At the 1995 Special Olympics in New Haven, CT, athletes with disabilities of all kinds were able to showcase their talents and abilities, proving to the world that they were just as capable as their peers. But, as President Clinton walked up to the podium, the athletes proved that they were not only physically capable but are also able to teach us things we might never think of.
During the opening ceremonies, a professional photographer noticed a group of athletes holding their disposable cameras backwards, looking into the lens to get a shot of the President. Thinking he was offering help, the photographer showed them the right way to take a picture using his own camera as an example.
As Special Olympics International Chairman Tim Shriver recounts in his book, “Fully Alive: Discovering What Matters Most”, the athletes then turned to the photographer and said, “Thank you, sir. But may I show you something? If you turn the camera around and hold your eye up to the viewfinder and look backward, it still works. It works like a telescope and you can see the president very clearly. So we’re using these little cameras so we can get a good view of the president. But thank you for helping us.”
The photographer innocently thought he was teaching the athletes something that their disability impeded them from understanding, when in fact they were teaching him something that their disability helped them discover. People with disabilities are just as capable in many respects as those without disability. They may also have special skills that others do not, like the abilities to think creatively and innovatively. They offer a fresh perspective that their peers may not have considered. It is because of this that people with disabilities can play such important roles in the workplace, giving a competitive edge to those who employ them.
Here at PEP Services we harness our consumers’ abilities and unique ways of thinking, uncovering their hidden talents. By matching them with the particular needs of employers, we are engaging people with intellectual disabilities in the workforce. What are your hidden talents and how do you use them to your advantage?