Normalizing Disability

According to the Oxford dictionary, inspiration can be defined as,

"the process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, especially to do something creative."

Typically, people are inspired by emotional stories of individuals overcoming something that seems impossible. More often than not, people with disabilities are used as examples of inspiration. However, most disabled people do not enjoy being put in that role. 

TED Talk speaker Stella Young discusses how calling disabled people an inspiration is objectifying. She even titled her talk "I'm Not Your Inspiration." 

Watching Stella Young share her thoughts on disabled people being used for “inspiration porn” definitely resonated with me. My immediate reaction was to share with my family. I thought my sister and mother would appreciate her humor when talking about the subject. Not only did I think they would enjoy her jokes, but I also felt like we have a deeper connection to the topic. 

All my life I have lived with my mom, my older sister, my younger brother, and my grandmother. It has always been the five of us and I have not known life to be any different. One thing about my family that may be considered different from anyone else’s family is that my sister is disabled. 

My older sister has Muscular Dystrophy. Muscular dystrophy is a genetic disorder that affects the ability of the muscle cells. My sister often describes her disability to other people by explaining how, 

“Where other people would build muscle when they work out, my muscles will only build back partially” 

To learn more about muscular dystrophy, you can go to the Muscular Dystrophy Association website https://www.mda.org/disease/limb-girdle-muscular-dystrophy

But my sister is many different things. She is hilarious, intelligent, and my built-in best friend. Although having a disability is on her list, it is merely one of many. I do not think of my sister as someone who has a disability. 

She is simply my sister. 

Similarly to how Stella Young feels, I agree with her thoughts on being used as “inspiration porn.” Calling someone inspiration for the sole reason of having a disability makes the person feel like having a disability is not normal. In reality, 15% of the world is disabled. Although fifteen percent seems like a small number, it is actually one billion people. 

Growing up with a sister who has a disability allows me to have a better understanding than people without the experience, however I feel it is impossible to truly understand until you live with it. There are many aspects that people do not realize others have to take into consideration because of their disabilities. 

There are many places that are not handicap accessible. Someone without a disability would not have to think about being able to get into buildings, but every time you take a step somewhere is a place a person in a wheelchair could not access. Someone without a disability would not have to think about having these accommodations whereas someone with a disability would be thinking ahead.  

Every disability is unique in its own way. Just like every individual is unique in their own way. Not one person has the same characteristics as another, so why treat someone with a disability differently?