For every disability rights activist like you, there is someone else who truly heard what you were advocating. Maybe it took a lot of repeated conversations or different approaches, or maybe this person believed what you had to say the first time.
Perhaps this someone was the focused target of your efforts, or the person who listened quietly nearby. Who were these people you convinced with your eloquent truths? They are your fellow champions, whether or not they also had a disability.
Did they have the courage to disagree with the legal or human resources advisers in their office that said you would be “a liability” or what you asked for “they weren’t required to do”?
They may have demanded accountability or persuaded that funds get realigned to fulfill a commitment to inclusion – as is how it should be.
These unexpected allies of yours refused to accept the impossible – just like you – and pushed forward for your message to be heard and acted upon in more places.
Or were they the powers that be, secretly glad you arrived, to give them a good reason to relinquish old thoughts and push through your new more compelling frameworks?
Did you thank them for taking the next step to change policy or to remove a barrier in the way? These are the willing ones who also asserted their rights – to join you – in doing what is right even when others did not. Together you move all of us closer to an equitable and inclusive world.
In honor of those in the international exchange and international development fields, and in educational institutions, the media, and government agencies worldwide, who are collaborative champions for disability rights.
Related Link: The Time for Action is Now
