"They made me feel like I was worth nothing."

Jordon Milroy is a 25 year old man from New Zealand.

He has a degree in PR, has 20,000 followers online, and is currently on a mission to climb the world’s tallest towers.

He also suffers from cerebral palsy.

On a day to day basis, he experiences discrimination and witnesses people’s ignorance towards disabilities.

So he carried out a social experiment with his friend Conan Visser from the charity ICANIWILL, and A Current Affair.

It was a simple experiment – Jordon and Conan would, at different times, go up to the same people to ask for directions. But the results couldn’t have been more different. While many ignored and avoided Jordon, they were willing to help Conan.

Jordon says these sorts of experiences make him feel “like an alien”.

“They completely ignored me, and that made me feel like I was worth nothing.”

Cerebral Palsy is one of the most common disabilities in Australia, affecting about 34,000 people. Many people seem to assume that sufferers do not have the capacity to take part in society meaningfully, or that they cannot understand those around. But this couldn’t be further from the truth. And Jordon Milroy is a great example of this.

Conan Visser said in the story that people may be uncertain about what they should do when approached, but he was still shocked by the extent of some reactions.

“For anyone to go through that, that’s quite hurtful and damaging.”

Not all people approached were discriminatory, however, with some going well out of their way to help Jordan.

At present, Jordon and Conan are working closely together for ICANIWILL, in order to raise awareness about disabilities. Not only is Jordon attempting to climb some of the world’s tallest towers, but they have also been public speaking and fundraising for purpose built wheelchairs for rough terrain.

Through Jordon’s efforts, we can only hope that more people become aware of disabilities like cerebral palsy, and that discrimination against those with disabilities does come to an end. Because really, there’s just no need to treat equal human beings so differently.

If you would like to help Jordon’s efforts, you can donate here.

Watch the social experiment here (via ACA):