Can Those With Disabilities Contribute to Society?

by Apr 29, 2013Advocacy, Special Needs Parenting11 comments

Can children and adults with disabilites contribute to society? Ellen Stumbo addresses that question in today's guest post.

Can children and adults with disabilities be contributing members of society? Ellen Stumbo addresses that question in today’s guest post.

Let’s Be Realistic

Are people with disabilities contributing members of society? Let’s be realistic, depending on their disability, they might need life-long care and someone to provide for all their needs. Depending on their intellectual disability, they will might not be scientists, doctors, or teachers. Depending on their disability, they might not have businesses that will provide employment for the many people out of jobs.

Nonetheless, how wrong would it be if we assumed this was true for all people with disabilities! There are individuals with different challenges—like autism, cerebral palsy, ADD, and others—with an IQ higher than the rest of us average people. They are doing amazing things. They are doctors, teachers, scientists, or great mathematicians.

Contributing Members of Society or a Burden?

But what about those that do require life-long care? Are they contributing members of society? Or are they a burden?

Once, I thought that having a child with Down syndrome would be a burden. I believed that being smart was one of the most important qualities to have. I found success defined by performance and maybe even a bank account. So I did not welcome my new baby with open arms and a cheerful heart.

The inevitable happened, I fell in love, madly in love with my child. In doing so, I changed, I recognized that the value of a child, of a life, of any person, is not found on what they can or cannot do.

I began to look more closely at what it means to be a contributing member of society because I saw that my daughter not only changed me, but the rest of my family, my church, my friends, and many people we met. It is hard to feel unconditional love and not be moved by it.

Why Do Contributing Members of Society Take So Much?

Us “normal” people claim to be contributing members of society, yet, why is it that we take so much? We easily put our careers before our family, the people we claim to love the most. We spend hours in front of a computer screen, interacting with our Facebook friends instead of interacting with our children, our spouses, our neighbors. We fight each other based on our political preferences, or we ridicule each other based on religious beliefs. We compromise our integrity to get a job promotion. We gossip, and we talk about people behind their backs. We pretend. We hate. We lie, we cheat, we take advantage of the weak.

What People with Disabilities Contribute to Society

So I focus on people that might have severe intellectual or physical disabilities and accept that they do take from us, they require lots of care, support, and therapy. But they give so much more. They offer unconditional love, the kind that has no strings attached, it is pure, strong, real. They radiate joy as they celebrate the simple things in life. They cheer, celebrate, and encourage. They teach us compassion, acceptance, and humility. They remind us to be thankful for the many blessings that we have. They show us in a profound way what it means to be whole.

People with disabilities are contributing members of society. They show us what really matters in life, what it means to be human, what it means to be loved and accepted simply for being, not because of what we can or cannot do. And I am thankful, so very thankful that in my own brokenness, in the brokenness of this imperfect world, we all need each other. And we all have much to contribute.

How Do the People with Disabilities Contribute to Society?

How do people with disabilities you know contribute to society? Leave a comment to share your thoughts!

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Photo Credit: www.freedigitalphotos.net

By Ellen Stumbo

Ellen Stumbo is a writer and speaker and the mother of three girls, two with disabilities. To read more of Ellen’s writing, visit her blog at www.EllenStumbo.com.  She can also be found on Twitter and Facebook.

11 Comments

  1. Lily Bridgers

    Recently, my friend faced challenges due to a disability, prompting me to search for reliable disability support services. Witnessing their struggles sparked a genuine desire to assist, leading me to actively seek out resources and options to enhance their well-being. I can see how individuals with disabilities are valuable contributors to society because they teach us valuable lessons about what life is all about, what it is to be human, and how to be loved and accepted for who we are, regardless of our talents or limitations.

  2. Hidemi

    I loved this article.
    Very profound and convincing view.

  3. Myra

    Loved your insights on what the disabled have to offer us:

    “They show us what really matters in life, what it means to be human, what it means to be loved and accepted simply for being, not because of what we can or cannot do. “

  4. Jolene

    Thank you, Melissa. Your “across the miles” book club sounds like a wonderful way to support one another.

    Jolene

  5. Jolene

    Hi Melissa,

    I agree with you, and I’m sure Ellen does, too. Thanks for the link to your post on the topic. Readers, if you liked Ellen’s post, check Melissa’s out, too. She has a great site!

    Jolene

  6. Melissa Hogan

    And by the way, some mom friends with boys with the same condition as my son (Hunter Syndrome) and I have just bought one of your books for our “across the miles” Skype-likely book club. Can’t wait to dive in!

  7. Jolene

    Yes, Ellen always has a thoughtful perspective to share. Glad you enjoyed it Ruth.

  8. Ruth Stieff

    Great perspective!

  9. Jolene

    I can’t wait to hear what you have to say about it.

    Jolene

  10. Lainie

    I can’t wait to tell you all about the app.

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Meet Jolene

Jolene Philo is a published author, speaker, wife, and mother of a son with special needs.

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