“Coping With Disabilities” Section on JW.ORG^® Helps Disabled Persons Face the Future With Optimism

(中央社訊息服務20231201 09:47:17)“When I was 1 year old, I was diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy, which made me unable to walk and engage freely in normal activities,” says Ms. Peiyun Zou from Hsinchu. She adds, “By the age of 5, a severe cold led to pneumonia. Since then, I’ve been dependent on a ventilator in the hospital and require care from health care professionals. Now, I am confined to my hospital bed, unable to move or go out freely.”

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 1 in 6 people globally live with a significant disability, which may include dementia, blindness, loss of a limb, or paralysis. On Dec. 3, 2023, nations around the world will observe the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, instituted by the United Nations in 1992 to “promote an understanding of disability issues.”

The WHO explains that “health inequities arise from unfair conditions faced by persons with disabilities, including stigma, discrimination, poverty, exclusion from education and employment, and barriers faced in the health system itself.”

“Sadly, the neglect of disabled persons is nothing new,” said Johnson Jan, spokesperson for Jehovah’s Witnesses. “The Bible reveals that, even thousands of years ago, those with disabilities were exploited and abused. But, out of love for these disadvantaged ones, God made it illegal to mistreat them. What is more, he encouraged his people to act compassionately. True worshippers of God today strive to do the same.”

The global education work of Jehovah’s Witnesses highlights the Bible’s message of hope for a future when disabilities will be no more.

Ms. Peiyun Zou is now one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. She says, “The Bible’s promise in Isaiah 35:6 states, ‘The lame will leap like the deer.’ Just thinking about this hope gives me the courage to face the worsening state of my health with strength. I look forward to being healthy again, being able to walk and achieving everything I cannot do now. I have transformed from a closed-off, introverted person, lacking confidence and self-esteem, to someone who can maintain a cheerful, optimistic attitude and live a strong and joyful life. I feel privileged to use what I have learned to help those facing sadness or similar life challenges.”

More than just preaching about a better future, Jehovah’s Witnesses also offer practical suggestions on how to endure successfully with disabilities now. Visitors to jw.org, their official website, can consult a vast library of resources in a section titled “Coping With Disabilities.” Among other information, it contains numerous online articles and videos featuring persons who have found purpose in life despite being disabled. For example, in the video “Living by Touch,” James, who was born deaf and later went blind, expressed, “Finding out who my Creator is, and that I can have a relationship with him, gave my life a sense of purpose. I feel like I’ve gained much more than I ever lost.”

The public is invited to visit jw.org, the official website of Jehovah’s Witnesses. All content is free, and no registration is required. To read real life experiences about how to face disability with optimism, go to jw.org, look under BIBLE TEACHINGS > PEACE & HAPPINESS > PHYSICAL & MENTAL HEALTH, and then scroll down to the heading “Coping With Disabilities.”

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Johnson Jan
Director of Communications
Email：hzhan@jw.org
Phone：0913 055 307