3 Things That Influence How Disabled People Think About Their Disabilities

3 Things That Influence How Disabled People Think About Their Disabilities

Issues arise nearly even day that highlight not just the unity of need and ambition among the whole disability community, but the many differences among people with disabilities individually.

Why do some disabled people think about their disabilities one way, and others another? Why do some of us try to be unfailingly gracious and patient, while others are frank, assertive, or even abrasive? Why do some of us focus mostly on self-improvement and achieving personal goals, while others of us are all about advocacy and social change? Why are some disabled perceived as sunny, optimistic, and “can do,” while others have a reputation as angry, bitter, and pessimistic?

When faced with physical, administrative, or attitudinal barriers in everyday life, do we take a deep breath, and do our best to either adapt or move on to friendlier territory? Or, do we point out the barriers and confront ableism head on? Do we as disabled people fight for our own rights and accommodations alone, and to get ourselves out of personal jams? Or, do we also commit to broader changes that can benefit others with disabilities?

Part of the answer is that many of these contradictory traits mirror disability-specific stereotypes — stock images of a few simplified “types” of disabled person that the general public tries to fit all of us into out of habit. It’s superficial, lazy, and confining. Making these kinds of snap judgments of “good” and “bad” disabled people, grouping us into “positive” and “negative” camps, does all of us a disservice.

At the same time, there are some recognizable patterns in the differences between us. It can be useful for non-disabled and disabled people alike to look at some of the factors that influence how disabled people process their own disabilities and project themselves in the community as disabled people.

A familiar answer would revolve around the fact that people have different types of disability, and by some arbitrary measures, different “levels” of disability. There is some sense it in this, but these categories are hard to quantify and can’t by themselves explain the diversity of the disability community. There are at least three other main influences that are essential to understanding both the commonality and diversity among disabled people.