This is my theory, and why I advocate for those with disabilities. I completely believe we have the ability to wipe out disability -- today.
How you ask?
By accommodating the demands of a disability, the physical challenge to overcome them becomes minimal to none.
Because a disability can only be debilitating if we can not learn to adapt to, or have the right tools for adapting and overcoming the physical barriers limiting ability for those with disabilities that they face.
We can and have the ability, technology and certainly a desperate need to virtually erase "disability."
We can literally be creating capability by the simple means of providing those with disabilities what it is they need to function again.
It's not a cure for what you may have as your disability, be it by injury or genetic, but it is the way we do have to dissipate, if not eliminate, the challenges.
If those with disabilities had at their disposal all the tech, gadgets, treatments, meds, therapies, prosthetic, mobility devices, transportation, access to specialists, etc., that they may need to assist in their daily lives, disability could become mainstream.
More people would have the ability to get out of their homes, seek education and employment, it encourages independence and normalcy to disability in general.
The simple fact that we are all effected by disability in one way or another, and the impact disability has on friends, family, the community and society, should be reason enough to prompt immediate change.
However desirous the elimination of disability may be, it is trumped by simple greed.
It works for the rich. Or rather, anyone with enough money and access to procure whatever they need for their own accommodations.
Take Stephen Hawkins, Michael J. Fox and Amy Purdy for example. All are considered "disabled," all with the means to accommodate their challenge's, all successful in their own right.
The problem is that most people aren't rich. They aren't celebrities. And if you are considered disabled, you are more than likely on some form of assistance program(s) and/or a Disability stipend.
Most of us simply can't afford to be disabled. We don't have those means to just go out and buy the things to accommodate our needs. On top of that, we are being denied care, access to loans, grants, and access to care or services because of our limited income, resources and disability.
These are just further limits, if not total road blocks, that turn our access to the accommodations that already exist to overcome some, if not all of those physical challenges, into qualifiers for someone to remain disabled and unable to overcome.
The thing about being disabled, is that it's not something that completely defines your life. The only time our disabilities encroach on our lives is when we meet a challenge we are simply ill-equipped to take on.
For some people it's the lack of money to purchase a wheelchair lift van, for others it may be access to a medication or surgery, it's being denied a prosthetic leg, or the lack of accessibility in public.
With all the technology, we have turned mobility into a mirage for the average person with a disability. In other words, unattainable.
We have no other choice then, to be dependents on each other, on the community and on society.
If we had what we needed for our disabilities and everyday tasks, we would then be able to do more, become more and become independent. We would be able to chase after and fulfill a "normal" life.
Basically, we need a system, a way, that provides care for needs -- not care for profit.
Disability means more than a name to a disease, or an injury, or the lack of a physical ability to perform a task.
I think people forget that.
There are other causes as well. And with all the advancements of technology and medicine by mankind, disability in this day and age can only be the result of lack of money and options.
I think it's time to change that.