Two
weeks ago, Ben Mattlin, an op-ed contributor to the New York Times, posted an
article describing the ways in which he feels proud about his disability and
takes advantage of his condition. Mr. Mattlin has dealt with spinal muscular
atrophy ever since he was born. Even from a young age, he learned to use his
disability as a means to get ahead in life. He would receive small compliments
whenever he was seen on the streets and, even as an adult, he uses his
disability to receive discounts and skip ahead in long lines.
He,
then, offers a unique definition of disability pride. Rather than striving to
be someone who bitterly fights his disease at any cost, Mr. Mattlin believes
that handicaps should learn to take advantage of their innate condition. He
expresses concern about the fact that many able-bodied people view those with
disabilities with sympathy and are unsure how to deal with handicaps. Instead,
he would like everyone to accept disabilities as a “fun” aspect of handicaps’
lives. “Play disabled … as you do anything else, because you think its cool.”
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