The word ‘disability’ is a broad term, but there are beliefs and misconceptions still widely held today that cross many borders. We share five common myths, falsities that could change every day of the week. Although we can make light of some of the more ridiculous myths, the consequences are not always so easy to laugh off for those dealing with disability.
1. If someone uses a wheelchair, they can’t walk
This is a slightly more nuanced version of the historically popular; “all people who are disabled use a wheelchair.” Times have changed, and that ridiculous misconception is less prevalent now. But that hasn’t curbed the idea that everyone in a wheelchair is unable to walk.
The truth is that many wheelchair users and those using mobility aids are generally able to walk unaided, but perhaps cannot do so for prolonged periods or consistently. Simply put, someone does not have to be paralysed to require the use of a wheelchair. From multiple sclerosis to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, there is a range of conditions where someone may need to use a wheelchair.
What’s more, only 8% of disabled people in the UK actually use wheelchairs, so this myth misunderstands the complexity and broadness of what it is to be disabled.
2. You can’t say ‘disabled’ without offending someone
The use of language when talking about disability is important — there are ways in which people shouldn’t talk about the subject. From baby talk to the insistence that someone is ‘brave’ because they live a normal life, it’s easy to come up with examples of where people can feel singled out because of something that might feel pretty unremarkable. And that can be pretty offensive.
A lot of people wrongly believe that because there are a lot of ways to offend, they shouldn’t bother trying to learn. Broadly speaking, there are two ways of talking about disability — using identity first language or people first language. A simple understanding of both does not take much work, and an awareness of how you are talking and coming across goes a long way.
Briefly, identity first language means saying “a disabled person”, while people first language means saying “a person with a disability”. Some will prefer one way, and others will prefer the other. Having awareness is the crucial thing here, as well as taking note of what someone’s preference is. Many believe people first language to be the common preferred option, but this isn’t always the case.
A popular means of thinking about disability is through the social model of disability. This model does not see people known as ‘disabled’ as being disabled due to their impairments, but through society’s lack of accommodation for those impairments.
For example, someone isn’t disabled because they can’t walk for sustained periods — they are disabled because they aren’t able to use certain train stations that lack step-free access. This is a disability by society, not through medical difference.
Because of this, disability is often seen as part of someone’s identity — using people first language would in some ways miss part of their essence as a person. To people who see disability through the social model, disability is not something they carry around — it is part of who they are.
So everyone should be careful with language, rather than dismissing one way of talking or another. Whatever someone chooses to do, they should be calm and reasonable, and understand that what might be offensive to one person may be acceptable to another.
3. Only those with a mobility-related disability can have a Blue Badge
This myth is very prevalent and is made light of across popular culture — in-jokes, TV shows and so on. But it can be a very serious issue, and when someone loses their cool about something as humdrum as a parking space, it can be very distressing to the person on the receiving end.
Often, people who attack someone for parking in a disabled space without realising they hold a Blue Badge believe they are doing the right thing. They think it’s best to call out bad behaviour, whereas they could be (and probably are) targeting someone with an invisible disability.
A wide variety of conditions are eligible for a Blue Badge. From lung disease to chronic fatigue syndrome, the range of reasons someone may be parking in a disabled space is vast. It may also be the case that someone is picking up or dropping off someone who owns a Blue Badge, so vitriol directed at someone who doesn’t have a Blue Badge themselves could still be misplaced and damaging.
Passive aggressive notes on windscreens, tutting, or outright confrontation should be avoided. People should leave the policing of this issue to the police, or at least parking enforcement officers or car park staff.
4. Assistive technology doesn’t work/doesn’t exist
This is quite a specific issue, but a familiar one to so many. Let’s say someone sees a person wearing a hearing aid, do you think they might feel the need to speak unnecessarily loud? It’s an experience so many people have, and it’s one of the most confusing and illogical reactions to a disability. In speaking loudly, the person is not grasping that the precise reason for wearing a hearing aid is to stop the need for someone to raise their voice!
The same goes for all kinds of assistive technologies. There are a whole host of wearable devices that someone may wear to mitigate certain conditions or difficulties they face, and all too often they are seen in the complete opposite way to which they should be. Much of this problem starts and ends with people not wanting to get something wrong, which is the case with a lot of good-intentioned but frustrating misunderstandings.
5. People with disabilities don’t want to or can’t be in relationships
This is an especially concerning and common misconception. It feels almost ludicrous to mention as a serious point for discussion, but there is a startling level of ignorance that persists across society when it comes to romance. It isn’t necessarily that people are thinking about the possibility of relationships that involve people with disabilities. In many cases, it is a lack of consideration that someone with a disability might have an interest in their sexual or romantic side.
This lack of appreciation or understanding is hugely damaging. Such a feeling across society can, in turn, make it far more difficult for many of the population to experience romantic or sexual relationships.
The reasons for people having a high level of ignorance of sexual and romantic life for people with disabilities run deep, and the seeds are planted at an early age. Enhance the UK’s 2013 Sex and Disability Education in Schools survey found that 100% of people felt their sexual education did not take their disability into account. That is unacceptable.
One other troublingly widespread belief is that people with disabilities only want to date other disabled people, or can only date others with similar disabilities to themselves. Further to this — and more damaging still — is a perception of people with disabilities not being interested in sexual relationships.
This can lead to those with learning disabilities, in particular, vulnerable to abuse and mistreatment. The education and services on offer to young people must be consistent, regardless of disability.
More on Disability Horizons…
