When I heard the word “placement” I was pretty excited.’ No school, no real work’ I thought. Ha, I was so wrong: it was exhausting and boring at the same time, especially in a theatre for children where I decided to do my work experience. During one of their performances I was allowed to watch I even fell in some half-sleep, but okay, let’s not talk about this.
What I really wanted to write about: the fear of people with disabilities.
Another trainee was doing her work experience in the theatre the same time I did, the only differences were our attitudes: she is someone who ALWAYS says what she thinks, no matter if it’s rude or could hurt other people’s feelings. I, on the other hand, say what I think too, but I know when it’s appropriate or when I should stand back.
So I wasn’t surprised to see such a look on her face the day a school for disabled teenagers came to watch the actors, a look of fear she didn’t even try to cover up. They were a big group, boys and girls were mixed and all kinds of disabilities were seen, so what? Actually they were really cute and such friendly and sweet people, it really made my heart melt. But it was just mine. The other trainee looked around herself insecure, standing in a corner with the aim not to come near any of the visitors who were fascinated by the decoration inside the hall and couldn’t get their eyes off the shimmer stars glued to the ceiling.
A few minutes passed and everybody was let inside the room to take their seats in front of the stage and the second nobody was left in the hall a figure was pressed next to my body. “Omg, they are so scary. Have you heard that one boy scream? Or have you seen the boy with the long tongue? Scary tho”
I could have gone furious. I literally felt my blood boiling inside my veins, I wanted to grab her and shake her and scream at her, but that would have drawn too much attention towards us, so the only thing I was able to do was to get out of her presence and calm down.
I don’t know if it’s about our education that made us see those humans in different perspectives or if she was raised this way to be like that or whatever, there’s no excuse for her behaviour. The sad thing here is that she’s not the only one experiencing such contacts with people who are like us, just restricted in the use of their limps and/or mind.
They are like us. They are different. We all are different, in a positive way. Such people have the ability to see the world through other eyes, to think otherwise, something we can’t. We only think logically, fantasy and creativity are rare nowadays in our minds, we only tell us apart from our looks… maybe not even that anymore.
All kinds of humans are the same but also different, a contradiction that has a lot in common.
Don’t we all say that being different and thinking different nowadays is great? Then finally act like this and show it!
