SKNVibes | Retired Educationist Ira Hanley Challenges Society’s Attitudes To Persons Living With Disabilities

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Posted: Tuesday 18 May, 2004 at 12:13 PM

Press & Public Relations Dept, Nevis Island Administration

Mr Ira Hanley addressing the symposium. Others are Mrs Jenipha Freeman and Mrs Rosalie André (right).
Charlestown Nevis (May 17, 2004) -- The society has been challenged to facilitate challenged persons to make use of their other abilities, as failing to do so would be counterproductive.

Retired Nevisian educationist, Mr Ira Hanley, lamented that when individuals have been reduced to operate from a wheelchair because they lack a specific ability, it did not mean that their other abilities were not intact.

Mr Hanley, who was one of the three speakers at the Nevis Blind Light and Visually Impaired Society’s annual symposium held at the Nevis Red Cross Building on Saturday, termed it the real disability for the society’s attitude to determine the productivity of such individuals.

Some of the participants at the symposium

“When society does nothing to enable the challenged person to be a productive member of society, then we become counterproductive, hence a liability,” observed Mr Hanley.

“Consequently, the real disability lies with us because we fail to use whatever power we have, meaning that we have the disability because disability is a lack of power.”

The symposium, which was held under the theme ‘Attitudes are the real Disability’, was told that one in seven persons in the world have some form of disability. Mr Hanley commented that what these people may need is special help and not pity so that they can lead a productive life.

“Many famous persons have suffered handicaps,” remarked Mr Hanley. “They achieved success nevertheless and these people went on to make major contributions to mankind. Franklin D. Roosevelt was crippled by polio but went on to be the only president in the USA to be elected four times to office.”

Mr Winston Hanley performing ‘saw music’

The Nevis Blind Light and Visually Impaired Society’s President, Mrs Jenipha Freeman, chaired the symposium. Other speakers were retired school principal Mrs Rosalie André, and Resident Gynaecologist at the Charlestown’s Alexandra Hospital, Dr John Essien.

Members and their friends attending the symposium were entertained by Mr Winston Hanley who performed the number ‘Be Still and Know I am God’ using a saw as his musical instrument, Ms Sheila Da Costa who recited a poem and Mr Alister Dore who belted out three gospel numbers that he backed with a powerful electric guitar.

Attending the symposium was the St. Kitts-based chairperson for the North Eastern zone of the Caribbean Council for the Blind, Mr Joan Moses, and a team from the St. Kitts Society for the Blind led by its President Mr Rockliffe Bowen, who also announced that his society would hold its annual symposium on Saturday May 29 at the McKnight Community Centre.