Sometimes last week in a bus on my way home, I saw a young gentleman with intellectual disability goes up the bus with his caregiver.
2 bus stops later, the young gentleman started to knock on the metal railing. Noticed the helpless plead from the caregiver's eyes for help, I gave the young gentleman a firm look and shaked my head to signal that his behaviour is not acceptable.
He stopped.
Only for 2 bus stops distance and then, he started banging on the window of the bus this time. While doing this, he was staring at me as if telling me he is determined to continue knocking. He banged it so hard that the bus captain shouted to ask him to stop.
Oh no... did the smart Alex, aka Ling Chong Beng made things worst?! After all, I am not familiar with the young gentleman and might have trigger another sets of behaviour with what I had done.
Just when I was wondering if I should try something else, a young lady with Down Syndrome sitting at the back of the bus came and sat across the young gentleman. She moved her hands over to her chest, gave it a few tap, looked at me with the assuring smile as if to tell me not to worry and she will help me.
"Please do not bang the window. You be good ok. I gave you something. Wait har."
She started talking to the young gentleman then digged into her bag. She got a packet of sweets out and passed it to the gentleman.
"Cannot bang the window, ok. Be good, you can have this sweet."
The young gentleman did and stopped banging on the window. I smile at the young lady before aligning the bus and continue my journey home.
This may not be the best or correct approach to intervene the behaviour. Nevertheless, it helped the young gentleman and his caregiver from being scolded and even chased out of the bus.
I am touched by the action of this young lady who went all the way out to help a fellow member of our community. She was earlier seen to be tearing and upset. However, she stopped crying, wiped her tears and jumped into action when she saw another person within our community needed help.
Yes. The community that include the young gentleman, the young lady and me. The community form by person with intellectual disability, their caregivers, families, friends, staff, agencies and others who believe in them. The community that advocates for the rights of person with intellectual disability, support them with the dreams of integrating them into the mainstream society and having equal rights like every other human beings.
It's those little things in life that gave us the energy and confidence to live life and continue with our passion.
Are you living your life?
Don't waste it cause there are many out there who wished they are you, who are much fortunate than any of them.
Consider joining our community?
By the way, my name is not Alex.
