Nothing wrong with disability

I am autistic with co-occurring bipolar disorder. Every time I disclose to others that I have such an identity, there are mixed responses. But most of the time, people shy away from me, especially the fact that having such an identity is a disability. There was a point wherein my landlady kicked me out of the boarding house all because of my disability. The worst part was that not only did she force me to disclose my disability but she also infantilized me. Sounds ridiculous, right?

Whether I like it or not, the fact remains that most people perceive disabled persons as a burden that should be ignored. Looking around, I could see how degrading life is as a disabled person. From the lack of ramps to defective elevators, how could disabled people survive under these conditions? And don’t expect them to teleport just to gain accessibility for we don’t have such technology at the moment.

As a self-identified disabled person myself, I also observed how the media regards us. Disabled persons are usually left out in the media like what happened during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is despite disabled persons being one of the most affected sectors since they had a hard time accessing basic services from the government. Whenever news outlets train the spotlight on disabled persons, they are infantilized, used for “inspiration,” or worse, ridiculed.

I remember the time when the “Boyet Challenge” became viral on social media. It mockingly mimicked a character played by Ken Chan in the series “My Special Tatay.” The character was not autistic but had some sort of mental retardation, yet it still affected the autistic community. Even the Autism Society of the Philippines denounced the challenge. Such ridiculing of disabled persons has been repeated several times on social media.

I remember when news broke out that Brina Maxino, a Filipino with Down Syndrome, graduated from college with flying colors. She later became Unesco’s Global Champion of Inclusive Education representing Asia-Pacific. While many praised her for her achievements, most used her as a commodity, leading to what the late Australian Stella Young called “inspiration porn.” From the term itself, it is about commodifying disabled persons as an inspiration to the audience.

I remember the time when Congress proposed a bill that would ban alcoholic beverages for those who have a physical and mental disability. Critics such as Arpee Lazaro from PWD Philippines and myself responded to this by saying that it goes against what disabled persons are fighting for: A true sense of equality with those without disabilities. It also tends to infantilize disabled persons to the point of degrading the right of the disabled to make informed decisions.

With all these conditions, people are wondering whether having a disability is wrong. After all, we are dealing with being resilient by providing ourselves with our own assistive devices to “mask” our disability. This mindset has been ingrained in us because of how society has viewed and treated us for so long.

Let me tell you: There is nothing wrong with disability.

There is also nothing wrong with the word “disability.” Rather, we need to respond to how most people perceive disability. After all, the reason why most perceive disability as a burden is due to the ableist restrictions we have from lack of accessibility, infantilization, inspiration porn, up to public ridiculing. Such is inherently connected to our economic system wherein we aspire to have an ideal and typical body to survive.

This needs a call for action to change the status quo. In light of the current situation of disabled people, we must remind ourselves that we deserve to be treated better. Just like able-bodied people, we have rights, and these rights are enshrined in laws such as the UN Declaration on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the Magna Carta for Persons with Disabilities. Let us push for greater justice for the disabled community so that we can feel the sense of dignity that breaks free from ableist restrictions.

I am a disabled person and I am proud to be part of the community.

Ronald G. De Guzman Jr., 22, is a mathematics student at the University of the Philippines Baguio. He is hoping that the Philippines will celebrate Disability Pride Month.