Ability

Reading about different personal accounts from the eyes of someone with a disability opened my eyes to how much we take for granted in life. Something as simple as walking could be taken from you instantaneously. Life is full of mystery and surprise, and one wrong move could forever change it. The impact that the media portrayal of people with MS has on those who are disabled is extremely hurtful, and increases the harsh sigma surrounding it. In Mairs' piece, "Disability", she reffered to "normal people" as TAP's or Temporarily Able-bodied Persons, which really stuck with me. It's a huge wakeup call to the reality that at any given day or time, all of the seemingly normal things that I personally take for granted could be gone. The stigma surroundig someone in a wheelchair has those in one portrayed as weak, and in need of help, when that may not always be the case. For instance, in Under Circe's Spell by Michael Soyster, he laments on the fact that while his passions have been taken by his wheelchair, his ability to drive his old car has not been, and how he is currently strong enough in his mind to not need a van instead. The stigma that we add to by viewing disabled people as "abnormal" or "weak" is worsening the mindsets of those with a physical ailment, and we need to stop taking our lives for granted and help end that stigma.