Disability is not Contagious!

By Rose Resiato 

As a woman with a disability, Rose Resiato has often found herself having to take the role of a ‘teacher’ if only to make her community a little more inclusive, and a little more aware about people with disabilities. ‘It is not always easy,” she says, ‘to keep telling people that as a woman with a disability, I am still a person, that disability is not contagious, and that they should not look at me as one that should be avoided.’

It can be tiring, rightfully so, because no one wants to explain their circumstances daily to people around them. No one wants to have people’s lingering gazes on them each second of their life. Yet, as Resi reminds us, ‘ableism is so entrenched in our communities, and we must do all we can to stop it.’ Read on 

  

On this day, I was traveling to Nairobi to meet some friends. I chose my usual spot in the bus — the one with enough legroom to sit comfortably. A mother and her young daughter boarded shortly after. The girl was assigned the seat next to me, while her mother sat behind us.

The journey was smooth, but I couldn’t help noticing the mother kept watching us closely. She would speak to her daughter in a local language I didn’t understand. Whenever I tried to engage the little girl in conversation, she would glance back at her mother — almost as if seeking permission.

Eventually, they were set to alight before me. When the bus stopped, I gently supported the girl with my hands to help her step out safely. But before she could, her mother hurried over, grabbed her hand, and muttered something in her language. The girl looked back at me, as if she wanted to say goodbye — but her mother pulled her away.

That slight moment left me with so many questions.

What could have driven the mother to react in what I saw was a hostile manner?

What drove her to fear. Why the fear in her eyes when her daughter wanted to engage with me?

Why might we want to teach our children to look at someone with disability differently?

It does break my heart that in this day and age, there are people who believe disability is contagious — something to shield their children from. But the truth is, disability is part of the human experience. It is an identity, as many other identities there are in our society.

My call from this experience?

Let’s raise children who are kind, empathetic, and inclusive.

Let’s stop sowing fear and start planting love.

Our differences make us human. Let’s embrace them.

#DisabilityIsNotContagious