See the ABLE, not the LABEL

Members of the USP Empowered Students with Disability group during the recent Disability Awareness Week celebration at USP’s Laucala campus. Picture: WANSOLWARA STAFF

By EPELI LALAGAVESI

Stigma and discrimination continues to be a challenge for students with disability at The University of the South Pacific (USP) and it is becoming a growing concern.

This statement was emphasized by USP Empowered Students with Disability (ESDA) president Fulori Cavukiliu during the recent disability awareness week celebration at USP’s Laucala campus in Suva.

“Stigma and discrimination is still a barrier in our lives,” she said.

“We want to educate people to see the ‘able’ not the ‘label’. See us for what we can do, not our disability.”

Cavukiliu said people needed to approach physically challenged students with a positive attitude by first changing their mindset.

“ESDA hopes people change their views of looking at students with disability differently,” she said.

“Students with disability can also do what other students do and we want to be included in all activities.”

Freda Willie, a first-year student, feels she doesn’t deserve to be treated differently just because she has a disability.

“Whenever there is a group discussion in my class, other students usually ignore or never involve me,” she said.

“You don’t have to treat me differently. If you can learn so can I. For me, the letter ‘DIS’ in disability stands for ‘Disappointment’, ‘Ignorant’ and ‘Separate’. I don’t want to be in a class where I am ignored and separated. I am able to do things like other abled students.”

Melita Cook, also a member of ESDA, believes the only disability in life is one of a bad attitude.

“People often pity me upon learning that I am deaf but they should not feel sorry for me because I have accepted who I am,” she said.

“By accepting who I am, only then was I able to move forward and achieve great things in life.”

*Epeli Lalagavesi is a second-year journalism student at The University of the South Pacific