We talk a lot about the need for change in all levels of society. After all, it is a big deal, and
people with disabilities deserve access to the same rights and freedoms the rest of us have.
However, we also think it is time to address one of the biggest problems – a lack of
representation at source.
The next time there is a government debate in any country being televised, go and take a look
at the people involved. How many government figures have a visible disability? Unfortunately,
you’ll probably find this number is barely more than you can count on one hand. In most cases,
there’s practically nobody with a visible disability in a government position where they have
visibility and a platform to work with.
This can be frustrating to watch because it points to a significant lack of support for people who
have a disability on the part of the government because there is precious little representation for
them. How do you expect there to be any real change or reform if the people we appoint to
make these changes have no idea what to do for the best? They aren’t disabled and have no
idea how different the world can be for those who are.
Ultimately, we find ourselves often becoming frustrated with a lack of representation in
government. Obviously, we are always thrilled to see a wide range of disabilities in government
groups – those who are working tirelessly for change, we salute you. With that being said, we
feel there is more that can be done, and we’ve been turning an idea over in our heads on how
best to accomplish that.
We think that every government should have a special taskforce established made up of people
with different disabilities. They should have the oversight necessary to create and submit
proposals designed to help people with disabilities. After all, who better to know what is needed
and offer up solutions than people who have a disability themselves? It makes a lot of logical
sense, and you’d hope this sort of thing would occur to people in charge but sadly not.
The best thing that we can hope for is the gradual progression of things like this, and the
development of a task force which can be used in this way for the express intention of helping
people.
Governments do have a responsibility to try and help as many people as possible, which is
made harder when they don’t have the skills or experience needed to offer that help. That’s why
we need things like a dedicated group of people with disabilities to be in a position to make
changes. The reasoning for this is always so straightforward.
When we have people who are visibly disabled, it creates some awareness, and offers a stark
reality for anyone who might try and deny the need for change. Hopefully, we can build the type
of society that will benefit everyone, regardless of who they are, or what disability they have.