Chantal Sutherland Quotes

I'm definitely more understanding of people who have disabilities and who are suffering.

You shall not curse the deaf.

Why do we let blind people and people in wheelchairs become citizens? I feel sorry for cripples, but that doesn't mean I want them in my country.

We have to show respect for that woman who has cerebral palsy and had no choice in her condition, that needs help, and we should help.

My best friend is disabled. There's nothing he hates more than being left out of the jokes, to be treated with kid gloves. That's the insult.

I get mail from people all over the world now from people who tell me that they didn't really understand Down syndrome, but because of me they have read about it and studied it and now they know a lot more about it.

So when you spot violence, or bigotry, or intolerance or fear or just garden-variety misogyny, hatred or ignorance, just look it in the eye and think, 'The good outnumber you, and we always will.'

The magnitude of discrimination and stigma faced by people with disability in Australia cannot be underestimated. People do not understand disability, and people fear what they don't understand.

As I grew up, I became aware that there are people with special needs out there, and I have a real connection with them.

Tolerance is held to be a condition of mind which is encouraged by, and is necessary for, civilization.

Part of what Special Olympics is trying to do is break down stereotypes that still exist for people. There is still a lot of fear.

We all have prejudices to dispel: the need to get away from thinking that 'I' am important and special and 'you' are not, and the frightened mindset that tells us that certain 'others' are of no consequence.

Often as a child you see someone with a learning disability or Down's Syndrome and my mum and dad were always very quick to explain exactly what was going on and to be in their own way inclusive and welcoming.

It's not nice to make fun of people with issues.

If I can be an inspiration for someone, that's fine, but just don't look down on me. Don't say, 'Oh, you're in a wheelchair.'

With all of the divisiveness that is going on in the country we live in, so much of it is based around just fear of the other. And anyone who does not look like me, walk like me, talk like me, have sex like me, they're the other and I'm afraid of them. And hopefully we will learn that it's just not scary. There's nothing to be afraid of.

As disabled people, we are taught from a young age that those who are attracted to us are to be regarded with suspicion.

People who are much too sensitive to demand of cripples that they run races ask of the poor that they get up and act just like everyone else in society.

Brave doesn't spread hate or bully the vulnerable. Brave doesn't put greed and self-interest over millions of lives. Brave doesn't cower behind lies and walls. Brave doesn't pit people against one another. That's what fear does.

I remember when I was young, there was an older boy who was physically and mentally disabled. He had a speech impediment and walked with difficulty. The boys used to make fun of him. They teased and taunted him until sometimes he would cry.

Let us not act out of fear and misunderstanding, but out of the values of inclusion, diversity, and regard for all that make our country great.

How do we get to equality? I don't think it comes from fear. I think it comes from understanding.

We don't want to be intimidated by hate, we don't want hatred to ruin a positive event.

It was just normal for me growing up with a family member with severe Down Syndrome. It was completely normal. She was just Auntie Linda. I loved her and she loved me. She had a spirit that was just positive. For me it taught me tolerance and acceptance of all human beings.

A lot of the time, when people meet someone in a wheelchair, or with some disability, it's the first thing they notice, but they don't know how to react.