Disabilities Being Used As "Inspiration Porn"

 For starters, I don't want to claim I have outstanding experience with disabilities but I do see it on nearly a day to day process and if not that then a weekly process. I like to believe I know how to communicate and treat others with disabilities which I don't like to even say for one reason. I try to look at nearly everyone as a neurotypical individual and the reason being is because I feel like if you start to classify people into these categories of disabled and more, you tend to rank them in your head or at least that's what I've seen in todays world. So in other words, I do treat others with disabilities like a normal person but I tend to be more patient and show them more so that I am listening to them. Some that may have disabilities can feel that they are judged and I try to show them that with me that isn't the case. At where I work, we have a few people there that have disabilities and I consider them friends of mine and always talk with them and ask them about their weeks, how they feel, and if I see them struggling I will tend to go ahead and help them. To say the least, the idea behind "inspiration porn" is needless to say disgusting. Prime example comes from the article I read from Cosmopolitan Why not all disabled people want to be seen as ‘an inspiration’, talks about home many people with disabilities do not want to be shown off because of their disability. As stated in the article by Jessica Kellgren-Fozard "Being disabled but carrying on living doesn’t make me special or worthy of recognition. I’m not 'brave' for having a disability: it’s not a choice. I didn’t pluck this semi-defective body from the line-up so that no one else had to. This is just who I am" (Kellgren-Fozard, 2018).  In todays world, we tend to see lots of people being I don't want to necessarily say taken advantage of, but are used more so for promotion of certain things like products, movies, or even a simple article for something that is more so out of their control when they don't want to be looked at as different. To many individuals, stories that highlight a persons disability that they didn't have a choice to have in the first place comes off disrespectful and disgusting. It seems like an attention grab and at times even a money grab over ones uncontrollable problem. Many individuals with disabilities want to be treated just as fairly as everyone else and I think that we should help it ultimately.

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