I was struck the other day by these words from Vint Cerf:

Anyone, no matter their disability, doesn’t wake up thinking they are disabled. They know there are things they do where they need help, like my hearing aids. But that’s a question of recovering capability to function. So it’s very important for employers to understand their focus is not on their disability but what people can do.

Many of us will experience disability as we get older. Everyone who has a temporary disability will recognize what they can’t do at that time.

Via: Alan Ralph.

Cerf’s phrasing really brings to light the fallacy of the ‘perfect human’, the notion that there are people who are somehow not disabled.

I like the notion of simply needing help. I’ve worn glasses since I was about 11 or so — technology ‘helps’ me see better. There have been numerous occasions where I’ve needed a more temporary help too. There will be many more in future.

Even if there somehow is some ‘perfect’ human who needs no help of any kind right this minute, perhaps they will tomorrow when they catch a cold or sprain their wrist. We all needed help for years after we were born. Some of us need more help than others, at different moments in our lives.

Let’s celebrate what we can do, and find ways to help people fulfil their potential, whatever their needs.