Question

"I am invisible, understand, simply because people refuse to see me. Like the bodiless heads you see sometimes in the circus sideshows, it is as though I have been surrounded by mirrors of hard distorting glass. When they approach me they see only my surroundings i.e., themselves or figments of their imagination. Indeed everything and anything except me."

Mention some of the common features central to the public perception of 'disability' all over the world.

Answer 1

Various common features central to the public perception of ‘disability’ all over the world are:

1. Disability is understood as a biological given.
2. It is assumed that when a disabled person faces difficulties, those difficulties stem from their disability.
3. It is believed that the crippled person is a victim. It is believed that a person's perception and their disability are related.
4. The sheer notion that they are disabled implies that they require assistance.
5. Public perception of disability worldwide is often shaped by invisibility and stereotyping, where individuals with disabilities are overlooked or unfairly labeled as weak and dependent.
6. They face marginalization, being excluded from mainstream opportunities, and are often viewed with pity and sympathy, reducing them to objects of charity.