Disabled, Not Able – pah don’t think so!

Dis means not.  It is the prefix to the root word, so disable means not able, disagree means not agree  It has such a negative connotations, the word not in front of another word is implying limitations, it is putting up barriers.  It is implying can’t.  Our littlest has a limp, that sounds trivial, it’s not trivial it is actually quite severe.  However I refuse to use the word disabled and conjure up images of a helpless babe.  There is little that is helpless about Erin.  She is perfectly able of lighting up a room with her cheeky smile, she is able to entertain her siblings, making them read to her by the way she nonchalantly picks up a book and backs into them so that no matter what they were trying to do, they end up with a smug Erin sitting on their lap, holding open one of her favourite books in anticipation for them to start reading. Erin can pootle about and entertain herself for hours on end, she is so caring and loves nothing more than playing and looking after her little cousin.

Erin is a much wanted, a much adored cutie pie, she has me wrapped around her finger and I would do anything I could (for her, her brother and sister) as any mother would. Yes, she is going to be requiring some treatment in the future but you won’t hear me labelling her.

I have recently seen children being willingly labelled as special or disabled, well let me tell you all children are special, and don’t focus and get hung up on the not able.  All children have great gifts, they maybe able to do little else but communicate through their eyes but still they are able.  Able to show their emotion, their empathy, their personality.

I have worked and looked after life limitied children, children that have so many issues, but they all had strength, strength of character and they needed that strength. Therefore let us celebrate all children and not label them, labelling leads others to believe in the label.

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