The First Step

I have been browsing web sites this last week for articles that can paint a better picture of the world of disabilities in hopes to gather enough information to write a project paper on Generational Issues Affecting People with Disabilities. I can say that at some level I am disappointed by some of the data I have accumulated thus far. Not for a lack of information or opinions, but for the lack of representation for a group of people that spans across ethnicity and religion. It is perhaps the reason I named this journal blog what I did, for it is a path less walked than many others.

Perhaps that should be the very element that makes it so positive. It will be my goal, in writing this paper, to demonstrate attitudes of people around those affected by a disability, as well as the mind-set of the individual affected by the disability. In doing this I aim to provide a glimpse into the world of what a disabled person might be going through, in many stages of life, and I'll be using several interviews to help with this. In doing this I also will be confronting societal imagery and portrayal of those with disabilities.

Part of why this topic was the one I selected is because of what I myself went through growing up with disabilities. Mine was a genetic variation of Ectodermal Dysplasia and throughout my life I have been subject to criticism, ridicule, and quite frankly ignorant comments. As I grew older, the anger subsiding, I began to wonder why it was I felt the way I did, and why others viewed me in such a light. This of course lead to other questions and I began to wonder what other persons with disabilities have faced in their lives.

But this is sort of a double-edged sword. On one hand we try and support those with disabilities filling them up with a sense of pride and ownership, but when they hit a certain age, or strike out into the world abroad, they often run into situations that complicate their lives; be it prejudice because of a pre-existing condition, or the lack of being able to "keep up" with the others around them. And this brings up even more issues.

Not all disabilities can be measured and not all disabilities manifest in a physical way. This makes it even more complicated. Emotional or Cognitive Disabilities affect a person on levels we as people do not always see. It also affects how others see them. So then the question becomes - How do we best portray individuals with disabilities in a manner that does not belittle, or mock them? At this point I am not even sure I can answer that, as I can only relate to my own struggles.

So it is with that I begin this online journal. With those questions, and so many more, I will begin to delve into the world of imagery, portrayal and place of those affected with disabilities in hopes to generate a study that will at the least educate others as to the lives of people with disabilities.