Disability and Able-bodied People Essay Example for Free

Disability and Able-bodied People Essay What is a normal person? Is it a man playing basketball with his friends in a park? Is it a woman riding horses through a grassy field? Or is it the double amputee that wears expensive sunglasses on a summer day? These images have all been depicted in the media, but the latter is not shown as frequently. If the media features disabled persons more often and in a better light, it will become the norm, therefore evoking unity among all Americans. As a society, we do not truly embrace people who are different than us. We are only tolerant of them because we are required to be. Television, print, and commercial advertisements are the only representation that the majority of Americans receive of the world around them. To combat prejudice and division between disabled and able-bodied people, there has to be an unbiased, well-rounded view of each in the media. Imagine if you lived in a world where you only saw ads with people who suffered from degenerative diseases, paraplegia, genetic disorders, etc. Would you begin to question whether you were normal or not? During the spring of my senior year in high school, I shadowed an occupational therapist who worked with autistic children. There were great lessons to be learned this semester, many of which I discovered from observing the children themselves. I began to sympathize with them and put myself into their shoes. I realized that I was in no better shape than they were, and we were not actually that different. In my free time, I would search tirelessly for ads which brought autism and disability into the forefront in a way that showed that they live their lives just as I did. Very seldomly would I come across one, and when I did, it was not from a major retailer. Disability rights organizations do a great job of raising awareness as advocates for the disabled, but I challenge the rest of the media to do the same. By making the lives of the disabled more visible in the media, everyday Americans will have the ability to see the handicapped in the same way I saw them during my internship. The able-bodied will see an array of people different from them just by putting those suffering from various disabilities on television. As a result, bringing able-bodied and disabled persons one step closer together. Additionally, the manner in which the disabled are depicted in the media is equally important. Becoming acclimated to seeing handicapped people in roles that we normally do not encounter will further show that we can all live together in unison. Switching the disabled person from door greeter to cashier in Walmart commercials is one example of this. Seeing a disabled person compete in the International Olympic games and not just a participant in the Special Olympics is also another example. Instead of diminishing the abilities of the handicapped, we can portray them in areas where they are apart of and grow with society. Are disabled and able-bodied people gelled together living in harmony or merely separate groups put together by force? Based on my experience, it is the latter, but it does not have to be. The media has played a major role in the way individuals are viewed throughout history. Once we change our outlook and perceptions on others, we change the way we live our daily lives. At that point we will begin to question who defines what is â€Å"normal† and what is not.