This post started life as an observation on Twitter on the subject of inspiration, which ended up being a little wordier than I anticipated. I was asked to expand on my thoughts so here we are! I do want to add that I know this is an incredibly emotive subject and I’m genuinely not intending to upset anyone with my views, these are purely my thoughts on how I feel.
Whilst watching coverage of the Paralympics last week I saw this amazing tribute to Alex Zanardi, Italy’s racing driver turned hand cyclist, by Alex Brooker. It was one of the most moving things I’ve watched in a long time and well worth watching it if you haven’t already. On seeing how emotional he got and how inspired he was by both his spirit and achievements brought me back to an article I read the previous week. The article stated that we shouldn’t use the word inspiration when talking about people with disability, yet the image used in the article was of a Paralympic athlete.
I really struggled with this concept. If we can call an Olympic athlete inspirational why can we not call a Paralympic athlete inspirational? Athletes competing at these events are at their highest level so why should we not celebrate their achievements and be inspired by them.
Of course this doesn’t just apply to athletes. Anybody who has chased their dreams and put in all their energy to achieve them deserves respect in my view. For example someone who has successfully set their own business up or written a book deserve to be called an inspiration. To me it makes absolutely no difference if they are able bodied or not.
Now I know that disability throws far more complex issues into the mix than I could ever hope to understand as an able bodied person. It’s also not possible for everyone to achieve that level of greatness. Some of us, myself included, are just who we are, we get by just doing our thing.
That brings me back to the article, surely if someone finds another person inspirational then that is someone’s personal point of view and is acceptable, I can’t see why it makes any difference if that person it able bodied or not. However, if we’re saying that we can’t find someone inspirational because they’re disabled sits very uncomfortably with me. Does this mean I can’t find my own mother an inspiration? By saying that doesn’t it automatically put disabled people in a position of being second class citizens? Surely this is exactly the attitude society is finally starting to move away from, although there is still a long way to go with that one!
Molly
I think you put your point across really well and I think it is tough subject because it is about how we all use words differently and they mean different things to different people. Sadly the press loves to peddle a ‘sob story’ for want of a better phrase and will happily exploit anyone who will give them that angle. I think it is that kind of crappy journalism that has contributed to this issue.
Mollyxxx
SilverDom
OK, that is much clearer. I am glad I was able to help. 🙂
SilverDom
Further thoughts….
I am not saying that you or others should not see the disabled as inspirational – I am not the Thought Police. It’s just that some of us really prefer that you didn’t. 🙂
SilverDom
This is a complex subject. Silverdrop and I, as disabled people, don’t want to be inspirational, we just want to be treated as people. Many disabled people feel the same way.
Dave Hingsberger writes far more eloquently on the subject at http://davehingsburger.blogspot.co.uk/ – I thoroughly recommend him.
sub-Bee
I think I spectacularly failed to put my point across!
Some people inspire other people just by being who they are, their disability is one aspect of them and don’t make up the whole person.
I’m not keen on the attitude of a disabled person being an inspiration because they’re disabled and therefore some sort of superhuman. But people can inspire people through their actions or attitudes, that has nothing to do with their disability, it’s just who they are. For example, you inspired me to keep fighting at work, that had nothing to do with your disability but your attitude to life.