Nine-tenths Disability, One-tenth Person

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"Unfortunately, too many people see me as nine-tenths disability, one-tenth person." ~Norman Kunc

One of the things I love about what I do is that I can design programs to be entirely adaptable and to include every child, no matter what their skill level, comfort level or perceived disability. I love that I am finally in the position to let the students be themselves and can help design customized activities & programs that focus on the child and how they can participate in spite of their limitations. 

I have been working with parents and professionals more and more to show them how to approach recreation, teaching and therapy with an element of fun: we are not "helping", we are "playing & learning" together. 

Why do I emphasize the fun? Because I have learned that when you approach teaching or therapy as if you are trying to help someone, you inadvertently set up an imbalance of power, with you being the competent "helper" and the other person being the incompetent "help-ee". With children, you already have that imbalance as the adult or authoritarian. Now, this person (or child) is not your equal, they are "less" than or weaker than you, and looking at the bigger picture, from a yoga and a human standpoint, this clearly does not help at all, does not move them towards autonomy, nor does it meet that child where they are: it meets them where you are.

Those of us in the "Helping Professions" tend to think of our strategies & therapy as a way to improve a brain and/or physical function, and therefore the quality of life for our students. But if we stop to really think for a minute, we will understand that here is a difference between "quality of life" and "ease of living".  At the very heart of who we all are, I believe that we all have honorable intentions, however, I have recently been introduced to a man who has made me re-think our traditional, accepted approaches & how we define "quality of Life" and after seeing things from his eyes, I think that maybe we have all gotten ahead of ourselves.

Norman Kunc (pronounced "Koontz") was born with cerebral palsy and attended a self-contained school for students with disabilities from the age of three until 13 when he was then placed in a general education setting. Earning a Bachelor's Degree in Humanities and a Master's Degree in Family Therapy has augmented a lifetime of learning from his experiences of being labeled "disabled". Part of his work at the BroadReach Centre in  is to encourage professionals to rethink what their intent really is when working with children (and adults) with challenges.

He notes that relating other people's-our student's- stories to our own experience is part of developing that depth of thought and reflection needed as a therapist or educator to do what is truly in their best interest. He urges us to think and listen as people-rather than as professionals - and decide whether our intentions match our actions, and what are the possible consequences that will follow. 

Norman remembers from his experience that he felt therapists treated him as nine-tenths disability and one-tenth person:  "...professionals were too busy trying to improve my quality of life by putting me in a special school where I am supposed to learn to function better & they took away the opportunity for me to have friends and subsequently they actually interfered with the quality of my life..."  and he points out that: "...you don't gain the ability to deal with the complexity of people just by acquiring an abundance of strategies. You gain the ability to deal with the complexity of people from the depth of thought. And many people avoid seeking depth of thought because they are too busy acquiring this endless library of disjointed strategies..."  

I have always related to special needs children on the level of communication & being understood. I did not grow up with a disability, however I felt grossly misunderstood by so many, including my own family for a number of different reasons. This is where I make my initial connection with students, and after reading Mr. Kunc's story, I am more convinced than ever that as an educator, I have so much more to learn about the children I work with. I appreciate this insight and am certain that you will as well.

This is a powerful "must read" for every educator, therapist, para-professional, clinician and family member of special needs children or adults, as well as anyone who has contact with people with disabilities:

"The Stairs Don't Go Anywhere"



Contact: barbara@bodylogique.com

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