A Necessary Reconditioning of Societal Views

An analysis of the following quotes referenced in the following three articles:

"Can You See the Rainbow?" The Roots of Denial by Sally French

"By denying the reality of my disability I protected myself from the anxiety, disapproval, frustration and disappointment of the adults in my life" (French, 318)

The Other Movement That Rosa Parks Inspired: By Sitting Down, She Made Room for the Disabled by Charles Wilson

[Referring to the mistreatment of disabled people in regards to available methods of transportation]

"None of this should be happening in America. 'Rosa Parks could get on the bus to protest', says Roger McCarville, a veteran in Detroit who once chained himself to a bus. 'We still can't get on the bus'. A true tribute to Parks would be to ensure that every American can" (Wilson, 492)

Disability and Representation by Rosemarie Garland-Thomson

"Disability studies challenges our collective representation of disability, exposing it as an exclusionary and oppressive system rather than the natural and appropriate order of things...it recognizes the contributions of a group of people who have historically been dismissed because of deeply rooted cultural bias" (Garland-Thomson, 475, 476)

      Disability is a topic that is seldom explored when speaking about issues of Diversity. The colloquial understanding that disabilities are medical issues, not oppressive and stigmatizing concepts has become the societal norm. This naive conjecture couldn't be further from the truth. The three articles mentioned above delve into various topics within the paradigm of disability and display how important it is to alter this conditioned societal norm.

      The first article, written by a woman who is nearly-blind, offers an empathetic retelling of a life lived with a minor disability. The most salient point made in the article, (and seen in the quote above), is that as a person who didn't fit into the category of "normal", the author learned to deny the fact that she had a disability entirely, ultimately attempting to evade any admonishments from the external world. Throughout the article, the author describes a myriad of situations in which she felt that her best option was to deny that she had any problem in the first place. Whether she was at home with family, in school with "abled"children, or in a special school for the blind, there was never any accommodation given from the outside world. Instead, children were taught to alter their internal thought process from seeking external help to bolstering internal motivation to become "normal". In one instance, a headmaster at one of her schools insisted that these blind children not acknowledge that they are blind in any manner, but instead strive to achieve successes that seem impossible for those without sight. As she repeatedly exclaims in the reading, it was important to become superhuman and deny one's disability entirely, for that would be the only way to truly assimilate into society and achieve success.

      The second article draws a connection between Rosa Parks and those within the disabled population. The brief article quickly retells various stories of individuals who have struggled to find adequate public transportation, further justifying the need to offer more accommodations to those who are disabled. As seen in the quote above, and expressed at the end of the article, one of the author's main points is that everyone should be able to receive the accommodation that they need. The author describes how our inadequate transportation systems have hindered the lives of those with disabilities, thus disallowing them to live a life of normalcy. By not having sufficient transportation methods, we are eliminating their chance to succeed in both their professional and personal life. In addition, these inadequacies lead to embarrassment, anger, and isolation as we are truly singling-out those who are different from the rest. Just as Rosa Parks influenced change by refusing to give up her seat, disabled individuals are trying to increase the chance of simply having a seat to sit in. A request as simple as this should be easily resolved in today's adapting society, yet we are still struggling to provide efficient accommodations for everyone.

      The third article touches upon the evolution of societal views, describing how we have begun to embrace differences and disabilities rather than creating social stigmas. It is important to note that the article also discusses the pragmatic truth that we have not yet counter-conditioned oppressive beliefs entirely. As seen in the quote above, one of the author's main intentions is to display the impactful and salient nature of disability studies. The author describes the many ways in which we have redirected society's perspectives toward acceptance and even reverence of those who are different, further justifying the importance of empathy, awareness and understanding. Another important fact listed in the article is that those who are disabled are part of the largest minority in the country, further displaying the necessity and importance of assuaging this turmoil. The article gives many examples, from movies and magazine cover pages to artists and composers that represent the importance of understanding that these individuals were successful because of their disability, not in spite of it. It is this level of understanding that needs to be achieved in order to truly combat the conditioned biases of the general population. 

      I enjoyed delving deeper into the oppressive issue of disability through these three articles. Each provided important information and necessary experiences that truly opened my eyes. When reading the first two articles, I couldn't help but find myself disgusted with the way society was treating these disabled individuals. Simply explaining that "they'll figure it out", or that they should adapt and change in order to fit within the realm of normal is immensely naive and extremely indolent. Rather than adjusting society and its views, (concepts that are surely malleable), we are sitting back and expecting these people to do the impossible, and alter their inexorable difference. This is surely not the way to overcome the exclusionary system that we have created over the years. The third article revitalized my hopes through its wonderful success stories and revolutionary methods of thinking. If we cannot alter the inevitable fact that someone is disabled, the only way to assuage this stigma is to eliminate the negative associations revolving around disabilities. If we can change our own perspective on what is acceptable, we can wash away the stark boundaries of "normalcy", and instead value everyone as individual and unique. 

      When developing this analysis, I thought about two videos that can relate to the concepts discussed in these articles. Although they aren't about disabilities per se, they dovetail quite nicely with the idea of restructuring societal norms. The following two videos truly challenge society's view of beauty, and show how simple it can be to accept differences or imperfections as ideal and desirable.

"Flawz" by Caitlin Crosby & "Try" by Colbie Caillat