Thoughts on the injured and impaired

I've just learned that one of my little cousins is autistic, in addition to being epileptic. It was already heartbreaking when the family received news that he was suffering from fits, and autism as another complication seems too much for a child and his family to bear. But my aunt and uncle have been admirably strong these past years. They love their youngest son fiercely and never think themselves as victims of fate. In fact, my aunt simply beams when she tells me how my cousin is brilliant with puzzles. He has his own gifts.

After graduation, I picked up David B.'s awfully good graphic novel, Epileptic, and I wondered if my aunt and uncle sometimes experience the same turmoil that David B.'s family did as they lived with an epileptic member. Too, it was sad when people witnessing David B.'s brother in a fit stared and gawked as if he were a freak.

I only hope that Singaporeans gradually become more accepting of people with physical or mental impairments. When I visited LK in Fremont last year and we walked into a large grocery store, I noticed that one of the cashiers was deaf. She wore a little badge which stated her condition but she worked as hard and as well as her colleagues. I thought it was terrific that she's given a chance to be part of the working world. At the movie theaters in Ann Arbor, a few of the ticket inspectors at the entrances are wheelchair-bound, but no one bats an eyelid. While Singapore has associations for the impaired, many of its members remain within the association - working only for the small workshops that the associations provide and not venturing into the heart of society. I hope this will change someday. They shouldn't have to remain on the fringes.