The volleyball marathon has become an annual national appointment. It is good to see so many young people contributing together, in the hottest month of the year.
Their aim is one, that of being together and helping others. I value such activities since they diminish the negative image of the young given by the media. Unfortunately, most of the time young people are associated with drug abuse, traffic accidents and so on.
However, there is one issue I am very much concerned about and that I have already pointed out some months ago. I do not think it is appropriate and ethical to portray the disabled as angels (non-humans) and vulnerable people.
Such 'angelic' and 'vulnerable' images go contrary to the idea of inclusion of the disabled into mainstream society. I am aware that a sense of pity may motivate donors to give Lm2 instead of Lm1. In the short run, this may be more beneficial since more money is collected. But I am afraid that in the long run such images go against the interests of the disabled.
Disabled people do not wish to be looked down upon or be pitied. That is degrading! Personally, I do not like people who pity me. On the contrary, I like people who accept me as I am, believing in my strengths and capabilities.
It is also degrading to immediately connect the disabled with donations. Disabled people want an inclusive society, which is ready to offer them not mere money but equal opportunities regarding education, employment and physical accessibility.
My recommendation is that at such marathons, measures are taken to educate society at large, though at the same time emphasising that money is needed to run such institutions as Dar tal-Providenza.
Such marathons may prove to be golden opportunities to educate people about persons with disability, promoting them as being most valid contributors to society, not passive recipients of the people's benevolence.
Disabled people can contribute to society if society gives them the opportunity to do so. Thus, the key word should not be pity but trust in the disabled persons' abilities.
I wish great success to all those who are in some way or other involved in the marathon and I hope the record will be broken once again, which is not an easy task considering the incredible sum collected last year.
Moreover, I also wish that the end does not justify the means. I would prefer having less money in my pockets so long as my dignity is safeguarded.
In line with this, I do not like the idea of giving preference to disabled people just because they are disabled. I understand the concept of positive discrimination, which compensates for the negative one.
Positive discrimination is valid until an inclusive society is realised. But I am against such policy as that followed in hospitals and health centres giving precedence in queues to special ID holders.
What is the aim of such treatment, given that most disabled people can just as well wait in a queue as other people do? Such special treatment hinders inclusion because such treatment further enhances that sense of pity non-disabled people have towards the disabled.
Only urgent cases should take precedence. Disabled people should be proud when they are treated equally. They themselves should discard any special treatment if they really want to be part of mainstream society.