Treat 'em norm

Treat them normally

“I sat like a statue, without a clue to how I should behave”, my friend told me. She was sharing her dilemma of feeling perplexed whenever confronted with a disabled person. Travelling by bus, she had spotted a blind man standing due to unavailability of seats. “I didn’t know whether to offer him my seat or not. I felt that anything I would do could hurt his sentiments”.

For me, a physically challenged person myself, this came as a surprise. Putting myself in that man’s shoes, I knew for sure that I wouldn’t have felt as vulnerable and easily hurt as imagined by my friend! So, after giving her a satisfactory reply, I pondered over this ‘dilemma’ faced by perhaps many others as well.

Firstly, is the dilemma a ‘dilemma’ at all? I don’t think so. We err when we sideline PWDs (People With Disabilities) as ‘them’. They are ‘one of us’. Each human being is different, and so are his/her needs. Hence, a disabled person is just differently-abled. The way you modify your behaviour when switching from an extrovert companion to an introvert, just be considerate when it comes to people with disabilities, not confused.


* See PWDs as wholesome individuals, not someone ‘born-to-be-helped’.
* Don’t be too scared to ask about the disability. They’d rather talk about it than let you have any misconceptions. At the same time, don’t bombard them with your curiosity.
* In case of kids, talk to them directly, not through their attendants/parents.
* If it’s a complaining PWD, just lend a patient ear and offer practical suggestions. Don’t feel inadequate at not being able to help.
* If it’s a smiling PWD, smile back. Don’t feel amazed. Happiness is a state of mind, not circumstantial.
* Don’t start rattling about a particular person who has a similar problem, or a miracle cure, or your heartfelt understanding of how difficult it must be.


Life is both roses and thorns, be it for anyone. Learning to live with the similarities and differences among people is important. Appreciating the same is an art. If ABC is happy enjoying the fragrance of a rose without having seen it, life doesn’t become less beautiful. But, since s/he might notice the sound of wind hitting against its petals, too, his/her life does become differently beautiful, yet equally enjoyable.