Functional diversity

By: Carmen I. Franco Soto

Social worker

TANF Prevention-Guayama

According to the World Health Organization the term disability It covers deficiencies and restrictions that a person can suffer, and that imply problems that affect the body structure, as well as limitations to carry out daily actions and difficulties in maintaining social relationships with equals.

However, the term functional diversity encompasses everything from physical well-being to interpersonal relationships. Excluding the various connotations that as professionals and human beings we can give it, it is more important that we individually ask ourselves: What is functional diversity for us? Who or who are the faces of functional diversity?

Every time we mention functional diversity we immediately think of disability, limitations and lag. However, we never think about the extraordinary or the exceptional. Almost by nature we are conditioned to create social barriers to the unknown and/or what scares us. We are all individualistic beings with different talents and unmatched capacities for reasoning, success and growth. So why pigeonhole a person for abilities they don't have, instead of embracing the qualities that make us unique?

We have neighbors, friends, colleagues, including in our work settings, facing challenges in their daily lives. People with exceptional qualities and extraordinary abilities pigeonholed in a group of inequality and marginalization, all because of what society dictates that they cannot do. Many times we are the only link between conscience and reason; but, due to the ignorance of a minor cause, major effects coexist.

Our focus has to be redirected not to highlight the limitations, but to understand the challenges and collaborate in the inclusion of spaces, especially in our own work and community areas.

The roles we play and the attitude with which we face the circumstances around us make the difference between a before and after in the life of an individual. We are not what we say, but what we do. Let's be people of conscience, respect and empathy in all places where we can be present.

Disability no, functional diversity yes.