The role of society today must be to inject positive thoughts and action in different aspects of life. People, no matter what, must never be taken for granted. People first – the colour of your skin, your gender or your place in society has noting to do with if you are disabled or not.

This year on the INTERNATIONAL DAY OF THE DISABLED a reflection on the past must show how the present is being dealt with to indicate where or what the future has in store for our disabled community as far as progress is concerned. The challenge is always there, and for sometime the lack of sincere and unadulterated love for the disabled has been sadly absent.

Now one may say that this statement is exaggerated and needs to be re-visited, but what percentage of our society takes a keen interest in the daily affairs of those who are dealing with the constant problems of living disabled. The cry, which has been loud for sometime, is please change from negative thinking to positive thinking.

The key to positive success is a change in attitude, people on both sides of the fence must understand that we can go nowhere without each other; disability is unavoidable, so a sound level of equilibrium must disclose itself. For my 2006 contribution I personally would like to see a drastic move to address two particularly important areas that somehow escape the eyes of those who are supposed to be watching or assessing the responsibilities of the disabled in T&T.

The first area of concern is the construction industry. I would like to see some stringent policy put in place for those individuals who become disabled due to unfortunate accidents while working. Not too long ago some workers were seriously injured on a construction site.

As a matter of fact, due to the accident there was a possibility of disabilities of some permanence. The reason this information was made known was due to the media coverage.

What about those accidents that do not get media coverage? Something must be done to remedy this serious situation. The time has come when the construction industry must put things in place to deal with accidents that may result in permanent disability.

The second area is vehicular accidents. Fatalities are reported, but in these fatal accidents, there may be survivors left with permanent disabilities. If these accidents that create eventual disabilities are reported to the relevant authorities an evolving data bank would surely provide some form of statistical records which will close the gap that leaves the disabled population ignorant at present.

Sometimes one’s situation changes abruptly. In the aftermath we scramble to make sense. Perhaps the suffering of others affects us. Looking back we realise how the crisis brought clarification. What was hitherto concealed now shows it self.

There are other areas where serious accidents take place and from which crucial disabilities result, what is of importance is that there be a correct level of reporting in order to be made aware of those who have unfortunately joined the disabled community.

The more we as a concerned people continue to delve into the whereabouts of the disabled, the more we find out that caring is such an important aspect of the vehicle of hope.

Most of us live without an awareness of the deeper dimensions of life. To be sure, we have some awareness of psychology’s perspective on the subconscious and unconscious dimension of self; we are largely aware of our sense of being.

However, the frantic busyness, attractions and diversity of our world draw us out of the deep centre of our being and spread us thinly across the surface of our life. We are assaulted every waking moment by an incessant barrage of visual, aural and physical stimuli that compete for our attention and entice or demand our loyalty. Our minds, our lives become fragmented, our focus distorted, our emotions a swirl of clashing currents.

We exist in relationship with one another – safe, secure, wanted and loved. We declare that we are dependent and that we are called to love, and out of this love we desire to obey.

The Lord’s command “love one another as I have loved you” must involve all. When love is present things get a little easier. So those in a position to contribute and make the disabled comfortable must do so without hesitation.

Those who feel that disability will not affect them should revisit that thought because disability is inevitable; with the Lord’s permission all we can do is forestall the inevitable.

I exhort everyone to pay particular attention to DEC 3, 2006 – International Day of the Disabled. Do not scorn or feel disassociated. You never know, at a moment’s notice it could be your turn. Keep the faith and please remember nobody is perfect.