For a long time, disability and mental health awareness have undergone a similar kind of evolution and progression. Both were viewed with the spiritual understanding when human knowledge was limited and anything that could not be well understood or explained was seen as a miracle if it was positive or as a curse if it was negative. Since spirituality advocates for perfection, disability was seen as a curse due to the fact that it was a departure from the way people understand the creation of the human body. Similarly, mental health variations outside of what is considered as normal was demonized and looked down upon.
When spirituality could not answer all the questions, society turned to science as a cure to burning curiosity albeit rebelliously from the culture that was spirituality. By studying from nature and asking questions, humanity was enlightened. An unintended consequence was that both science and spirituality were at loggerheads at the start, with spirituality gaining the upper hand because many were not very welcome to ideas outside of what they knew. For instance, not many people where receptive to the idea of helping persons with disabilities as a result of polio by giving them calipers and crutches, since they were viewed as punishment for bad behaviour by human beings on earth. Those with mental health issues were seen as possessed and were subjected to torture as a way of getting the ‘bad spirits’ out.
As previously stated, anything positive even to the spiritual adherents is seen as miracle. In the new and modern age, science and spirituality have found a congruence of sorts where scientific solutions are seen as miracles by way spirituality working through humanity. Nowadays, faith-based institutions are the some of the biggest healthcare providers in the world with a special focus on the most vulnerable.
In addition to healthcare provision, faith-based institutions now have welfare groups mostly based on age, where people meet and have discussions on various life issues affecting its members. All this in an effort to undo the negative preaching around mental health and disability that was done in the previous years. With the roles in these institutions being gender based, (women leaders speak to women issues and male leaders speak to male issues) congregants feel safe opening up to their leaders to get solutions since psychological training is part of the package for those who want to take up leadership roles in spiritual settings.
Much of what the society holds dear is influenced by spiritual institutions, the media and the schooling system due to the fact that the three institutions affect the long-term behaviour of a big number of people in a population. And so, when spiritual institutions take it upon themselves to address mental health issues and disability issues even though separately, the societal perception of the two issues changes for the better. Add that to the vibrant media space boosted by technological tools such as podcasts and YouTube channels, and you have a whole space to discuss both issues continuously and intensely.
The result of this combination is that society is becoming more and more enlightened on matters mental health and the view of persons with disabilities as motivation and inspiration has started to fade, especially in schools with integrated learning as well as in organizations that have embraced people with disabilities as equal members of the society and not as objects of charity. In the organizations also, companies have changed the working environment to ensure there is peace of mind amongst employees to ensure maximum productivity. Reasonable accommodation in the workplace is now seen as a necessity and not as a favour, giving persons with disabilities a happy environment to exercise their talents in the office on an equal footing.
Even though the results have not been replicated everywhere especially due to the digital divide and literacy levels across the country, the pace has been set. Taking cue from the spiritual institutions, the challenge is to do more capacity development to have more counsellors with a disability that are in a better position to understand disability from their own experience, rather than having more counsellors learning about disability, and therefore may not be in a position to understand disability related challenges to the fullest. Case in point, men remained with a number of problems until we had more men in psychology who identified these problems and offered solutions. It would be easier for a person with disability to open up to another person with disability since problems as a result of disability tend to be technically uniform and universal.
With more capacity development mostly on the part of more counsellors with a disability, several problems will have been solved simultaneously. First, there will be employment for those trained. Two, the cost of mental healthcare will be affordable and nearer to the people since we could have such personnel stationed in community centres, hospitals or just somewhere persons with disabilities can easily access. Thirdly, the data collected would be useful in studying the mental health trends for persons with disability, which then can be used to address the most pressing issues affecting them, or seeking solutions to something that might become a problem later in future. Such a facility would also be very useful to caregivers of persons with disabilities who might not feel comfortable discussing their challenges with fellow caregivers in a setting like community groups.
Change is slow but we must find a way of enjoying the process of change and delight in the results later. After all, change is as good as a rest. Here’s to the change in the societal mental health and disability perspectives.