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We looked at some absolutely stunning athletes who happen to have a disability.
Well time is slower than we would like, progress I suggest, has been - continues
to be made. I would like to remind people by suggesting to them or reminding them
that there is a whole generation of Ontarians who are now at the voting age
who have grown up always seeing wheelchair parking spots, always seeing
curb cuts, always seeing automatic doors, and they have always believed that the
Para Olympic games follow right after the Olympic games and are not a complete
stand alone event. But still not withstanding that generation’s experience
they are not yet in power, not yet, and still unemployment remains high, kept there
by the myths that all too many employers believe. Now if you believe in myths like
dragons and fairies and you do so in your private time [laughter] for your own
amusement [laughter] that doesn’t interfere with your job performance
[laughter] I have absolutely no problem with you at all [laughter] fill your boots.
[laughter] But if you believe in myths that stop you from hiring a disabled person
than I’ve got a problem. It is time to slay the dragon. The question is 'how?' and the
answer is by changing attitudes. To begin with we’ve really got to zero in on the
definitions that society tosses around far, far too easily. I’d like to zero in on two
words, 'disability' and 'handicap'. A powerful report in 2009 by the Standing
Conference of the Orthodox Bishops in the Americas entitled Understanding
Disability, Embracing Persons with Disabilities and let me quote, it began by
saying, and by the way you can find this report online just by typing in the letters
S-C-O-B-A, SCOBA, into Google and going to their website and they have their
whole 2,000 word essays, a brilliant tour de force. And they say in their
introduction “Disability affects people of all backgrounds, nations and races, of
both genders and any age. A disability stems from an impairment that is either
congenital, or the result of disease, injury, or the developmental and aging
processes. Disability is a daily and, in many ways, a natural occurrence. We are
all touched by disability in the form of illness or injury or difficulty at some point
in our lives. Since we all hold the treasure of God's life in fragile earthen vessels,
each of us is vulnerable to disability, whether by circumstances, by genes, by
disease, by accident, or by age. Such disability might include chronic disease,
vision or hearing impairment, a physical, mental, sensory or emotional impairment
which substantially limits daily activities.” It is a great description; it really covers
the waterfront beautifully. It gives us a great definition of the word 'disability'. I
like the parts like this that have been well written because they have actually drawn
us all in with this definition, now they hit us with the rest of it. It is a wonderfully
accurate description of disability but then the authors confront us all with a
challenge by saying this “a person with a disability is not necessarily handicapped
except through physical and attitudinal barriers created by others. Handicaps are
in fact the barriers that we create for people with disabilities by excluding them
socially, physically, and economically. Indeed, the reality of disability is often
shrouded in silence or shame because the presence of disability challenges basic
assumptions and stereotypes.” Gotcha! And that’s the message we need to take
to prospective employers. Are you handicapping somebody with a disability?
Our task is clear, the myths and the stereotypes have to be challenged and
they have to be overcome and I believe it does have to be done almost business
by business, group by group, city by city, organization by organization. I propose
that we recruit Para Olympians and artists to join with us to show clearly that
disability is no barrier to excellence and that this truth applies in all other areas of
business as well - be it teaching, medicine, broadcasting, or any other
profession. I think we really need to explore this option collectively to help
change perceptions and perspectives. In 2007 I closed my installation address at
Queen’s Park by quoting George Bernard Shaw. They are the words that our new
Governor General, another true Champion for Change, and believe me he really is,
that he used in his installation address earlier this month. I haven’t had the
chance to let him know that yet [laughter] but I closed off my remarks and he closed
off his with variations of the words written by George Bernard Shaw. “Some see
things as they are and ask why, I dream things that never were and say why not.”
What a great quote. So I believe it is time to dream a new dream where people are
judged by their abilities not their disabilities, by their brains not their
braces, by their dedication not their medication, by their courage not their
crutches, by their minds not their muscles. It is indeed time to say why not.
So in the name of the Queen I commend each and every one of you. I commend
the Ontario Disability Employment Network for all that you do and I look
forward very much to working with you in the days and months ahead. Thank you.
[Applause].