This is when the word "Inspirational" is used.
As a person who has a disability, I hear the word "Inspiration" being used quite a lot. It is often used in the media, especially when describing the lives of disabled people and what they have achieved in their lives. There have a few times when people have said to me "You have done so much with your life. By doing what you have, you show other ordinary people that they can do better and achieve things too! You are an inspiration!"
I appreciate the sentiment of what those people are trying to say, but at the same time those 'things I have achieved' that they talk about, they are things I do everyday! Cooking, going out to work, having a positive outlook on life, those are all pretty much the norm for me (Well, maybe apart from the last one!) and they are considered the norm for pretty much every non disabled person out there. Yes, it may have taken me longer to achieve them than it would for someone without a disability, but I did it! I don't think I should be called 'inspirational' just because I can make Spag Bol or a Stir Fry for my tea every night!
I personally feel that the word "Inspirational" says a lot more about the person who is using it rather than the person they are describing. According to the OED the word 'inspire' (in this context) can mean two things:
1. '[to] give someone the desire, enthusiasm or confidence to do something.'
2. '[to] create a feeling in a person'.
Therefore it seems fair (in my opinion) to say that if a person is inspired, they are actually focusing on their own feelings, perhaps feeling like they want to change their behaviour or try something new. What the person who is inspiring them is doing is making them think differently.
As the word 'inspirational' appears to be used to reflect a person's view on a situation, I feel that when people are using it to describe my achievements, or that of any other person with a disability, they are reflecting their own views around disability and their own expectations of what people can achieve. These are often negative.
By saying that I am "inspiring" for doing something that a non disabled person can easily achieve, makes me feel somewhat of a lesser person due to my disability. It makes me think that you had quite low expectations of what I could achieve due to my lack of ability to walk and need to use a wheelchair. By suggesting that I do the ordinary, extraordinary, I think it can sound quite patronising.
The media and society have often talked about disabled people having to "overcome adversity" to live a relatively 'normal' life, and this adversity is often considered the disability itself. But have you considered that it could actually be people's attitudes that are the problem?
If people had such a low expectation of what disabled people can achieve, then of course they are going to consider every little milestone inspirational.
If more people opened their minds around disability and had more positive expectations about what is possible, then it will encourage people to do even more!
I don't actually mind being considered an inspiration to other disabled people as I know they are in a similar situation to myself and it is always good to gain experiences from other people who are in the same boat. If it wasn't for me seeing my friend at university (who also had a disability) pass her driving test and drive her car, I would have never believed that I would be able to drive too!
However, I ultimately think that it is wrong for others to label disabled people as "inspirational" (to non disabled people) as it generally comes across as ignorant and belittling.
As a person with a disability, my purpose in life is not to inspire others, but to enjoy it like everyone else, even though it may be hard sometimes!
