Abled: Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Myo Electric Arm?

ABLED

This blog is about reconciling the two worlds of disability understanding. On one side are the strong voices of activists in the disability community. On the other is the well meaning but naïve/ ignorant able bodied population who see disability as something pitiable. As an able bodied person who has realized the very compelling and interesting arguments about society and life coming from the disability community, I am compelled to referee the exchanges between the two sides. Often times it seems that everyone is speaking so loudly and with such great conviction that the other doesn't even listen. Since I am not personally motivated by either side, I can weigh both sides of the arguments and hopefully facilitate an open and accepting space for both sides to express themselves and learn about each other. Please join the discussion!

Thursday, August 16, 2007

Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Myo Electric Arm?

Check out this post over on Bums & Bellybuttons:
"Why is a wheelchair scarier than fat or black skin? Why is it worse? WHY HAS NO ONE WRITTEN A MUSICAL ABOUT IT???? " Great question... What do you all think?
Like it or not, it does seem to be true. Off the top of my head, I'd say that a person in a wheelchair is scarier than fat people, black people etc because far fewer people have any experience with someone in a wheelchair. Even if you don't know people of other races, you see them on TV, on the street... People with disabilities on the other hand are more hidden from view. We are afraid of what we don't know, and that is why there won't be a musical about people with disabilities until the world gets some good solid exposure to them.