Special consideration for what?

There is a case being reported in our press of someone who is suing an airline because they feel they are being discriminated against because of their disability. Their claims include being able to take their own wheelchair into the actual passenger area before being assisted into their seat by their carers and then have their carers sit either side of them in the seat of their choosing. That seat would be in the very first row.

There is another demand being made by a transgender prisoner. They are complaining because they are not being given the opportunity to mix as freely as the other prisoners. This is despite the reason for their being incarcerated is the rape of a very vulnerable child.

A further demand is being made by parents of a profoundly disabled child. They want two full time carers allocated to their child at school and those carers not to be used to assist any other child.

Our "Equal Opportunity" legislation is a wonderful thing when it is used properly but are these examples a proper use of it?

My late friend J... once tried to turn down an invitation to speak at a major international conference. He would have been one of the "keynote" speakers. He told them he would be happy to record something and let the organisers have it but he did not feel he could put two airlines to the extra work of getting him there and back. This was before there were air bridges at all locations and they would have had to go to considerable trouble to get him on and off the planes in question. 

There was quite a kerfuffle about this. J... was important and his contribution was something they really wanted. Nobody had given any thought to how difficult it might be for him to travel. He never liked any sort of "fuss and bother" if there was an alternative and he thought he had offered them an alternative. One of the organisers however thought otherwise. He called his local MP, someone I suspect he knew well, and explained the situation. J... was consulted about how he might travel. Would he need to travel alone or would someone need to go with him? J..., more than a little embarrassed by what he saw as unnecessary fuss, said he could manage on his own if they could get him on and off the various planes. He would simply stay, rather uncomfortably, in whatever seat they allocated until it was time to get off again.

J...'s situation actually changed the way airlines thought about the needs of people with disabilities. He did not ask for more than he absolutely needed. I travelled on the same first plane for another purpose and, on discovering we knew each other, a seat swap with someone else was arranged and J... at least had company that far. It was an experience for both of us. 

It still influences my life today. I had no trouble getting extra help when I travelled...and I made very sure I thanked those who helped.

I wonder about the person who is now demanding so much extra help. Is this reasonable?

And what of the person serving a very long sentence for the rape of a vulnerable young person? At the start of their sentence there was no suggestion they were "transgender". That came later. They have undergone their transition at the expense of the state. Other prisoners apparently find this person "intimidating" which has led to almost solitary confinement. 

Prisoners who have committed offences against young children are generally loathed even by other prisoners. They find life in prison even harder than most. Was a male to female transition seen as a way out, a way of making life a little more palatable? Has this person actually convinced themselves that this was the problem all along? Are they actually entitle to mix more and is it in their best interest to do so or do the interests of the majority have to be considered first?

The parents demanding their profoundly disabled child has two full time and fully dedicated carers so the child can go to school "like everyone else" are well aware of what this would cost. They are already receiving a very large amount of assistance at home. Someone is always with their child. The child has around the clock care. Their presence in a "mainstream" classroom is highly disruptive and how much they are learning is being questioned. The family was offered a placement in a special learning facility but refused to accept it. Does the law allow them to challenge the provisions which could have been made?

The first case might cause the "fair and reasonable adjustments" to be adjusted - or it might simply be seen as going beyond that. The second may or may not cause changes for one individual but impact many. The third will be seen by many as simply unreasonable given there are so many demands for extra assistance in the mainstream classroom.

I recently went overseas. I requested some extra assistance but it was the minimum that I needed. I made very, very sure that I thanked those responsible for giving me the help I needed. In all this I tried to remember my friend J... who, before any sort of Equal Opportunity Act, thought it was not good to ask for extra assistance when he believed there was another way around the access issues. That led to changes that might not have occurred if he had complained and demanded.