Stairs and Stereotypes

The world is flat - or so many of us may think when it comes to equality, fairness and accessibility for those living with disabilities today. We certainly have more ramps, electronically operated doors, accessible washrooms and elevators than were seen in this country a few decades ago, but even so, physical barriers remain. The government's goal of creating an accessible Ontario by 2025 will be an easy one if these are the only barriers they take into account.

Something far more pervasive and insidious than physical barriers stand in the way of a truly level playing field for those of us who are differently abled. Stereotypes and negative attitudes are much more difficult barriers to remove, and these stand in our way in every area of our lives.

Often, even the services put in place to minimize barriers seem blind to their own oppressive practices. For instance, a disability job search agency is allowed to offer unpaid work terms to employees with cold feet regarding hiring a person with a disability. These terms can last for up to one month depending on the employer's preferences. Essentially, the message to the individual is this: your resume, intelligence and accomplishments are worth nothing until you can prove to me that you will be as valuable a worker as someone without a disability. Inherent in such requirements is the assumption that a person with a disability is likely not to measure up to their 'able-bodied' colleagues. Until you disprove this stereotype, your work has no value.

Of course, the job search agencies make the unpaid work term sound much more positive. "You can get a firsthand look at how much you like the job, and then decide if you want to keep it." It only takes the modification of a few words to encapsulate the appeal of this arrangement from the employer's perspective: "You can get a (free) firsthand look at how the person compares to others, and decide if you want to keep him/her." Because of an employer's skeptical attitude regarding my abilities, I have to sacrifice a paycheck to prove myself worthy of working alongside others who may not be 'disabled', but who nonetheless have limitations of a less visible kind.

I want to see a world where my intelligence, talents and personality speak louder to potential employers than my wheelchair does. It should not be tolerated that those without disabilities can be hired with pay from day one, simply based on a resume and an interview, while a person with a disability must prove something more. I am able to receive so much more respect and admiration in the social and academic levels of my life, but the ramp does not yet extend to the occupational level. This must change.

The subtle, but thriving stereotype that a differently abled person is lesser than a person without a disability must be done away with. I'm thrilled institutions are building more ramps, elevators, and automatic doors. But this will not make our provinces, communities and institutions truly accessible. As long as this attitude is held by any institution, corporation or person in power -

you
are not
accessible.