When enjoying the freshness of the morning on a daily jog, when reading a book or listening to our favourite music, do we ever think how lucky we are? Thousands of people in every country are deprived of simple pleasures of life due to various disabilities. In most cases they will never be able to do everything a healthy person can. However, this allows them to appreciate the little joys that life is giving in abundance to those without disabilities much more.
There are many answers as to how we can make life easier for people with disabilities. It is definitely important to create the necessary infrastructure (elevators, special entrances). Ideally, every building should be accessible and convenient to use for everyone, no matter if he/she is walking or riding in a wheelchair. Financial assistance is also an important issue to discuss, as many disabled people cannot fully join the labour force. However, all these aspects look at the problem from a macro-level and do not really answer the question what we, regular citizens can do to make life of people who are less fortunate than us happier and at least a little less complicated.
Improvements do not start in the parliament, they are born inside the hearts of people. Helping a blind man to cross the street, inviting a neighbour in a wheelchair for a picnic or encouraging your kids to play with a disabled child is not going to change the world, but will surely make one person a little happier. Citing Neil Alden Armstrong, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” No matter how many elevators the government builds, how many busses will be accessible for the disabled, it is up to us to help them integrate into the society and live a full life. So let us make this first small step, start with improving ourselves, and maybe then it will truly be easier for people with disabilities to live and enjoy life in full!