Disability is not the problem, a society that disables people is. And that stretches deeper than aiming at just people with disabilities. Everything that is threatening the fragility of the so-called mainstream image, is demonized and forced into all the ‘minority segments’ so we all keep feeling small and powerless. Aren’t we all part of a vast majority of diverse people? It is not the physical ramps that make this world inclusive, but our mindset around all the narratives we have been fed.
We would never have to talk about inclusion, if the system was not inherently excluding certain groups of people, all segmented by exterior characteristics (skin colour, gender identifiers and the way we move), accumulating to be the vast majority of diverse people in our society. But what is diversity, and in which narrative is diversity demonized? The narrative of division. As long as we are divided, the so-called mainstream rules.
Wanting inclusion now? The questions is… what do you want to be included in?
Temporarily able-bodied, heterosexual, white men constitute some 22% of our population, and only 1% of our population from that segment has more than a million $ in the bank. Somehow that is the celebrated hero figure, the one who holds the power… so what if we stop feeding that narrative.
As long as we identify with any of the minority segments, we perpetuate the story of being a minority and that makes us feel small, and keeps black people fight for their rights, women for their rights, people with disabilities for their rights, etc, etc, etc… madness of the ruling narrative.
Let’s change the story about who we are.
In the Alinker community I met the most amazing people over the years. Once they got a disability, or a mobility challenge due to an incident, accident or chronic illness, they were confronted with a system that no longer works for them (because the system only works for a small minority). They had to figure out who you are. That is the moment you can chose who you are and not be reduced to what you have by a society that disables people.
Disability makes people uncomfortable because it can happen to all of us.
Years ago I had this vision: I dream of a world where the dismissed people of today, are the leaders of tomorrow. Let’s go!
(If there is more space to add something about the Alinker specifically, how about adding this?)
The Alinker is a 3 wheeled walking bike that will change the medical trajectory you are on, feel yourself again, be at eye-level, and save (tens of) thousands of $$ on medical expenses you’ll no longer have. We have a growing community of Alinker users all over the world, with weekly zoom calls to connect, 1600 active Alinker users on a FB group, an integrated crowdfunding platform to make the Alinker accessible to all with 255 campaigns completed, and more to discover. Join the community and take your life back on www.thealinker.com
