Disability – Blog Entry #5 – Ryan Funchion

Disability – Ryan Funchion Blog Entry # 5

            To make this entry more meaningful to all of you I thought it would be important to let you know that I currently do not have any disabilities.  I decided to go through a normal day in my “non-disabled” lifestyle and note all of the instances in which I would have difficulty functioning, or not functioning at all as I discovered, as a disabled individual. 

            The difficulties, obviously begin as soon as you get out of bed in the morning.  Or night, as I experienced when having to use the restroom.  Either with the assistance of someone else, or using a wheelchair or crutches, the simple task of getting up out of bed and walking to the restroom would present itself more difficult than normal.  To get the obvious out of the way, I did a lot of walking on this particular day and doing it in a wheelchair or on crutches would have been physically impossible.  I walked to class and back, about a mile, three times on this day.  The one thing that stood out to me the most was my living situation.  I live in an apartment that has stairs leading up to the entrances on either side of the building with no ramps or elevators for assistance.  If in a wheelchair, I obviously would not be able to live where I currently do with many of my classmates and friends.  I also live on the third floor and even with crutches, the stairways are extremely narrow.  Speaking of narrow, every class I entered into that day had the desks and chairs about a foot apart which made it difficult for an “able-bodied” individual to sit down.  This would present many problems and make it impossible for a disabled individual to maneuver around in any classroom.  I also entered the computer lab where I didn’t see any computer stations or desks set up for a disabled individual.  The buildings did in fact have elevators, but when you got to the classroom or lab you were supposed to be at and wanted to sit down; you’d be lost.  I returned a couple movies, went to the grocery, and dropped off a rent check which required both driving and walking but I did them independently.  This would not be possible if I were disabled.  I would need someone to drive me the places I needed to go.  This would make it difficult because I would not only have to find time to do these errands but hope someone else had some free time to “taxi” me around town.  It became extremely apparent throughout the day that living in the society we live in as a disabled individual would be present itself with many difficulties and challenges.

            Being on a college campus and commuting around town all day, I noticed that I saw and was around a lot of people.  I can’t begin to imagine people staring and whispering about the fact that I was disabled and in a wheelchair.  People either laughing to one another or the constant “Can I help you with that” would get extremely annoying and would both mentally and physically wear me down.  It’s almost like you would never get a break.  The minute you finally made a friend and got someone to understand your lifestyle, you meet somebody new who holds the same stereotypes and negative thoughts as everyone else.  I can’t imagine have to deal with the constant ridicule and gawking that would come along with being a disabled individual. 

            Throughout the day I began to realize that disabled individuals are extremely oppressed in our society.  Although there are many handicapped parking spaces, restroom stalls, and elevators, there are many buildings and facilities without.  Another way the disabled is at a disadvantage is due to the fact that our society thinks that if one has a physical disability it automatically means they are mentally disabled as well.  This is something that boggles my mind because disabled individuals minds function the same as everyone else’s yet we can’t see them as intelligent or successful individuals. 

            I believe it is extremely important for us as a society to try and lesson these negative images and stereotypes we hold against disabled individuals.  To have complete equality between the disabled and non-disabled should be our ultimate goal.  Portraying these individuals in a positive light and seeing them for something more than their disability would be a place to start.  In the media, newspapers, or magazines include the success stories of the disabled population.  We need to make it a point that these people may be physically disabled but they are not in any way mentally disabled.  When constructing buildings, restaurants, movie theaters, or classrooms; make it a requirement that a disabled individual is on the design/construction team.  This point was brought up and made clear in Nancy Mairs book, Waist-High in the World and presents a valid point.  First of all, we as a society need to realize that we oppress the disabled and it needs to come to a stop.