When hope storms the beach of ignorance

For many years I worked with a group of special people - people who are seen by many as needing special attention and are considered as a burden to the system.  But I found that they do not require to be treated as special. We, who have our faculties with us, seem to view ourselves as superior to them because they can’t walk, see, hear or speak.  They are just like us but they just do things differently.  They may be persons with disabilities but they have abilities that we can never have.  They have overcome their challenges and seldom complain about their state.  They have learned to adopt and adapt to their situation.

But as a community, we must take care of each other’s needs and to complement each other.  We are not to isolate them because they are “different”.   Yes, for them, it’s still an uphill battle because of the lack of opportunities for them to flourish. We are not hopeful that thy can be as productive as we are and that is just disenfranchising them.  It is wrong for us to deny them the right to be human beings.  However, a few of us have taken steps to meet their challenges and together, find remedies or alleviate the hardship they face.  If they are constantly waging an uphill battle then we need to reinforce them to be able to overcome and win the fight.  They should not be casualties of war - a war of ignorance and apathy for their plight.

I know that the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), the National Council for the Welfare of Disabled Persons (NCWDP) and many non-government organizations are tireless in working with PWDs (person with disability) address their challenges.  They are the army that is storming the beaches of ignorance.  They are the in the landing crafts ready to go ashore and claim victory!

This song reflects that - Ka-ibilangan (Count me in)