The sensitive eye of the world.

The sensitive eye of the world.

The way we see the invisible is important on a global scale. It affects not only the well-being of people with disabilities, but also our moral compass - by ours we mean all of humanity. How about this reflection: the way we see the invisible makes us human... or not.

Discrimination, negative and unfair attitudes towards people with disabilities - or ableism - weakens these people, but it also weakens society as a whole; closing it off to development, mutual respect, understanding the importance of human relationships, dependencies, openness and flexibility, etc...

Treating others equally and fairly is not about treating everyone identically,
but about trying to give everyone similar opportunities.
Sometimes this involves giving more support to certain people.

Ableism takes many forms. It can be, for example, denial of work or education, harmful jokes, unjustified unequal treatment, rejection or aggression. Such attitudes towards people with disabilities can lead to their isolation, risk of loss of identity, great guilt and shame, helplessness, negative self-image, depression and self-destructive behaviour.

All downsides, right? Yet it happens. Do you wonder how it is possible that creating a more tolerant society is not a priority for everyone? After all, tolerance is not even the same as approval - it does not mean that we agree with something or like something. It means that we treat others as we would like to be treated ourselves.

Why is it that discrimination is easier?

Dr Madhukar Trivedi, an eminent and internationally recognised doctor, scientist and researcher specialising in the treatment of depression, challenges us by saying bluntly:

"Confronting reality and social inequality, becoming aware of one's position (privileged or disadvantaged) is full of challenges.

It makes us reluctant to engage with discussions about our response to diversity.

But without facing these challenges, we will never respect and value diversity or enable people to fulfil their potential to create a more dynamic, creative and just society.

Learning about diversity is difficult: exciting and challenging, personal and political. It is a lifelong process if we really want diversity to become a positive social construct."

As an aside: it is normal that, being in the majority or in a position of so-called privilege, we will not fully grasp how people who are different from us in some ways experience life in the world. A woman will never fully comprehend what it is like to be a man. A white person may never understand what it is like to walk through life having a different skin tone. But... a non-disabled person only thinks they may never experience how disabled people are treated. Because a disabled person can become one.

Sensitising ourselves to diversity issues is key. We can show empathy, openness and curiosity to find out what it is like. It turns out - and this is good news - that we are born with these qualities: empathy, openness and curiosity! But then... they start to raise us.

Children, like all children... Until?

Despite the obvious benefits of inclusive education and inclusion, children with disabilities are not always accepted by their typically developing peers. Across cultures, children with disabilities face negative attitudes, bullying, social exclusion and isolation. Socially excluded children may have unsatisfactory relationships with their peers, low self-esteem and a lack of motivation for achievement, which affects their social aspects of life, mental health and general well-being.

Iryna Babik and Elena S. Gardner, researchers in the Department of Psychological Sciences at Boise University  in the United States, reviewed research on perceptions of disability in light of the dichotomy of own group and foreign group in a developmental perspective from childhood to adolescence. The aim of their work was to understand what and how childhood influences our (yes, yours too!) perceptions and attitudes towards people with disabilities.

This type of research into the factors and identification of developmental trends that shape negative attitudes in children is the basis for designing effective interventions. Timely, age-appropriate and effective interventions can improve attitudes, reduce intergroup bias, reduce stigmatising and socially exclusionary behaviour.

What is the primary conclusion of the study? The researchers suggest that as an important element of such interventions we should add... parent education.

Prevention is better than cure.

The thesis coined by Hippocrates 2,500 years ago still holds true today, not only in relation to medicine. Preventing prejudice is one of the primary tools for eliminating discrimination.

Developmental psychologists suggest that early childhood is the best time to counteract the formation of negative attitudes towards disability, before these attitudes and behavioural patterns become fully established - because then they become difficult to change.

Interventions that increase children's knowledge about disability and enable them to interact with people with disabilities are the most effective technique for influencing children's attitudes towards their disabled peers. These interventions should focus on parenting practices.

Parents need to understand that the way they treat their children at the beginning, becomes the way their children treat people with disabilities later on.

If parents are responsive to their children's needs, show empathy and respect, promote autonomy, provide guidance, impose appropriate control and use inductive reasoning, their children will become confident and well-adjusted social beings with high levels of empathy, social competence and moral reasoning, which will translate into positive attitudes towards other people, groups of strangers and people with disabilities.

The individual characteristics of the child, determining his or her attitudes towards foreign groups and disability, are shaped by parental practices and the educational environment, which in turn are the product of cultural norms and traditions.

Children with positive attitudes towards disabled peers are more likely to interact with them compared to children with negative attitudes. So perception drives behaviour, which in turn influences beliefs and attitudes. It's simple: more frequent and closer contact with people with disabilities leads to a better understanding of disability and higher levels of acceptance.

Sensitivity, attentiveness and imagination

Ableism is something terrible, dehumanising and undignified. It is worth being attentive as parents, but of course not only in this role. It is worth being attentive to the signs of this phenomenon in every aspect of life and reacting specifically when we notice something like this happening in our surroundings. Disability or serious illness can happen to any of us, to our loved ones, right in front of our eyes - and yet we would still like to be treated well and with respect. Right?