3 disability stories we need to stop telling

I've been having a tough time producing content in the last month. To be honest, any idea I come up with, or any spark of creativity feels inconsequential when there is a genocide taking place in Palestine. 

Then, every so often, I remind myself that the fight for liberation includes all marginalized communities. No one is free until everyone is free. The work I do to advocate for disability rights — which cut across all communities and lived experiences — matters here, too. 

So, I'm trying to find a balance where I still stay true to the original intent of Seated Perspectives, while still connecting the dots between disability advocacy and the fight for the safety and wellbeing of Palestinian (and disabled Palestinian) lives.

With that in mind, this email will be a deeper dive on one of the posts I shared this week on Instagram regarding three disability stories we need to STOP telling — and why.

#1 Disability is a tragedy

Sometimes, when I look back to when I was newly injured, I wonder what might have been different if I had been exposed to different narratives about disability.

What if I had had examples of what a rich, joyful, adventurous life with disability looked like? What if I had been exposed to disabled brides? What if my favourite TV shows growing up had included disabled main characters living full lives?

I think it would have painted a very different picture of disability for me, and it might have encouraged me to embrace my disability more readily than I was. 

The fact of the matter is, disabled people can (and do) live fantastic lives. They travel, they pursue exciting projects, they achieve fame, and they have wonderfully nuanced and layered experiences. 

But then why are we constantly being told that disabled life is sad, or tragic, or devastating? Why is it so often painted with a negative light? 

Let's be honest, the tragedy isn’t disability, it’s ableism, and all the systems in place that make it difficult for disabled people to actively participate and show off their awesomeness.

And the thing is, this narrative is convenient for the people who could be doing more to make the world accessible and don’t. Because if they can keep people thinking that disability is just a tragic thing that can’t be "overcome," then there’s less of an incentive to change things.

#2 Disabled people are inspirational

The other disability narrative that's particularly difficult for me to contend with is when someone who is disabled is used as an example for what non-disabled people can accomplish. It tends to go something like: “If this disabled person can do this, you should be able to do that and more.”

Oi! I am a capable, smart, and determined person — but that is not in spite of my disability. I am disabled AND I am capable. I am disabled AND I am smart. I am disabled AND I am determined.

Disabled people are multi-dimensional. They shouldn't be treated like their skills or abilities are supernatural just because they are also contending with their disability. 

Another way this narrative plays out is that people in the wild will comment on how a disabled person being out and about (like just shopping at the grocery store) is inspiring. Which is also gross.

Why can't I as a disabled person just exist in the world like you do? I have the right to live my life as I want to and am capable to, so why is that deemed “inspiring.” Not only is it annoying, it also feels both infantilizing and condescending as it happens. You wouldn't tell a non-disabled person they're inspiring for parking their car, would you?

As a disabled person, I don’t exist to show you what’s possible. I don’t exist to make you feel better about yourself. I don’t exist to be an example. I get to experience life in whatever way I choose, just like any non-disabled person.

Repeat after me: I am not your inspiration.

Note for the reader: Narratives 1 and 2 are inherently intertwined. If people keep being told (and believing) that disability is a tragedy, then the simple act of going to the grocery can seem inspirational. This is problematic, people.

#3 Disabled stories aren’t worth telling

Buckle in peeps, this one is a hefty one.

Look at all the TV series, movies, news articles, broadcasts, books, podcasts, and any other media ever produced, and you'll see very quickly that society doesn't believe disabled stories are worth telling. 

This is dangerous.

If disabled stories aren’t told, then there is no way for disabled people to see themselves represented or to understand the potential they hold.

If disabled stories aren’t told, then the people in power don't ever feel like they have to do anything to protect and improve those disabled experiences.

If disabled stories aren’t told, then the non-disabled masses can feel free to ignore those stories — the good, the challenging, and the ugly ones, too.

This last one is what’s happening quite significantly in the media coverage around Palestine. There’s very little coverage on the disabled experience in Palestine and how people are ultimately impeded from responding to evacuation orders or sheltering from bombs. 

Deaf Palestinians are unable to hear the bombings, but they can feel them in their bodies. Just take a second to imagine that.  

Blind Palestinians need guidance from others to go anywhere — whether that's to shelter or to evacuate — as the surroundings they're used to have drastically changed. Palestinians with mobility aids are unable to safely navigate their surroundings and may also be unable to evacuate independently. 

Meanwhile, the Israeli military has completely decimated the Gaza strip's medical infrastructure. Hospitals are being bombed. They're bereft of fuel and other resources. There are no more anesthetics. The disabled patients in these institutions are ultimately being robbed of the care they need — and their disabilities may be getting worse as a result. 

There’s also very little mention of the fact that these attacks are creating a new population of disabled individuals that can’t get access to the care they need. It's devastating. 

If these stories aren’t told, then these people can be ignored and forgotten about as they are silently wiped away. 

We need to continue to share these stories. And to demand for a ceasefire, as well as a clear path to Palestinian liberation.