Energy Transition | Electricity market design | Economist | Decarbonisation | Director at AFRY Management Consulting
3 December is International Day of Persons with Disabilities There are lots of assumptions made about visible disability. Please see beyond the wheelchair. People use wheelchairs for many conditions which are not similar: all you see from the outside is the means of propulsion but not the underlying reasons or the pain that goes with the condition. There is a huge difference between paraplegia (loss or impairment of lower limb function) and tetraplegia (loss of function in lower and upper limbs). Note: either condition could mean loss of sensation and control of all of the parts in between: please take a few moments to think about what that means. For most tetraplegics, if they could choose to improve aspects of their life, being able to walk would be among the lowest of the priorities.
Disability | Inclusion advocate | Coaching | Keynote speaker | Delivering Change through experience and knowledge
What does International Day of Persons with a Disability mean? Being born with cerebral palsy and vision impairment it can be difficult at times to explain and get understanding. I’ll try and explain: - doing things like putting tooth paste on tooth brush or unscrewing bottle lids isn’t easy. - walking up and down stairs is difficult. - weakness in arms and legs. These are just one of the everyday challenges. IDWPD means empowerment and a sense of responsibility. It is about spreading support for those who can’t themselves and it’s giving people an understanding of what’s possible. We show different versions of ourselves to different people. So every person we meet has different stories about us. Some stories are good. Some are bad. For others, we are too loud, but for the rest, we are too soft. For others, we are a standard, but for some, we are just average. Everyone's opinions are valid and acceptable; they may be partly true for some and not for others. Others may agree with them, while some may not. It depends on how deep the connections we have and build with every person we have in our lives are. #idpwd
For sure a space that needs a better integration design!
Managing Director, Power Markets & Asset Management at Renewable Power Capital
10moGreat post Stephen Woodhouse - I'll also mention hemiplegia, which is a loss or impairment of function of limbs on one side of the body. Imagine being naturally right-handed, but without fine motor skills on that side of your body? How much of your daily life will be affected?