I have been thinking lately about the worldview of the pre-colonial Yoruba people who are a part of today’s Nigeria as pertains to how they regard and relate to people with certain disabilities. It seems there was an over-riding aim of ensuring their self-esteem was intact and/or they were not condemned as useless.
For examples, if a person brings out their upper incisors before the lower ones as a baby(which happens rarely), such a person is given the regard of a soothsayer as it is believed that any prayer or curse uttered by the person will happen exactly as said.
If a person is born with an extra finger on one or both of their hands, then whoever the person buys from will have good sales for that day whether or not the extra was cut off at birth.
Persons with epileptic conditions are said to have gone to heaven and come back each time they have a seizure while albinos are regarded as godlike, so they are not to be made fun of.
Though these sayings may have only been to boost the ego of those who live with disabilities, that the consideration of existed and persists in some areas to this day is an indication that it was wide spread and well-accepted at a time. I feel sure it went a long way in integrating them into their communities.
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l love to read from you.