Confronting the Problem

New York City surrounds us with ambitious, hardworking, fascinating people. It is a fast paced environment, offering the best of the best to see and do. Its cultural aspirations make it one of the most exciting places to live in the world. It can also be the loneliest and most challenging.

Where power, beauty, talent, intellect, and money are valued, those who cannot readily provide them go overlooked. In fact, the exclusiveness in sorting what and who is on top – and what our relationship is to them – pushes attention away from marginalized people.

… the exclusiveness in sorting what and who is on top – and what our relationship is to them – pushes attention away from marginalized people.

Of the 8.4 million people here, it’s estimated that nearly 900,000 people live with disabilities. Lack of accessible transportation and affordable housing, unequal education, and unemployment are only some of the common issues people with disabilities face. These individuals often go neglected and are left with no means of connecting with people in their community or making friends.

Unfortunately, many of us have developed unwarranted fears by not having enough contact with disabled people. While this may seem insignificant at first glance, it is a serious problem.

People with disabilities are often

• Decreased in social status

• Moved involuntarily and separated from others

• Excluded from commonplace socializing

• Denied personal agency over their lives

• Exposed to abuse and neglect

Conditioned to these circumstances and suffering hurt from bad relationships, people with disabilities typically have a distrust toward new relationships. At the prospect of making a friend who is there with no obvious obligations, many peel back with reluctance. The symptoms of wounding manifest in different ways; but their underlying question is, “Am I really lovable like that?”