Part of the moral upbringing of children where I grew up involves teaching them to recognize anybody who may have a physical or sometimes mental impairment as not "disabled" but "differently abled." This is often done in an effort to help the child not see them as different or as having a problem. However, this usually has the opposite effect in most children.
In many cases, it draws attention to the fact that there is a problem, and a series of questions may follow, such as: What happened? Were they born that way? Did they have an accident? These questions often raise subjects that may be uncomfortable for the person being discussed.
Teenage TV shows, in their attempts at inclusion, often feature characters with some form of impairment. A recurring trend in some of them is the bullying or shaming of these characters. Nicknames like “Kangaroo,” “Wheels,” and others are often thrown at these individuals, which may, for some, affect their self-esteem and cause them to feel embarrassed about their condition. I don’t believe the TV shows intend to be hateful. They are simply reflecting what is obtainable in the real world.
This is why my favourite innovation is the prosthetic. A prosthetic is an artificial device designed to replace a missing body part, which may be lost due to trauma, disease, or congenital conditions. Not only obvious body parts but even internal organs can be replaced and made to function efficiently, as though nothing ever happened. It is a beautiful invention that makes life not just easier, but better.
Physical impairments often threaten to be constraints to people fulfilling their dreams and desires, Assistive devices eg brail hearing aids when they happen suddenly. But prosthetics prove that all hope is not lost. An athlete’s career doesn’t have to end because of an accident that cost them their legs. A chef can still cook after losing a hand. A soldier can stand tall again after an amputation. A child born without limbs can still live, thrive, and not feel embarrassed or cheated out of life because of prosthetics.
My second favourite innovation, if I had to choose, would be other assistive devices like eyeglasses, hearing aids, Braille displays, and so on. What can I say? I really admire how skilled and creative it is to design tools that supplement and sometimes correct the gaps that Mother Nature didn’t fill, or that occur as a result of unforeseen circumstances.
If I could, I would invent even more of such things, because while so much has already been done to ensure that everyone has a chance to enjoy, live, and thrive on this earth to their maximum capacity, there is still so much more to be done. Just think: what if, instead of temporary prostheses, we could permanently replace the organ exactly as it used to be? Or, in congenital cases, completely and permanently fill the gaps that nature left?
I have good news, though. Efforts are currently being made to make these things possible in the near future.
I love prosthetics. They give hope. They uplift. They make it so that having a physical impairment doesn’t make you “disabled” or “differently abled,” but just able. Able to be who you want to be and achieve all that you want to achieve.
Thumbnail and Image 2 are generated by Meta AI.
