Views expressed in opinion columns are the author’s own.
“Disability doesn’t make you exceptional, but questioning what you think you know about it does.” These words from the late disability advocate, writer and comedian Stella Young still ring true. In her brilliant TEDx talk in 2014, Young discussed her experience as a disabled person and why she was fed up with serving as inspiration for the non-disabled.
We’ve all seen those posters. Images of a kid with prosthetic limbs running a race, captioned “The only disability in life is a bad attitude,” or a non-disabled student asking his disabled classmate to prom “even in her condition,” are common on social media sites. Many of us have even liked or shared one of these posts, thinking that we were spreading positivity. And I have no doubt that the majority of us have good intentions – it’s only natural to want to celebrate kids finishing a race or having fun at prom.
But there’s an inherent problem with how non-disabled people use disability as inspiration for their own lives. These images and videos have been termed “inspiration porn.” If the term makes you feel uncomfortable, that’s because it was meant to. Young deliberately coined the phrase to describe how one group (disabled people) are exploited for the benefit of another group (non-disabled people).
Many people don’t see the harm in sharing this gratuitous glurge, because they believe its ultimate purpose is to spread kindness and compassion. In a 2016 Psychology Today article, author Amy Lutz argues inspiration porn is a way “to wake up, to reach out, to bridge gaps.” While her intentions are positive, these images and videos are a poor way to execute them.
By spreading inspiration porn, non-disabled people are essentially endorsing the idea that no matter how bad their own lives get, it’ll never be as bad as someone who has a disability. Interacting with a disabled person is not something that needs to be applauded; it should just be seen as interacting with any other person.
No matter how many ways you try to spin fetishization of the disabled into a positive thing, the truth is that it’s condescending. That kid with the prosthetic limbs who’s finishing a race? He’s just doing what all his other friends are doing. Yes, it probably took a lot of effort to adapt to the prosthetics, but he’s working with the legs he has, just like the rest of us.
Society sets low expectations for people with disabilities. Families, teachers, doctors and employers often approach the disabled with the mindset that they’re fragile and inept. Now of course, there is a vast array of disabilities, and the ease with which non-disabled people can do certain things is not the same for the disabled. Nevertheless, people with disabilities find ways to adapt to their bodies’ individual capabilities. Life might be different for the disabled, but not any less worthy or less valuable.
Let’s try to change the norm. Disabled people deserve respect the same way the non-disabled do. We should stop using their conditions to make us feel better about our own lives. If we really want to help the disabled community, then we need to advocate for policy that meets their actual needs.
Asha Kodan is a junior biology major. She can be reached at ashakodan@ymail.com.
