Not a medal of shame

For supporting Black History Month

INTRODUCTION
My personal experiences related to misinterpretation when myself and others are wearing a visual identifications.

BACKGROUND
Wearing specific visual identification (including sunflower lanyards) is designed for the general public and provider of different services at public places open spaces to be more accommodating. This is especially if a person's difficulties affect their ability to function when they are compromised to the pressures and intolerance against their difficulties.

Sadly, being a black and neurodivergent person, there are still closed minds and attitudes. I witnessed this myself when wearing a landyard across the streets and public spaces in Birmingham City Centre in August.

I faces three different prejudice attitudes within the same day. A young black woman rudely distracts me with do mockery hand gestures imply that I am mentally abnormal and while laughing at me.

A mature black man wrongly misinterpreted me how unperceived and was making threatening muttering remarks towards me. This is similar to the hatred threats and remarks. The misinterpretation was related to the man noticing I was walking slightly slower and normal without realising that I might be either tired or facing anxiety.

At a major supermarket a group of young black teenagers was distracting me with making exaggerated mockery on their interpretation of learning disability or mentally abnormal well laughing at me. Then they try to gaslight me by pretending to be friendly by saying "all right". I appear very intolerant against them by shaking my head while looking very unhappy. Because of my disapproval towards them, they reacted by being very threatening towards me and shouting at me "What's your problem". When I tried to report to a member of staff, the young people who caused the offence tried tosneak away and to escape to make it harder to be identified when reporting.
In this case the ableist offenders used the customer lift in the store to avoid accountability for their discrimatory behaviour.

THE CONSEQUENCES
There are harmful implications for the examples from how I have been mistreated. It could mean that some multicultural neurodivergent people could be made to not wear visible identifications at certain locations. This could lead to situations where a person is pressurised to mask their difficulties to a level where they could be psychologically and mostly compromise when pushed beyond their ability and coping mechanisms against their difficulties. This can lead the person to be demonised and ashamed further.


WHAT HAS TO CHANGE
The multicultural Communities need to change their interpretation when a person is wearing identification such as sunflower lanyards.

This includes being educated on the importance why it is used and should not be used to ashamed their existence.

The general community also needs to change their attitude and not assume that a multicultural neurodivergent is a threat or danger. Especially when they are psychologically and emotionally compromised when pushed beyond how they cope against their difficulties.


FINAL POINT
We must stop demonising and the shaming of a multicultural and neurodivergent when wearing visual identifications.

Written by Keith Mckenzie & developed with Plus Value Awareness