The Need for a Big Attitude Shift to Move the Disability Advocacy Movement Forward
Historically, the tale of the disabled community has taken two starkly different narratives around the world: that of fearing individuals with disabilities as people who have committed grave sins in past lives and that of pitying individuals with disabilities as people who are unable to have a full, well-rounded life.
Both narratives serve a role in constricting policy and societal gains in the movement to equalize accessibility both inside and outside of the disabled community.
So, what can be done to shift the narrative to one that progresses the rights, livelihoods, and societal images of individuals with disabilities around the world?
Representation in the Arts
On our podcast, we welcomed guest Charlotte McClain-Nhlapo, the Global Disability Advisor to the World Bank, to speak in part to this issue. The suggestion McClain-Nhlapo had to overcome factors of fear and pity around the world was to greatly increase representation in various fields of work.
The arts field -- which encompasses artistic talents of painting, sculpting, drawing, singing, writing, photography, and film -- is often thought to be well out of reach for individuals with disabilities when operating through the pity narrative of the Western World. After all, how many photographers have you seen in a wheelchair? How many blind musicians have you seen on stage? How many disabled actors or actresses have you seen grace the big screen?
This, Mcclain-Nhlapo presses, is the exact reason why increased representation would be so important in the arts field. It would show that individuals with disabilities cannot be confined by the limits the able-bodied community has forced for centuries. Representation would also inspire the next generation to think beyond the confines that society decides. It would empower a child with a disability to pick up a paint brush or camera, to audition for a commercial or play.
Representation in the Media
In a world of Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube, people who traditionally didn’t have access to showcasing their identity now have the ability to share their story to users around the world.
According to Mcclain-Nhlapo, the increased exposure through social media platforms could be a gamechanger for the disabled community for undermining both the fear and pity narratives.
Searching on YouTube today brings dozens of channels showcasing adaptive athletics, adaptive driving, and ordinary individuals with disabilities living their lives to the fullest.
Twitter showcases hundreds of disability advocates from all around the world as they fight for policies in Africa, Europe, or Southeast Asia, sharing articles and ideas with the community.
Instagram has allowed hundreds of ‘disability influencers’ to rack up hundreds of thousands of followers that see pictures from their daily lives, de-stigmatizing what it means to live with a disability.
Never before has representation within the disability community been so public or easy to find, and that is vital for the movement moving forward.
Everyone can remember their first role model, the person that they wanted to be or the person that looked like them in the media. The accounts advocating for disability awareness are growing, giving more people role models to follow while showing the able-bodied community that historical stigma against individuals with disabilities must stop.
Representation in the Professional Sphere
McClain-Nhlapo recalls that in the first days following a car accident that left her paralyzed, a physician in a wheelchair came to visit her. She remembers thinking, you can be a doctor in a wheelchair?
For McClain-Nhlapo, that visit was a tipping point that taught her that individuals with disabilities can do whatever they set their minds to, and it empowered her to continue a career as a human rights and disability lawyer.
Her fear is that the majority of the disabled community never got that exposure that showed them they could still participate in medicine, law, or entrepreneurship. Thus, it is the responsibility of those that have broken down barriers to continue to represent and spread the word through means available to them.
Changing the Narrative
Through accurate and increased representation in the field of the arts, media, and the professional sphere, the narrative of fear and pity that still hovers over the disabled community can finally dissipate.
Following her accident, Charlotte McClain-Nhlapo gained strength and empowerment through meeting role models who had done extraordinary things that surpassed the limits enforced by society. Now, she hopes to do the same in her career for youths with disabilities. She wants to show that individuals with disabilities are everywhere and can do everything they set their minds to.
Looking for More Insight from Charlotte McClain-Nhlapo? Check Out the Original Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJueWox8VAo&t=713s
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