Good evening from Lagos. I often wonder how two words can sum up a society’s intention to keep persons with disabilities excluded from everything. As a blind person growing up in Nigeria. I heard:-
“No facilities” announced each time a blind person applied for admission to a university, and they wanted to reject her/ him.
“No facilities” stopped wheelchair users from using the public swimming-pool.
“No facilities” terminated the excitement of a deaf person who dared to contemplate becoming a journalist.
When I grew old enough to be heard, I asked a restaurant owner who was sending me and some friends away from his premises in the name of “no facilities”, what would make his business accessible? He never answered because he, honestly, did not know.
Is this the same verbal barrier deployed in other countries?
Comment 1: You nailed it, and yes, every day we face the same barriers, I am just reflecting and I cannot count the many occasions I was denied opportunities with the same two words.
Comment 2: In my experience these "two words" are used regularly the world over and have been for as long as I can remember. What makes it even more irritating is that the justification for using them doesn't seem to have changed. A bit of variety would at least make the debate a little more interesting. However, I am 69 years old, going on 70, and when highlighting such issues I still get told that what people need is "greater awareness"! I think to myself, I have heard this argument before during the 1960's, 70's, 80's, 90's 2000's 2010's, and now in 2026. Even the clever lawyers, deployed to find ways around the any anti-discrimination legislation which may be on the respective statute books, don't seem to be able to come up with an original argument.
Comment 3: Clever lawyers are certainly able-bodied, hearing, balanced and neuro typical. Beware!!
Comment 4: These two words are the music played with no tones. The only time it can get the rhythm, is when the concerned will be willing to give total inclusion to people living with disabilities without the lame excuses.
Comment 5: You know the scene in Animal Farm when it became hard to tell pig from man? It happens every day among disabled people when those who get more recognized than others become ableist. They are part of the “clever lawyers” that our friend mentioned. They want us to accept that everyone in society is doing their best for Persons with Disabilities and advocating for anything more is overreaching oneself. We had one of such guys as Special Adviser on Disability to one of the state governors in Nigeria some years ago. His principal eventually fired him for diverting intervention funds to his personal use.
Comment 6: Not surprised The International Disability Alliance had to deal with a huge scandal in one of its partners, involving the top leadership.
Comment 7: Lawyers must be deaf and disabled because they have the experience of suffering, ignorance, discrimination, rejection and misunderstanding.
Comment 8: Reflecting on the reference to Animal Farm above I found myself realising that the Pigs developing the chant “Two legs good, four legs bad” was repeating the ideas picked up from the humans who had been in charge previously. We need to take care that when we are finally ‘seen’, we remain non-judgemental and inclusive ourselves?