Barriers are all around us, and this is caused by people’s prospection. There are physical barriers and social barriers, but there are always ways around them. For me as a disabled person, there isn’t any barriers in my life until it is there.
A physical barrier is when someone isn’t able to get into a certain place. For example; the lift is broken at your local train station and there isn’t any ramp for you to get onto the platform underneath you.
People don’t realise that there is a problem until there is one. People think that everyone is able to use the stairs, but in reality not everyone can. With mothers that have prams, to an elderly or some disabled people that need a walking frame or a wheelchair to get around.
Social barrier is when someone feels awkward, ignores you or refuses to help you because of your disability. For example; it’s your first day at a new school and you don’t know anyone. you roll yourself into class and no one wants to sit next to you, so you just sit up the front of the classroom where there is an empty seat.
This comes from the prospection of disabled people need help all the time, but in reality … in real life there are many disabled people that live on their own, and without support workers. With having adjustments around their home, they can live an independent and fulfilling life.
People’s prospection of disability comes from what they see in the media and in advertisement. And this is usually devastating advertisements, such as the RAC road safety ads where someone has a car crash and becomes disabled. There isn’t enough of uplifting and positive stories in advertisement, as well as more achievements and more exposure being shared within the news
Click here – to read my blog on representation and why it is so important for disability to be represented within the media, advertisement, movies/tv shows and books.
I believe that there will be one day a world where people won’t have prospections of another person until they meet them. If his happens then there will be less isolation, bullying and discrimination within the world for disabled people.
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