Jonah Simcha Chaim Muskat Brown

If you were asked to define the term “disability,” what would you say? Most probably you would say that disability refers to some sort of “handicap” or limitation. Or that it refers to individuals who experience difficulties or who simply cannot do certain things. 

I want to propose a different definition. In fact, I’d love to eliminate the word “disability” altogether, because the word itself is problematic. It contains the prefix “dis,” which is inherently negative and is juxtaposed with the noun “ability.” The construction of the word negates the very noun that’s part of it.

Every individual possesses abilities of one kind or another, but not all of us possess the same abilities as one another. People classified as having special needs are, in reality, simply individuals who experience more difficulty with certain activities than others – often activities many of us take for granted.

When one refers to a person as “disabled,” whether intentionally or not, we limit and in some cases eliminate that person’s right to achieve success at activities they find difficult. We are, in effect, sending a message to that person that he or she is unworthy of partaking in activities the rest of us engage in on a regular basis.

On Sunday May 4, I was privileged to take part in the Toronto Goodlife Fitness Marathon 5K walk/run with Toronto Yachad. Toronto Yachad consists of men and women from the Jewish community with various special needs. More accurately, they are young Jewish people with unique abilities.

Our team of close to 100 people exemplified everything that Yachad and Toronto Yachad stand for: the inclusion of every Jewish individual, regardless of his or her personal challenges or communal affiliations.

Our 2014 Toronto Yachad team included avid runners who breezed through the 5K. It also included beginner runners who had to walk every few metres to catch their breath. We had walkers, we had children being pushed by joggers, we had cheering members who weren’t able to complete the entire distance, and we had participants of all ages and backgrounds. And we achieved together, because we each helped and encouraged one another along the way.

What we achieved in our run was the elimination of the word disability. We replaced the negative with the positive. We focused not on what prevented each individual from crossing that finish line, but rather on what we had to do to to make sure each individual crossed that line.

Toronto Yachad ran not against the marathon clock, but against our own personal clocks. We participated not to race against each other, but to run alongside one another. We ran not so much for ourselves as individuals, but for what we were able to achieve together. 

So back to my initial proposal: please help us spread the word to end the word. Let’s set aside the word “disability” and focus not on the “dis,” but on the “ability.” Let’s focus not on what appear to be restrictions to some, but what are and can be transformed into abilities

And let us do it b’yachad, “together as one,” because we all belong!

Jonah Simcha Chaim Muskat Brown is a Toronto adviser who pushed a Yachad member in a jogging stroller for the whole 5K run.