SA/TO By Month
Topic Information: May
Disabilities
You ever wonder what it was like to live life with an eye patch, or a hearing
aid? How about a gimp or with only one hand? People who deal with these
things are considered “disabled” but we in the world of SA/TO
feel the word has negative connotations. In fact we commend these people
as heroes for daring (even if not by choice) to be different and persevering
through so much to achieve great things. These people are just like you
and I. To call these people disabled would be tantamount to saying that
everyone is disabled or at least has one disability. This month, Team Green
wants to get USYers to change their views on “disabilities”
and realize that after all they are just differences. We want to make the
community aware of these differences and more accepting so that they can
overcome them and support those who live through these differences everyday.
Something to think about...
Now close your eyes and read this … you can’t do it right? But people
who are blind do this seemingly impossible task everyday. You can say they are
less fortunate for lacking the sense of sight, but they are actually more amazing
in their abilities to be able to see things without their eyes.
B’tzelem Elokim: Made in the image of HaShem
We don’t mean to tell you that you are a jerk if you “be hating”
on these people for simply being different, but you are! We as Jews believe
in the idea of B’tzelem Elokim. All of HaShem’s creatures
are perfect in their own sense, adding to the diversity of society. HaShem places
these people on the Earth to help add to the animosities for us to overcome
in order to make the perfect world in which we will live in peace. So don’t
turn to your fellow man and look at him because he is “disabled.”
In the long run, he is your brother.
Facts and Myths
Myth:
Persons with disabilities have a hard time adjusting to life.
Fact:
People with disabilities may have harder times accomplishing certain
tasks, but by no means do they have a difficult time adjusting. Look at
people in the past with these “disabilities.” You have the Father
of Modern Art; Francisco Goya who went deaf after being overcome with syphilis,
yet still his legend lasts on through his timeless pieces of work. Jim Abbott,
a retired baseball player. He was a pitcher-born with one hand. By no means
was he an ineffective pitcher considering he threw a no-hitter, one of the
most prestigious accomplishments in the game of baseball. Now Look at FDR,
perhaps the greatest president in U.S. history and he was paralyzed from
polio, but that did not stop him. These men over came great odds and proved
to live the normal lives of any other person and still were unique and special
because of these so-called “disabilities.”
Myth:
If you have poor eyesight or poor hearing, you are disabled.
Fact:
Perhaps as little as five years ago this was true, however today it
is not. There are many things one can do to help correct these “disabilities,”
including new forms of surgery, hearing aids and eyeglasses. Yes, there
are no cures for these “disabilities” but as we move forward
in technology and society; we will get closer and closer.
Myth:
I am disabled and can’t find anyone to support me. I am all alone.
Fact:
You are not alone. In fact, there are millions of people just like you with
the same exact feelings. But that is the key thing; there are so many people
just like you, with the same feelings and living around you. There is no reason
that you cannot startup a support group where you and others get together and
speak of the difficulties you face and how to come over them. The important
thing is to remember you are not alone.
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