Who Dat?

Back in the 80s, long before the X-Games existed, Tom Haig traveled the world as an extreme athlete. He visited more than 50 countries as an international high diver, doing multiple somersault tricks from over 90 feet.

That life came crashing down one Sunday morning in 1996. While training on his mountain bike, he smashed into the grill of a truck and became paralyzed from the waist down. But less than a year later he completed a 100-mile ride on a hand-cycle and traveled by himself to Europe and the Middle East.

Since then he has continued to travel the world as a consultant, writer and video producer. He spent six months launching a Tibetan radio station in the Himalayas and shot documentary shorts on disability in Bangladesh, France, Albania, Ghana and most recently Nepal.

Saturday, December 3, 2022

30th Anniversary of UN International Day of Persons with Disability

 Today is 30th Anniversary of the United Nations International Day of Persons with Disability. Oddly enough, it goes without notice in the countries where the most work on disability has been done. In the US, the ADA has been so effectively enforced, that most persons with disability can now live and work nearly as regularly as our able-bodied citizens. For the most part, we don’t rely on disability enclaves or specialty schools to integrate our disability population into regular society.

Not to say the work is done, but due to the incredible drive and perseverance of our predecessors, we are standing/sitting on the shoulders of giants. Those giants include ADA lobbyists Justin Whitlock Dart Jr. and Patrisha Wright. Portland’s Richard Pimentel wrote the first guidelines on training for disability in the work force. Athletic greats Jim Martinson and Candace Cable broke down doors that most able-bodied persons didn’t know existed. Scott Rains was a quadriplegic who traveled the world in the days before any airlines had a clue as to how to transport him.   

There is a Catch-22 to this success. I am so independent now that I have very few friends with disabilities. I have acquaintances and colleagues, but in the States, nobody in my immediate social group has a disability.

But when I’ve traveled abroad to low-resource countries (Albania, Bangladesh, Ghana, Nepal, Senegal among others), nearly ALL of my friends are persons with disabilities and their families. If they are lucky, they live in a disability enclave where necessary services are right outside their door (schools, hospitals, grocery). But most tend to live at home with family members caring for their every need. In many instances they haven’t left their homes in years if not decades. They are given the necessary things to stay alive, but transportation systems and architecture ensure they will not be able to thrive like their able-bodied counterparts. Reliable disability unemployment statistics are hard to come by, but it’s no stretch to say that in poor countries, it’s 75 percent and higher.

By any definition, they are 2nd class citizens. There are of course exceptions, and some have risen far above their station. My friend Javed Abidi, who had spina bifida was the president of Disabled Persons International, went from relative poverty in India to speak in front of the Indian Parliament and get the Indians with Disability Act passed.

But Javed was by far the exception, not the rule. So what can we do? First of all, just reading this missive is a big step forward. Voting for politicians who support and promote your country’s participation in UN Disability programs is another big step. If you would like to get more involved, you can donate to the International Rehabilitation Forum that not only promotes disability awareness in poor countries, but also operates rehabilitation medicine fellowships throughout Africa and Asia.  

Thanks for listening!

IRF Films

IRF Disability Awareness Videos

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