Fighting the battle for rights

Ex-service people wounded in Iraq or Afghanistan face a new set of challenges other than those related to their impairment or condition as they find themselves joining the regiment of disabled people, says Andy Rickell

As a disabled activist, I see impairment as a neutral fact of life. Nonetheless, as a right-thinking human being, I wouldn’t wish additional impairment even on my worst enemy, let alone someone who chose to put themselves in harm’s way in my country’s name.

Fate has decreed that thousands of service personnel have become physically, mentally and emotionally impaired and find themselves members of a new grouping they never wished to join – us disabled people.

It’s very important that we show full support to our new compatriots for the battles they will face.

I’m particularly concerned about them being landed with two labels disabled activists loathe – “victim” and “brave”.

Anyone who suffers in war is a “victim” of war. But we need to avoid that label being applied to disabled service personnel, as that can immediately be detrimental.

The first instance of that will be the decision about continued military service – the “we’re sorry you became disabled on active service but you can’t now continue in your chosen career” decision.

The armed forces is one of the few places where it’s not illegal to discriminate blatantly against disabled people. It’s good to hear of instances where disabled soldiers are kept on, and it would be good to hear of a change of heart from the military and a real commitment to judge all disabled personnel who want to serve on what they still can do effectively.

The other obvious instance of being treated as the “victim” is attempting to take up a new career or life in civvy street, where disabled ex-service personnel will face the discriminatory attitudes of employers and society that the rest of us who’ve been disabled for longer have faced.

Negative experien­ces such as these could make disabled individuals take their “victimhood” personally, undermining self-esteem. We must support them, realise that disability and the treatment they experience is not their fault, and give them a new positive identity – social model thinking.

Bravery is indeed what these people have shown – rationally putting themselves in harm’s way for others. But the “brave” epithet applied to disabled people allows society to treat us differently, and often indifferently – “you’re so brave to cope”, etc. This can excuse society from providing proper personal support, both for the individual in coming to terms with new circumstances, and in overcoming the barriers that all disabled people face.

Disabled service personnel need to be supported by those organisations that work with them, specifically to be put in touch with the networks of disabled people in society at large that support one another in addressing the barriers we face.

Whether ex-service personnel or not, we should stand shoulder to shoulder with each other.