure you’re with people and in places where you feel safe. Think of other things you do. Finally, adults teach children about “good touches and bad touches,” what to do if approached by a stranger, and more.
Now let’s think about people with disabilities. Read more...
Copyright 2011 Kathie Snow, www.disabilityisnatural.com; all rights reserved. You may make copies of the PDF of this article to share with others as a handout. Do not republish in newsletters, blogs, websites, etc., without permission. Click here for the Terms of Use and permission request form.
THINK ABOUT IT . . .
Better encounter a danger than live in continual fear.
William H. Browne
Liberty is always dangerous, but it is the safest thing we have.
Harry Emerson Fosdick
Those who make some other person their job are dangerous.
Dorothy L. Sayers
Exclusion is always dangerous. Inclusion is the only safety if we are to have a peaceful world.
Pearl S. Buck
She had encountered one of the most devastating kinds of loneliness in existence: that of being in close contact with someone to whom she was a nonperson, and who thereby rendered her invisible and of no consequence.
Dorothy Gilman
VISIT DISABILITY IS NATURAL
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THANK YOU!
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Remember to always Presume Competence in people with disabilities!
Kathie
Copyright 2011 Kathie Snow, All Rights Reserved, BraveHeart Press, www.disabilityisnatural.com |
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