Susan Boyle is an example of how accommodation helps the disabled sharetheir talents equally

[caption id="attachment_4783" align="alignleft" width="261" caption="Susan Boyle"][/caption]

Carol Forsloff- At the time Susan Boyle first received world attention for her singing on Britain's Got Talent,  she was given accommodation so she could continue to share her talents equal to others because she had handicapping conditions that required it.


While Boyle's vocation is entertainment, the Americans with Disabilities Act expands into all areas of industry.  It is also the kind of legislation that is in Canada and other countries in some forms.  Simply stated, it is an adjustment to any part of a work schedule or environment to make it easier for an individual to perform work.

Accommodation does not mean an individual does not have to perform the work at the same level as a non disabled person, it simply means that it allows that same individual an equal chance to do so.

In the case of Susan Boyle, some folks may not have knowledge of her handicapping conditions, which deserve accommodation so that she can share her singing talents fairly.

This woman, an unemployed church worker who cared for her mother until her mother's death two years ago, has suffered all her life with learning disabilities. These resulted, according to Boyle's account, as a result of oxygen deprivation when she was born.

As a child Boyle was the butt of jokes in school because she was slow and not very attractive. Now when she is presented in any public venue where she performs, the audience responds with great appreciation for her talent.

For most types of contests these days, there are opportunities for individuals with disabilities to excel.

The characteristics exhibited in adulthood for brain injury include attention deficit, impaired planning and problem solving, inflexibility, impulsiveness, irritability, opposition and socially inappropriate behavior. Experts further say, “A person suffering from TBI disinhibition is likely to "speak his mind" and say socially inappropriate things where a normal person might think them but have the sense not to say them.  This happened shortly after Boyle became a media sensation, when she was reported swearing and acting inappropriately.

Boyle's example of accomplishment beyond the ordinary is part of what the public sees when the woman performs, as she makes the rounds this holiday season.  Accommodation helped make that happen and demonstrates how valuable that can be for folks like Boyle to share their talents with the world.