common grounds

This morning I've spoken with a Deaf person, a blind person, two people with spinal cord injury and someone with bipolar disorder.And it's not even 11 a.m. yet.

I have many interactions with people with various disabilities on an almost daily basis. And I'm always struck by the fact that, even though our disabilities are different and create different needs, there are many common grounds. We all deal with misunderstandings about our disabilities and struggle to get the services we need. We also share ways in which we thrive on a daily basis.

It's striking how similar our issues are in our day to day lives. Underneath our individual stories lies a repository of experiences that we can share with each other as well as with those in society who are designing social programs and providing services. It is from this that we'll eventually find solutions to the current dilemnas in services provided. It is through having that Voice that we'll create the clamor it's going to take to fix what is now an inadequate system for all of us.

People with disabilities know that when we ask for services or equipment the response may be that there is not enough money available and we may be labeled as having a sense of entitlement. But we also know that when the right mixture of creativity and resourcefulness is applied to any situation, much can be done, sometimes with less money spent rather than more.

There is currently a gap between the communication between the disabled community and those designing the services we receive. This results in much waste in spending in current programs. Tragically, there are people with disabilities doing without basic services because money is not being spent correctly. The "fix" is not to spend more, but to spend wisely, in accordance with the needs expressed by our Voices.

Yet how will anyone know this if we do not have a Voice that is as loud as the rest of society and those making decisions for us?