“WHAT DO YOU DO?” IT’S A QUESTION THAT DEFINES US, and one we spend a lot of time thinking about. Our identity and value is revealed in our answer. Yet the question often carries a hidden definition of what economic value you have. The more you earn, the higher your value. If you don’t work, or can’t work, you have less value. Imagine if your work life is impacted by lack of accessibility so that you do not work, are not seen to be able to work, or not seen for the gifts you have to offer in a workplace. Imagine being worried that your answer will always reveal your lack of value.
This is the prejudice faced by many people with disabilities, the elderly, people with addictions, even youth. It marks the enormous cultural deficit we live with in our society, and stands at the polar opposite to PLAN’s approach to our work: that we all bring value.
Trained as an economist, I struggled with this question when my own son Theo was born with a complex condition. I tried to imagine how he would contribute to the world as he grew up. Now, seven years later, mentored by his love and energy, I see his contributions daily. While he may never work a job, he brings people together, challenges our creativity, and catalyzes innovation. At school he raises the capacity of therapists and adds new dimensions to the curriculum, benefits felt by his peers. He’s like a formula one racing team, delicate and complex, but pushing the boundaries of performance and innovating new technologies that make their way into every day life.
Our complex and delicate times demand complex solutions. Erasing our assumptions about the value of all our citizens, and exploring our shared value, can release an abundance of creative energy, propelling us forward toward solutions for our most complex challenges. The future we seek requires everyone, and includes everyone.
Embracing the value and contribution of all our citizens is not just the right thing to do, it’s the smart thing to do.
-Matthew Quetton