I, like many women, buy into patriarchal standards of beauty every day. I very rarely leave the house without make-up. I dye my hair. I wear clothes that I choose carefully for how they make me look to the outside world.
Stella YoungRead
The mere suggestion that not speaking for a day can give you an appreciation of the social isolation that comes with the experience of disability, particularly those whose impairments prohibit them from communicating verbally, is insensitive at best.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote highlights the insensitivity of suggesting that temporary silence can equate to understanding the challenges of those with disabilities.
Stella Young's quote emphasizes the profound injustice of trivializing the experiences of individuals with disabilities, particularly those who cannot communicate verbally. It critiques the notion that a short-lived practice, like refraining from speech for a day, can truly capture or foster empathy towards the ongoing social isolation faced by disabled individuals, revealing a lack of understanding and consideration for their realities.
Themes
DisabilityEmpathyCommunicationInsensitivitySocial Isolation
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about disability awareness during a seminar.
More from Stella Young
All quotes →We often hear that people mean well: that so many just don't how to interact with people with disabilities. They're unsure of the 'right' reaction, so they default to condescension that makes them feel better in the face of their discomfort.
Stella YoungRead
In my own home, where I've been able to create an environment that works for me, I'm hardly disabled at all. I still have an impairment, and there are obviously some very restrictive things about that, but the impact of disability is less.
Stella YoungRead
We fill our lives with all sorts of things that make it easier for us to get along in the world: wheelchairs, crutches, grabber sticks, hearing aids, canes, guide dogs, modified vehicles, ramps, as well as other kinds of services and supports. Disability does not necessarily mean dependence on other people.
Stella YoungRead
For me, disability is a physical experience, but it's also a cultural experience and a social experience, and for me, the word 'crip' is the one that best encapsulated all of that.
Stella YoungRead
We are a society that treats people with disabilities with condescension and pity, not dignity and respect.
Stella YoungRead
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