Compassion, Understanding, and Accessibility

I've just listened to the podcast where Danielle Watson, a licensed occupational therapist, talks about her journey through life before, during, and after sustaining a T6 level spinal cord injury. You think you learn (or are supposed to learn) enough about being compassionate and empathetic at an early age by your parents, family, and others that help raise and form you. You're supposed to anyway. But with each week and topic that we cover in OT school, I learn so much more about these crucial standards of humanity.  I have learned so, so much in my five months in OT school that I know have helped and will continue to help me a better person, friend, family member, civilian, future practitioner, random passer-by, etc. I am constantly impressed by this profession and I continually become more and more grateful for the opportunity I've been given to be a member of this community. I've been exposed to more stories and accounts from people that have suffered or gone through tremendous setbacks in life, and I am more and more inspired to make the best of my own life.

I loved hearing Danielle talk about OT and hearing her perspective as an individual that has suffered an injury that causes/enables her to be in a wheelchair permanently. She thought she wanted to go to physical therapy school, but she got rejected time and time again, which ended up being a great blessing because she discovered what she could do as an occupational therapist and found where her heart was. She makes a great point in saying that a field that works so closely with people with disabilities should also be willing and accommodating to have a person with a disability be able to participate in their program. Unlike the many physical therapy programs and other occupational therapy programs she applied for, her specific program welcomed her and she excelled. In hearing her talk about her injury and the language she uses, I realize that I have made the mistake on more than one occasion of not speaking in the right terms when regarding this subject. I may not mean harm by it, but I'm sure I've thought of a wheelchair athlete as just that, a wheelchair athlete, instead of thinking of them as an athlete. Which is what they are. Why is it necessary to describe them any differently? They can do things I'm sure I'd never be able to do without years and years of practice. I'm just being made more aware of the subtle things that can be incriminating and negative without meaning to be. I'm positive that most people mean no harm by what they might say, but I want to be so much more aware of the way I think of people who are no longer able to walk on their own. I also realize now how much our society lacks in the way of accessibility and acceptability. It is sad to think that bars might only have ramps in the back, or that subways or certain transportation routes might only have access for one or two people with a wheelchair. We need to be evolving so much more in these ways and stop looking at people with disabilities as different or less than. It is heartbreaking to think that Danielle thought she had to prove herself to her classmates, professors, whomever throughout her journey just because she was in a wheelchair. I wonder if I have ever made a person feel like they needed to prove themselves as more human to me. Its just such a sad thought. A person in a wheelchair is still a person. After all, it could happen to anyone at anytime. I admire Danielle for being who she is and for going through OT school. I think it would be very encouraging for a client she worked with that had a similar injury to know that this person can relate to them and isn't just telling them what to do without understanding, compassion, and empathy. A lot can be learned from people who have suffered such traumatic events in their lifetime!