Navigating the Stereotypes of Disability

 

Photo Alt Text: Pink background with back text reading  “Disability is not the barrier, a world designed for non-disabled people is the barrier. Disability is not the problem, stereotypes and perceptions are the problem. Disability is not an inability, lack of accessibility is the inability to see potential” ~ @celia_hensman

When disabled people tell you that living in such an ableist society is hard, we mean it. We are sick and tired of being viewed as people who need to be cured. I cannot tell you how much times I have heard someone say “You don’t look sick enough”. A saying that really boils my blood. Why, in the 21st century are we conformed to the notion that disabled people have to “look sick” to have a disability? Surely people most see how wrong this is? Stereotypes are everywhere within society. They are inescapable and the foundation for the ableist society we have today. For the avoidance of doubt, a stereotype is a set idea of what someone is like. Society, over the years has set it’s own idea of what a disabled person should look and behave like. Within this blog, I hope to debunk some of these stereotypes and explain why they are so wrong, whilst trying to provide facts. 

Stereotype 1 - Disabled people are Brave, Courageous  and Inspirational

Photo Alt Text: “Green and pink background with Black text reading “Courage Starts with showing up and letting ourselves be seen” ~ Brenė Brown

I can probably speak for most disabled people, when I say we hate hearing “your so brave” or “You have a lot of courage” or “You are an inspiration”. Don’t get me wrong, it’s lovely of people to give such complements. However, we are not brave our courageous, nor inspirational. We are human beings who are having to constantly evolve and adapt to suit the needs of society. Often these sayings come with hidden insults as it often implies that the disabled person is a good person for just existing. Cherrypicking us to relate to the times where you’ve done something amazing so that you feel better about yourself is so wrong and it’s not okay. Being called brave, inspirational or courageous often defines the person just by their disability and what they have achieved. It doesn’t matter what someone has achieved, they should be recognised anyway. Stereotyping someone as inspirational, brave our courageous also judges someone before you even talk to them. Finally, just because someone has a disability, this doesn’t mean they are perfect

Stereotype 2 - Disabled people cannot be independent

Photo Alt Text: Blue background with a picture of Stephen Hawking looking directly at camera. Text reads “My advice to other disabled people would be, concentrate on things your disability doesn’t prevent you from doing well, and don’t regret the things it interferes with”

Society is a big believer, that we as disabled people cannot and should not live independent lives. They believe we should be constantly cared for, have things done for us etc. Truth is that many disabled people live fully and happy as an independent person. Conforming to the idea that we cannot live independently, in my view discredits all those working in social care, it can also make us feel bad because we feel like if we don’t live independently, we are keeping those who work in social care from a job. Everyone with a disability has different needs, some may need part time care, others may need care around the clock and some may not need any care whatsoever. I should also mention that for those who don’t currently live independently, there are rehab services to get them to that point, as well as supported living. If we as disabled people concentrated so much on the things we can’t do, instead of focusing on the things we can, we would be miserable. Independence is a strength and it should be a good thing!

Stereotype 3 - Disabled people are like children!

Photo Alt Text: 3 people on a grassy field in front of a building. One person is in a wheelchair. A guy wearing a yellow jacket taps the head of the wheelchair user and says “have you had a nice time then?”

Too often, disabled people are treated like children, meaning that they are often overlooked. A good example of this is when people see a disabled person and their career, they talk to the disabled person through the carer rather than directly to them. Another way that this stereotype is shown is by the perception that disabled people cannot feed, wash and take care of themselves. They have to have support 24/7, which is really not the case. We also tend to get over-excited at achievements of disabled people, just like we would if a child took its first step. It also can be a case of talking for someone rather than to them. All these things do is patronise disabled people and make them feel worthless and small

Stereotype 4 - If you can’t see someone’s disability, it means they are faking or it doesn’t exist

Photo Alt Text: Navy Blue background with multicoloured text reading “Don’t judge disability by it’s visibility”

So many people seem to think that because someone has a condition like Epilepsy, Diabetes, Brain Injury, Asthma, Depression etc that they have the right to judge and tell the person that what they are going through is a load of rubbish. Just because you cannot physically see a disability with your own eyes, doesn’t mean that it isn’t there. Many people also might choose to hide their disability for fear of being judged. In the UK, we have an amazing scheme called Hidden Disabilities Sunflower, an organisation which promotes invisible disabilities and allows those who have them to purchase a sunflower lanyard which alerts non disabled people to the fact they have a disability. You can find more about the scheme here.

Some final words…

If you choose to negatively stereotype disabled people, you are deliberately showing that you do not care for us as disabled people. Stereotypes are harmful to us and all other communities who face them. Navigating these stereotypes often make disabled people lack confidence, motivation and importantly, the pride to be who they are and not feel like they have to hide it. It is our duty as society, to call out any negative stereotypes and we must stand united in tackling the negative stereotypes of disability. After all, there are some real amazing disabled people out there!