As many have noticed, over the past week, the Goodwill Movement has strategically targeted ableism. This serves two purposes. The first is practical—it improves SEO scores, boosting visibility and reach across digital platforms. However, the second reason is far more significant: ableism is not just another societal bias; it is the root cause of most challenges faced by the disabled community in Pakistan and around the world. It manifests in almost every sphere of life, dictating not only how disabled individuals are treated but how they are perceived, what opportunities they are given, and what limitations are imposed upon them.
But here lies the real question: What is it about being disabled that gives the rest of humanity the power to decide what is right or wrong for us? Why does society feel entitled to define our potential, decide our limitations, and shape the trajectory of our lives based on their perceptions rather than our capabilities?
Blind to Society’s Limitations
Through informal, one-on-one surveys conducted across multiple platforms, I have begun to see a pattern. The surveys were not academic in nature; rather, they were conversational, allowing disabled individuals to voice their experiences and frustrations openly. As a disabled person studying the humanities, I’ve come to a pivotal realization: society’s moral values are central to this issue. What we, as a society, consider normal or abnormal, right or wrong, good or bad, defines how disabled individuals are treated and understood.
From a young age, we are conditioned to perceive disability through a limited lens. Society teaches us to see disabled individuals as objects of pity or charity, rather than as equals or leaders. This bias is deeply ingrained in our collective psyche, and it is reinforced by the media, education systems, and even well-meaning advocacy groups. The result? A deeply ableist culture where disabled individuals are rarely envisioned in positions of power or authority.
Why can’t we imagine a disabled person in a wheelchair leading the United Nations or the World Health Organization? There is no logical or ethical reason why this should be an impossibility. The fact that we struggle to see such leadership roles for disabled individuals speaks volumes about our society’s failure to embrace diversity and inclusion on a meaningful level.
The Get-Out-of-Jail Card: Avoiding Responsibility
Through scientific inquiry and observation, I’ve concluded that many people use a metaphorical ‘get-out-of-jail card’ when it comes to disability. This card allows them to avoid the difficult work of understanding, empathizing, and confronting their own biases. Instead of challenging ableism head-on, people often retreat to familiar tropes and narratives that offer them an easy way out—whether it’s framing disability as a tragedy, a moral failing, or a condition that can only be “fixed” by the non-disabled.
Why do the hard work of advocating for accessibility, inclusivity, and equality when you can offer well-intentioned platitudes and avoid the deeper, systemic issues? It’s easier to feel good about building a ramp than to confront the prejudices that keep disabled individuals from being hired, promoted, or included in leadership conversations.
This “get-out-of-jail” mentality allows society to maintain its sense of moral superiority while avoiding the tough questions for individuals and donors. It is a convenient escape route, but it comes at the cost of real progress.
Why Work Hard for an Easier Way Out?
Let’s use Monopoly as a metaphor. In the game of Monopoly, the objective is clear: to accumulate as many properties as possible and bankrupt your opponents. It is a game of competition and strategy but also one of survival. You can play ruthlessly, hoping to wipe out your competitors, or you can play strategically, forming alliances and using your resources wisely.
Now, imagine if Monopoly were not just a game, but a reflection of society’s approach to disability. The objective, for many non-disabled individuals and institutions, seems to be to dominate and control the narrative, to hold onto power while offering just enough support to disabled individuals to appear charitable. But what if we shifted the objective? What if we stopped seeing society as a zero-sum game where one person’s gain must come at another’s loss?
What if the goal wasn’t to bankrupt our opponents but to ensure that everyone at the table has the opportunity to thrive? This shift in mindset could lead to a society where disabled individuals are not just passive recipients of aid but active participants and leaders, fully capable of shaping their destinies.
The Path Forward
The challenges we face as disabled individuals are not just personal but deeply societal. Ableism is not a problem for disabled people to solve on their own; it is a societal issue that requires collective action. To dismantle ableism, we must first recognize that it is rooted in the moral values and norms that have been handed down to us through generations. These values dictate how we perceive disability and, more importantly, who we believe is worthy of leadership, power, and autonomy.
The work of the Goodwill Movement in targeting ableism is a critical step in this process. By challenging societal norms and pushing for greater visibility and representation of disabled individuals, we are slowly but surely shifting the narrative. However, this is just the beginning. The real work lies in changing hearts and minds—not just through SEO tactics, but through genuine, sustained advocacy and representation.
Ultimately, it’s not about giving disabled individuals a seat at the table; it’s about recognizing that we have always belonged there. And it’s time for society to catch up.
