Your Attitude is Their Greatest Handicap (Part 2 Q&A)

The speaker will examine societal attitudes toward the disabled. He believes that society focuses on the physical infrastructure (i.e. ramps, sidewalks, points of entry, city transit and other modes of public transportation, etc.) and neglects a more serious problem, namely people’s patronizing attitudes towards the disabled. Even the medical profession contributes to the problem by seeing the handicapped as people in need of a cure. And by the way, how well are we doing in creating a community that is accessible to those who are disabled? The speaker believes the handicapped need to be seen as people who are different but equal. Virtually everyone is part of the problem and everyone needs to be part of the solution. Speaker: Ned Shillington. Ned Shillington lives in Calgary. He was educated as a lawyer in Saskatchewan and entered politics there in 1971. He spent 24 years as a member of the Sask. Legislature, and 11 years as a member of the Sask. cabinet. In 1997 he became a paraplegic. Ned is a past president of the Canadian Paraplegic Association, a national organization representing people with spinal cord injuries. He is currently the vice president of the Alberta Chapter of the Canadian Paraplegic Association. This background has given him a unique perspective on people’s attitudes towards the handicapped.