Disabled people also have privileges - ClairWay Disability Lifestyle Hub

Samantha LenkeMetro ColumnistPublished on November 4, 2022 at 9:12 am | Updated on November 4, 2022 at 10:56 am
Samantha Lenke is in a wheelchair and wearing a printed dress and hat. I still find myself comparing myself to other people with disabilities. (Photo: Samantha Lenke)

Two weeks ago my health took a sudden turn for the worse.

Because I have brittle bones and low bone density, I have extendable rods in both of my legs to stabilize them, but after I transferred to my electric wheelchair in an unnatural position, one of the rods came loose from my knee.

The pain was so severe that it completely changed the way I moved and performed my daily activities, including transferring from my wheelchair to my bed, toilet, and shower.

While struggling to find a surgeon, I have spent a lot of time mourning my loss of mobility and dealing with pain. I feel sad, frustrated, exhausted and scared. I have thought many times, “Why now, why me!”

It’s natural to feel annoyed and frustrated, but you’re also starting to feel emotions you’ve never felt before.

envy.

Not to a world without disabilities or their able-bodied privilege – the free benefits society gives to able-bodied people – but to other disabled people.

People whose disabilities give them freedoms I don’t have, like wheelchair users who can fly overseas on their own, or people who don’t need to rely on a PA for their daily lives.

Of course, they may experience different barriers than I do, but I still find myself comparing myself to other people with disabilities.

Late last year, I was scheduled to give a presentation at an organization, but was asked to travel quite far away at short notice, assuming the presentation would be virtual, which was heartbreaking.

It should be possible to discuss levels of privilege within the disability community (Photo: PA)

I told the organisers that it wouldn’t be appropriate as I didn’t have a PA available to support me, but instead of accommodating my needs, the organisers arranged for another disabled presenter to take my place, who was able to travel independently.

It’s no wonder then that I began to feel jealous of those who had taken my place – people who had access needs different from my own and who were therefore able to take my place.

We all have privileges, but it would be ignorant to say that everyone who falls under the umbrella term “disabled” experiences the same degree of discrimination or disabling factors.

However, we live in a world where ableism is rampant and many people find it ridiculous to call disabled people a “privileged” people, but we are privileged in many ways.

For example, stairs without elevators are one of the biggest barriers for wheelchair users.

But for people with disabilities who don’t need to travel, the world opens up even more as they no longer have to think about step-free access.

For example, people who require BSL interpreters face certain barriers that other members of the disability community do not face. This does not mean that our lives are never easy, just that in some ways they are.

We should be able to talk about levels of privilege within the disability community without feeling like we’re playing a Top Trumps game.

I feel like the disability community hasn’t spoken out enough to amplify the voices and needs of everyone in the community, myself included. Should we be working harder to recognize our privilege, even if it is still steeped in discrimination?

In the case of the presenting job that I missed, ultimately the organization should have accommodated my accessibility needs instead of hiring another person to do the job, but I hoped that if the presenters had known, they would have recognized their privilege as well and challenged the company.

We should advocate for each other and highlight the barriers of disability that other members of our community may face, even if we don’t have the same condition or disability.

I still compare myself to other people with disabilities

In an ideal world, I would love for more Deaf, disabled and neurodiverse people to take a step back, recognise their privilege, speak out and support one another.

But I know it’s not easy because I’ve been in a similar position myself, and I’ve kept quiet about my own needs for fear of rocking the boat.

I have auditioned in inadequate locations (buildings without step-free access, buildings without accessible restrooms, etc.) without calling out the fact that my needs were not being considered at all.

Being in that position in the first place means it’s even harder to speak up and challenge the inequalities faced by many of our disabled peers.

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