DISABLED, NOT UNABLE: No Arms, No Legs, No Worries

Video posted to YouTube by NickVujicicTV.

When the going gets tough, the tough get going. Joseph P. Kennedy Sr., former U.S. Ambassador to the U.K. and father of John F. and Robert F., and Edward.

Motivation gets you through the day, but inspiration last a lifetime. Nick Vuicic, inspirational speaker

I’m sure there are many, many people who are following our limbless-but-nimble Nick, especially in Australia (his homeland) and the United States, where he is now living in California. He’s a great inspiration. He helps put things in perspective. In the light of his challenges, the vast majority of us have nothing to complain about. He makes it darn difficult to make excuses. More than that, he demonstrates that disability is not inability. He follows a work schedule that would exhausted lesser folk.

Attitude Is altitude. Nick Vujicic

If I wanted anyone to get – really get –  one of the underlying messages here, it would be employers. At one time, about a hundred years ago now, I was responsible for hiring and/or hiring recommendations for a retail company. I often advocated – usually unsuccessfully – for people who were bright, talented, and “disabled.” The latter is a term we use lightly and take literally. It can be deceptive.

As you can see from Nick’s video and his life, people who are disabled are not necessarily unable. Often people have disabilities, but are generally healthy. . . . just as healthy as most other working folks. They can be depended upon to maintain a normal work schedule. A high rate of absenteeism may be implicit in those situations that involve illness, but not everyone who is disabled is ill. Those who are not, those who are blind or deaf or have lost limbs or are otherwise disfigured, are not ill. They are all there mentally, have skills, ability, training and education, and have learned to work around their challenges. They have lower risk for workers’ comp because they tend to be more aware and more careful in how they maneuver in the workplace. Often, they need only minimal – if any – real accommodation. There’s no reason not to hire them. In the current economy, they are having a tougher-than-usual time competing for jobs, not because of real barriers to entry but because of perceived barriers harbored by employers. This is an appeal: please give them the same fair chance you’d give anyone else.

For more on Nick – Brave Heart: No Arms, No Legs, No Worries.