Ability and Vulnerability

by Dora Raymaker · 2009-06-04 16:00:00 UTC
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the left side of the photo is a building facade with scaffolding in front of it. the right half of the photo is a mass of additional scaffolding but there is no building there. the scaffolding appears to be holding up the facade. a cloudy blue sky is visible behind the scaffolding and in the background. in the foreground right there are some red objects, perhaps a part of a red metal wall?This morning I posted about Susan Boyle and disablist attitudes in Appearance and Expectation. But there was a second set of stories in my feeds about Susan Boyle that also caught my attention, on a different topic: Media watchdog group says "Britain's Got Talent" producers should have provided better support for a vulnerable Susan Boyle.

In a sense this is the inverse issue from this morning's post: If a person with a disability (particularly an invisible one) is very good at something, it can be easy to forget the fact that the disability exists. And this can lead to a lot of problems. Like those I posted about in That Which Goes Unseen.

What both sides of the issue--what I posted on this morning and what I post on here--have in common is that they are based on assumptions rather than realities. It is assumed that a person who appears unconventional will have limited ability, and it is assumed that a person with exceptional talent will have limited vulnerability.

The fact is that neither are true. Somewhere in between is the reality 1) we can do stuff, sometimes as well as others, and sometimes much better than others, and 2) we need appropriate support for some stuff we can't do. Somewhere in between is the reality that we are human beings with unique abilities and vulnerabilities and specific needs, just like anyone. Assumptions and stereotypes don't lead anywhere good.

Dora Raymaker
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