Out of the many discrimination that people with disabilities experiences, social barriers is one of the most imminent causes of discrimination. These people are having a hard time dealing with the society because of the stigma they are feeling.
That’s why we are going to talk about these social barriers and learn on how we can break it. Today, we will look at the four common social barriers that most people, PWD or not, are encountering on their daily lives.
Four Social Barriers to Break
We believe that barriers are not permanent, and they can be broken if we choose to do so. Therefore, we will show some practical solutions to break these social barriers and have a harmonious relationship to the people around us.
Being Afraid
Fear, or being scared of what people will say about them because of the condition they have. This is the most common social barriers that people with disabilities experience. They are afraid of what might happen even though it’s not yet happening.
This is a form of self-defense for people with disabilities to protect them from being discriminated even more. That’s why they are separating themselves from other people and do not talk to them or start a conversation with other people.
However, we should all realize and accept the fact that people will always something to say regardless of having a disability or not. We cannot please everybody that’s why we should not hinder ourselves to talk with other people even if they are PWD or not.
The most important connection that we can have on our lives is human connection. It is always worth the risk to connect and relate with other people. Yes, they can hurt or discriminate you, but they are also the people who can help you and be with you in tough times.
Stop being afraid and start living a life with full of intimate connections to other people. One day, you will be grateful with these people you have connected to.
It’s Too Awkward and Difficult
Feeling uncomfortable toward people with disability is a form of social discrimination. They are feeling that the reason you are being awkward to them is because of their condition.
Therefore, in this kind of situation, the best way to deal with it is start a conversation. Find a common ground for both of you and talk about that common interests.
Yes, it’s easy to say but it’s difficult to do. But remember, people all have differences, PWD or not, but we can always look for the same activities that you both loved. By doing so, we can diminish the feeling of awkwardness and break the social barrier.
Apathetic Individuals
People who show no interests or concerns to other people are called apathetic individuals. These kinds of people are the ones who usually show social discrimination to people with disabilities. They do not care about the feelings of other people as long as they are not involved with them.
These people often make the two social barriers that we have discussed that’s why PWDs are having a hard time socializing with other people. Most of the time, apathetic individuals are not aware of their own character that’s why they thought that their way of living is okay.
However, we cannot remain apathetic towards other people because at some point in your life, you will also need the help of others. When we start to realize that fact, we can somehow start to be emphatic with other people.
Always remember that people have a social responsibility that we need to fulfill. It is our duty to be concerned with others, PWD or not.
Being Ignorant
Most of the time, people will act ignorant or inconsiderate with other people if they are not aware or knowledgeable of certain things. For example, people often discriminate the persons with disabilities because they are not aware of their feelings and hardships.
That’s why these people are using different barriers including the social barrier to protect themselves from the things they don’t know. They hurt other people’s feelings without them knowing because of their ignorance.
Therefore, to lessen their ignorance, they must be informed and be aware on the subject of disability. This is one of the main reasons why the “Person With Dignity” project was made.
We just don’t want to empower PWDs, but we also want to empower the people to get rid of their ignorance or their lack of awareness.
Conclusion
Like we have said earlier in this article, breaking barriers in disability is not impossible. We just need to make that choice for us to break those obstacles, especially the social barrier.
This is not only applicable to person with disabilities, but it can also be applied in life as general.
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