VIDEO TRANSCRIPT: International disability holiday affected by winter weather
Dan Papillo: Dec. 3 is the International Day Of Persons With Disabilities, an event with the focus of promoting inclusion and rights for everyone. But if you looked around Syracuse, you wouldn’t really know it’s happening. For Aurora of Central New York advocate Susan Gray, who is legally blind, it’s important to understand that people with disabilities are just as human as you and I.
Susan Gray: We want to participate, we don’t want to be left alone or ignored. Invite us to parties, invite us to volunteer, have us come and be a part of whatever is happening within the city or within the community.
Benjamin Curtis: Well, people with disabilities just want to people to know that they should be respected and stuff like that. People should be treated more equally with disabilities or not with disabilities.
Papillo: As important as it is to celebrate those with disabilities on a day like today, it’s also important to think about how those people are affected when the weather gets a little colder, especially here in Central New York.
Curtis: It depends on what tier of disability you have. For example, someone with severe Asperger’s or autism, for example, they might struggle with focusing or the hand coordination and all that.
Gray: For the cane users, it’s very hard to navigate a snowy landscape, so the importance of having clear sidewalks or clear parking lots or clear pathway up and into a business, it’s tough to navigate that without someone taking care or being mindful.
Papillo: Whether physical or mental, people with disabilities dread the cold just the same as everyone else. Reporting from Syracuse, Dan Papillo, NCC News.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — The International Day of Persons with Disabilities on Dec. 3 was established to focus on inclusion and rights for everyone, especially those with disabilities. However, the city of Syracuse didn’t have a whole lot going on in support. For Susan Gray, an advocate with the nonprofit Aurora of Central New York, a bigger issue stems from something like this: a lack of being seen and feeling normal.
“We want to participate, we don’t want to be left alone or ignored,” Gray said. “Invite us to parties, invite us to volunteer, have us come and be a part of whatever is happening within the city or within the community.”
Benjamin Curtis, a Syracuse resident, said people with disabilities want the same basic respect given to anyone else.
“People should be treated more equally, with disabilities or not with disabilities,” he said.
As winter approaches, Gray and Curtis said cold weather creates additional challenges for many disabled residents. Curtis noted that the impact varies depending on the type of disability.
“Someone with severe Asperger’s or autism, for example, might struggle with focusing or the hand coordination and all that,” he said.
For people with visual impairments, snow and ice can be especially hazardous.
“For the cane users, it’s very hard to navigate a snowy landscape,” Gray said. “The importance of having clear sidewalks or clear parking lots or clear pathways up and into a business, it’s tough to navigate that without someone being mindful.”
Whether disabilities are physical or mental, winter conditions heighten anxiety and make everyday tasks more difficult for those with disabilities. Still, days like International Day of Persons with Disabilities are extremely important in bringing awareness and making sure everyone is treated the same way: human.