MDF Magazine Newsletter Issue 57 December 2018

THE THREE PHASES OF ME
By Hilton Purvis
We often chat with friends about how, over time, one's views
on matters change. Things which used to upset us in our
youth just wash off one’s back today, or vice versa! It got
me thinking about matters which used to "push my buttons"
in years gone by, and those which do so today, and how my
attitudes have evolved over time. I found that I could see
my life in three distinct phases, the "freedom fighting", the
statistics, and the acceptance.
I use the term freedom fighter carefully, because although we
were never actively militant, we were fighting for freedom
in our society in the 1970's and 1980's. Back then there were
no disabled parking bays, no PAUs at airports, no ramps, no
disabled toilets. In short, nothing which would have warranted
sticking the little blue international wheelie man symbol
onto. The mindset of the time was very much that we should
be staying at home or living in institutions, being looked after.
My middle years, the 1990's, became the "statistical" years.
The years of adding up the new facilities which were slowly
becoming available. Adding up how many new disabled
people I saw out and about in town, attending a sports game,
or working in a company. These were the times of the access
committees, the independent living centres, the amakrokokroko,
and the beginnings of employment equity. Doors were
opening, albeit on the periphery, and increasingly disabled
people were visibly living independent lives.
Of late, I have to admit to entering a phase of "acceptance",
but I am not a person who naturally accepts things. I believe
we are well short of where we should be as a disabled community.
My acceptance is therefore that we have not achieved
the level of integration into society which we should have. It
also means that where I should be entering a phase of calm
and tranquillity, the whole rocking chair on the stoep thing,
I am still having my buttons pushed. It also takes something
away from the previous two phases. I'm left wondering
where we went wrong in the freedom fighting, and just what
we were really doing during the statistical period.
I think one of the mistakes we made in the 1990s was in
adopting the belief that if we could show society that
disabled people could live independently it would gain
momentum and build steadily and progressively on the initial
breakthroughs that were being made. We also believed, falsely,
that civil society would do the right thing, see the light,
and increasingly break down the physical barriers which we
face every day (transport, parking, access, etc). Along with
that we thought that there would be greater inclusion for s
disabled individuals in schooling and education, employment
opportunity, etc but this has also fallen far short. We
never really made any inroads into the architectural industry,
which is so important to our infrastructural independence.
Coupled with this is a representational shortcoming in the
development and construction industries and, saddest of all,
in the field of education (schooling, colleges and universities).
Perhaps during the "statistical" period of the 1990s we also
became so preoccupied with notching up little victories that
we lost sight of the greater battle plan. We also allowed ourselves
to become fragmented, with no coordination and with
the individual disability groupings looking after their own
interests. Whilst there is nothing intrinsically wrong with this
concept it does open the door for a loss of momentum and
focus, which is what has happened.
However, I do believe that during this "statistical" period
we fell right into the statistical trap and allowed ourselves to
accept a quota system. We are now expected to accept that
only 10% of hotel rooms might have an accessible bathroom,
or 5% of employees might have a disability. This has come
back to hurt us. If we are to make any further development,
quotas such as these need to be eradicated as soon as possible.
Everything should be accessible. Every single school
should be able to accept disabled learners. Every job should
be available to disabled individuals.
The hope that people would join us in our quest for freedom
voluntarily has not materialised. In the 1990s I firmly believed
that we needed willing participants rather than ones
who had been coerced into meeting our needs. I was mistaken.
These days, in my acceptance phase, I believe that legislation
is the only way we are likely to make any progress.
Unfortunately, in that regard we do not seem to have made
any real headway either, and existing legislation is really just
words on paper, without any real teeth. I have yet to hear
of a building construction being stopped because it did not
provide disabled access.
It seems that society has been distracted from the initial
goals. From an enlightened and promising start in the 1970s
and some strong development in the 1990s, our quest has lost
momentum with the result that the disabled community has
fallen behind in terms of gaining their educational, employment
and financial freedom. At this stage in my life I have to
accept that we have fallen short of our aspirations; the real
problem, however, is that acceptance doesn't sit well with
me.
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