When I was young, I was always attracted to inspirational videos depicting the resiliency of Persons with Disabilities (PWD). One video, for instance, was about a student with an orthopedic disability who went to school every day despite living in a remote area. Every time I watched such inspirational videos, I would feel that my life was somehow better than their life. Maybe it was because I only had an invisible disability and not a physical one. Or it could be because I didn’t live in a remote area where resources were scarce.

However, things began to change as I grew older. I started to question these repetitive actions by mainstream media. I wondered why they continued to broadcast such things. What was the media trying to tell viewers about PWDs?

I tried to find answers every time I was bothered by these doubts. One day, I found a Ted Talk video on Facebook of a late Australian woman who had a genetic disorder called osteogenesis imperfecta that caused her bones to crack, thereby confining her to a wheelchair throughout her life. Her name was Stella Young, and she was also a journalist and a comedian, which kind of explained why her speech was so witty.

While watching her TED Talk, I saw not just how humorous her speech was, but the main point of her speech as well. She said that the media used PWDs’ narratives just to make the abled-bodied believe that their life was better than a PWD’s. The media was trying to point out that if PWDs could do such remarkable accomplishments, then more so could abled-bodied persons.

Realizing my mistake

After I watched that video, I realized that what I did in the past, glorifying the remarkable success of PWDs despite their disabilities, aggravated the unfortunate situation of my fellow PWDs. I tended to consume such narratives while my fellow PWDs still suffered from a non-inclusive society. It was somehow ironic that a member of the community could even do such a thing.

This is not a just petty personal problem; it is a societal problem. Why does the media continue to glorify PWDs who can manage their disabilities when, in fact, most PWDs can barely survive due to financial, physical, and emotional incapability? PWDs in remote areas are being glorified for repeatedly traveling for hours to the nearest health centers or hospitals just for a follow-up check-up or treatment, when in fact we overlook their countless struggles using modes of transportation like boats or land vehicles. Furthermore, PWDs’ needs such as medications, therapy, assisted technology, food, and clothing could cost twice or thrice that of abled-bodied persons’ despite both of them receiving almost the same amount of salary or allowance.

Why does the media continue to sensationalize those who battle their disability in silence while continuing to do their work, when in fact most PWDs have a hard time seeking employment, education, or other services without fear or anxiety? For instance, the death of late actor Chadwick Boseman was framed by the media as inspirational because he kept his cancer a secret while working in Hollywood. Boseman’s challenges are also common in the Philippines, given the fact that job rejection is the norm for most PWDs, most especially if they are mandated to disclose their disabilities to their employers. 

Standing up for disability rights

As a PWD myself, I don’t need to be an inspiration to able-bodied persons. This applies to all other persons with disabilities. What we need is not to be used just to inspire able-bodied persons. Rather, we seek to topple the societal obstacles we currently face. Together with disability advocates, we can break this cycle of inspiration porn and create a better, more inclusive society where PWDs like myself will be seen as persons who deserve to live as comfortably as abled-bodied persons. – Rappler.com

Ronald G. De Guzman Jr., a 20 year-old person on the autism spectrum with comorbid bipolar disorder, is a BS Mathematics freshman student at the University of the Philippines-Baguio. He is a member of Samahan ng Progresibong Kabataan (SPARK).