Today is the first International Day of Persons with Disabilities. I’ll just quickly put forth my view on disability:

Most of us enjoy pretty good health and functionality. I think it’s time we let go of some (or all) of the intolerance and impatience we have when interacting with people who have less to work with than we do. My opinion is, it’s about unlearning and being willing to adopt a more flexible attitude toward the people in your life who aren’t as endowed as you are. It’s about being willing to perceive what life might be like for that other person.

Most of the time they are not “dumb” (or worse, yes, I’ve heard some pretty bad name calling in my day), as we often assume they are – maybe physically their voice just doesn’t travel as far, or their energy runs out before they can adequately say what they have to say, or maybe there is some other reason why they don’t live up to your expectations for interaction.

Think about it, and I will, too.