My daughter noticed that photos of a young newlywed couple going about their daily lives have been spreading around the intertubes lately. Both have significant physical disabilities. “This suddenly makes anything I ever complain or have issues with, seem insignificant and trivial.” You’re so right, Gilly.
Here’s a blog post that contains all the photos, titled Source of inspiration.
I find it really patronizing to praise people for doing normal things like getting married. It implies that people with disabilities don’t/can’t normally do those activities, and that they are less than other people. Please see this article and the story (by a Carleton student) on the left hand side of page 12 of this google doc for more on how this dehumanizes and alienates people with disabilities.
Lisa, I can see how treating people as ‘supercrips’ could be dehumanizing or alienating.
But I thinking writing about someone you don’t know whose life or actions you find inspiring is a very different situation from how you might interact with them if you knew or met them. Nelson Mandella is one of my heroes but for all I know, he might be a real jerk in his day-to-day life. Same with Ahmad or Fatima.
Thanks for raising the issue and linking to the articles.