Haiti’s aftermath: Prosthetics wanted

As a person with a disability I’ve often argued with friends and strangers alike that what disabled people often prefer are not handouts but rather empowerment. It’s a daunting task to convince others that pity has its limitations and can at times even be harmful. Give us the tools to overcome daily obstacles and permit us to become important members of society.

These thoughts come to mind after reading that several prosthetics companies have been donating their products to Haitians recently amputated from January’s deadly earthquake. Foreign firms are trying to assist as many as an estimated 7000 new Haitian amputees. "If you're farmer and only have one arm, you're in really bad shape. That's why a prosthesis is so important," said one board member of Haiti’s Hospital Albert Schweitzer to the press.

The demand to help Haiti’s newly disabled has also led to “scores” of physical and occupational therapists from countries like Canada to volunteer their efforts in Haiti. As the executive director of Christian Blind Mission Canada told the Canadian Press, disabled Haitians want to erase the stigma often labeled against the disabled:

"It's easy to stereotype them as cursed or - and there was that - less than human," (Ed) Epp says of pervasive attitude in Haiti towards the disabled.

"And they're still being hidden. We walked through one of the (homeless) camps and we're ... trying to find people with disabilities. And we had a hard time finding them, even though we knew they were there."

The late disability rights activist Henry Viscardi once wrote, “I seek opportunity, not security.” This is what disabled people in Haiti (and for that matter, the Americas) ask for on a daily basis, the chance to shatter stereotypes and demonstrate their personal worth.

Image- The News (“Andy Lambert of Hanger Orthopedic Group in Richland shows used artificial limbs Tuesday Feb. 9, 2010 that local residents have donated for earthquake victims in Haiti.”)
Online Sources- Norwich Bulletin, Pittsburghlive.com, Canadian Press, New York Times