Amputation Awareness: Breaking Stereotypes and Building Inclusion
Amputation is not an easy subject. It concerns, for many, the uncontrolled or unsanctioned loss of what feels to be an essential part of them. Though we will be going to great pains to unpick some of the harmful stereotypes and misconceptions surrounding amputation in the following paragraphs, it remains a fundamental truth that some amputees experience hugely life-limiting consequences following their experience or procedure – consequences only worsened by infrastructural failures to properly and equitably accommodate amputees.
Amputation is most commonly considered to be the result of some form of accident, whether the loss of a finger in a crushing incident or the loss of a limb in a road traffic collision. However, the most common cause of amputation is in fact diabetes, which results in over 180 amputations each week in the UK. Whatever the cause, the reality of life after amputation is the same for amputees; it is this reality we will be engaging with here.
1. Challenging Common Stereotypes
As acknowledged in the introduction, it is impossible to say that an amputee’s life is not irrevocably altered by an amputation. It is also true that some, whether by virtue of progressive disease or catastrophic accident, experience extreme changes to their lived experience – particularly in cases of double lower-limb amputation, and ongoing reliance on wheelchairs or prosthetics to travel.
However, these truths hang heavy over the reality of day-to-day life after amputation, and are the most visible aspects of amputee life to others. As such, prejudiced thinking on the capabilities of amputees proliferates – adding to wider societal prejudices regarding the independence of the UK’s disabled community.
2. Legal Protections Against Discrimination
On the legal side of the equation, the most we tend to hear about legal cases relating to amputation is in relation to amputation claims against potentially-liable third parties. This is, again, a reality for those who’ve suffered workplace incidents, but in no way reflective of the extent to which amputation and law co-align.
Indeed, the above prejudices, and the ways in which they seep into organisation structures – from workplaces to public institutions – give rise to discriminatory language and behaviour. The Equality Act 2010 applies here, and gives amputees considerable legal weight to re-address treatment by employers and service providers, whether ensuring the right language is used or ensuring the right accessibility measures are put in place.
3. Promoting Inclusion in the Workplace
Thinking here will naturally drift straight to the workplace, where members of the disabled community are understandably faced with unique difficulties relating to their disabilities – and often not the difficulties that colleagues or managers assume. Just as employees may rush to non-consensually grab the handles of an amputee’s wheelchair, so too might they fail to understand the necessity of certain workplace accommodations.
The Equality Act is the key tool for amputees to advocate for their rights in the workplace, enabling them to ask for reasonable adjustments that enable their frictionless work in the workplace. Further, the Equality Act provides for employer guidance regarding treatment of fellow staff members – leading to a more harmonious and inclusive workplace.