🎧 Listen to article read by Nicoletta:
Overcome that which is not seen.
When we talk about disability and inclusionthe thoughts immediately ramps, lifts, buses accessible. But there is another category of obstacles, often the most difficult to remove: the invisible barriers. Not touching, but it will feel. Act in the way that we speak, we think, we represent people with disabilities in society.
What are the invisible barriers?
The invisible barriers are obstacles cultural, social and symbolic limiting the participation of persons with disabilities to collective life. Among the most common are:
- Prejudices and stereotypes
- Language excludes or sanctimonious
- Representations in the media distorted or limiting
- Low expectations or excessive
- Negligence institutional in the communication and design inclusive
Are less obvious of a scale or a site that is not accessible, but condition deeply daily life, relationships, and choices.
Prejudices and stereotypes: when the inclusion stops, before start
- “Disabled people are all the same.”
- “Poor thing, who knows how to suffer.”
- “What a hero! In spite of everything working!”
These phrases are often spoken with good intentions, reveal how they are rooted prejudices and visions abiliste in our culture. Disability is still too often viewed as a failure to sympathize or obstacle to overcome heroicallyinstead of a the condition of the person to recognize and include.
These stereotypes have concrete effects: an underestimation of the capacity, the exclusion from educational opportunities or employment, up to the paternalism in social relationships.
The language has words that exclude
The language constructs reality. Use words like “handicapped”, “skillful” or “love from...” helps to maintain a vision medical, pietistica or discriminating of disability.
Today, thanks to the The UN convention on the rights of persons with disabilities (ratified in Italy with the Law 18/2009)it says a vocabulary is more respectful and correct, based on:
- The person before the condition: “person with disability”, not “disabled” or “invalid”
- The neutrality and accuracy: avoid expressions are vague euphemisms or infantilizzanti
- talk with people, not on people
Change language means change of mentality and recognize the dignity and the identity of the other.
The Media and the public imagination: the disability told evil
The media representation of disability is often reduced to two opposite models:
- The superhero (those who “succeed in spite of everything”)
- The victim (who goes compatito and helped)
Both are narratives semplificanti and harmful because they deny the the complexity of life of persons with disabilities. Not all of them are “inspiring”, not all “suffer” not for all the “fighting”.
The media have the power – and the responsibility – to shape the social imaginary. More representations of real, diverse, and respectful lead to a greater awareness and a culture ofreal inclusion.
Regulatory references and cultural
- The UN convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD)
Article 8 – Awareness-Raising: the States undertake to fight stereotypes, prejudice and harmful practices toward people with disabilities, promoting awareness and respect.
- Law 18/2009 – Ratification of the Convention and Italian commitment to its implementation.
The language and the representation fall the objective of the Biennial Action Plan for disability, in particular on the promotion of public communication, inclusive.
What can we do, in concrete terms?
As a citizeni:
- Use a the correct language and respectful
- Ask for more real representation in the media and in the culture
- Deconstruct prejudices (even our own)
As institutions and professionals:
- Form those who communicate (journalists, teachers, civil servants)
- Involve people with disabilities in the the design, narrative and evaluation
Monitor the accessibility of public communication
Making the invisible visible
The invisible barriers they are among the most insidious why feedexclusion while state neutral. To recognize them it is the first step to tear them down. Only in this way can we build a culture really inclusive, where disability not more labelbut one of the many terms of thebe human.
Call to action:
Have you noticed examples of invisible barriers in your life or in your work? Write to me.
Talking about it is already a way to make them visible and start to change them.
