For my blog #2, I’m going to be focusing on people who are often considered as the ‘’misfits ‘’ of the society. They are regarded in that manner because they are different from rest of the society. They are different in many ways such as they tend to have different lifestyles as compared to people who are regarded as ‘’ fits ‘’ of the society. I’m talking about people who suffer from disabilities and the challenges it has to offer. Disability according to a Dictionary means ‘’: a physical, mental, cognitive, or developmental condition that impairs, interferes with, or limits a person’s ability to engage in certain tasks or actions or participate in typical daily activities and interactions ‘’ (“Disability.” Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster, www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/disability) which emphasis that disability doesn’t only refers to physical but also mental difficulties as well. Some types of physical disabilities include paraplegia, cerebral palsy and polio whereas examples of mental disability include major depression, anxiety, and schizophrenia. (“Upcoming Events.” NEADS, www.neads.ca/en/about/projects/inclusion/guide/pwd_01.php)

When a person is categorized as ‘’ disabled ‘’, this signifies that he or she is unfit to do anything. It can be seen that disabled members of the society have a sticky stigma attached to them, their accomplishments are seen as if out of pettiness. Pasquale Toscano says ‘’ Believe me, I, too, sometimes wonder whether my scholarship is predicated upon pity. I can’t help it … ‘’ (Toscano, Pasquale S. “The Myth of Disability ‘Sob Stories.’” The New York Times, The New York Times, 14 June 2017, www.nytimes.com). Pasquale who is suffering from an injury wonders if what he has achieved, is it because of his hard work or is it out of pettiness. The representation of this community can be observed by looking at how the media portrays them in the advertisements for example. They only tend to focus on the ‘’ Disability ‘’ which should not be the case because it encourages the society to pity the person being presented.  There are a lot of initiatives taken place for the disabled community such as wheelchair basketball, Blind Cricket, and Paralympics but there a lot of issues surrounding them. One of the main issues is the viewership. When we compare the viewership of cricket for the blind versus cricket for abled bodies, it is apparent that not many people watch or go for games for the disabled and they also tend to get low coverage.  Furthermore, some Tv shows tend to create a misconception about disabilities, such as daredevil (“Marvel’s Daredevil.” Marvel.com: The Official Site, marvel.com/tv/show/216/marvels_daredevil). The lead role in this show is blind but has extraordinary six senses, that is not the case in reality. Muniba Mazari is also an example of someone who is disabled but has a passion for painting and says “Art was an escape for me” (Basu, Oyindrila. “Muniba Mazari-A Live and Charming Inspiration.” EWellness Expert, EWellness Expert, 19 Feb. 2016, www.ewellnessexpert.com/stories/20/muniba-mazari-a-live-and-charming-inspiration). Her success story is an inspiration for all and is not only restricted to motivate disabled people.

There is a need to improve standards for representation and treatment of the disabled community. They should be treated or be regarded as a human being and not someone who is disabled. When this act will come into play, the feeling of ‘’ pettiness ‘’ felt by disabled will be reduced

Citation:

• “Disability.” Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster, merriam-webster.com/dictionary/disability
• “Upcoming Events.” NEADS, neads.ca/en/about/projects/inclusion/guide/pwd_01.php
• Toscano, Pasquale S. “The Myth of Disability ‘Sob Stories.’” The New York Times, The New York Times, 14 June 2017, www.nytimes.com/2017/06/14/opinion/the-myth-of-disability-sob-stories.html?rref=collection%2Fcolumn%2Fdisability&action=click&contentCollection=opinion®ion=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=collection&_r=2.
• “Marvel’s Daredevil.” Marvel.com: The Official Site, marvel.com/tv/show/216/marvels_daredevil.
• Basu, Oyindrila. “Muniba Mazari-A Live and Charming Inspiration.” EWellness Expert, EWellness Expert, 19 Feb. 2016, www.ewellnessexpert.com/stories/20/muniba-mazari-a-live-and-charming-inspiration.