Читать книгу It’s Hard Not To Stare - Tim Huff - Страница 2

FOREWORD

As Ontario’s first Lieutenant Governor with a physical disability, I adopted accessibility as the overarching theme of my term of office. I defined accessibility as that which enables people to achieve their full potential.

I chose this definition because I wanted people to understand that while the ubiquitous blue and white wheelchair symbol shows the location of physically accessible facilities, it doesn’t mean that all barriers to accessibility have been removed. While such things as ramps, automatic doors and wheelchair parking spots have helped people with disabilities greatly, another kind of barrier still stubbornly remains.

In fact, the barrier that most often affects people with disabilities is not physical or part of their own condition. It is instead attitudinal, other people’s attitudes.

Over the years in various speeches, I have asked this question: “When you meet someone with a disability for the first time, what do you see; their disability or their ability within?”

We’d all like to say we see the ability because it’s an answer that makes us feel good. But we all know that is not true: we all see the disability. And there’s nothing wrong with that as long as we don’t let the first glance become a longer look that then becomes a stare, a negative opinion or value judgment on the person.

Tim Huff’s It’s Hard Not to Stare: Helping Children Understand Disabilities is a remarkable contribution to the dialogue that is taking us closer and closer to being a fully accessible society. He does this through words and images that gently, respectfully but bluntly pose questions and observations about people with disabilities. Words like: “It’s hard not to stare at some people, sometimes. Are they okay? Will they be fine?”

In the end, important lessons are conveyed for children and as important, for all of us too.

People with a whole range of disabilities are portrayed as fully functioning members of society who are only really handicapped if other people judge them negatively.

Tim Huff’s words and illustrations touch our hearts and minds, guiding children forward from staring to caring. In this he appeals to our better selves and in so doing helps make us all a better, more compassionate and loving people.

David C. Onley, O.Ont.

Lieutenant Governor of Ontario