Disability and Aging
The oppressive myths about disability greatly distort the experience of it. The assumption that disability is miserable, tragic, evil, and so on, is the oppression itself.
People who have been able bodied most of their lives and then become disabled generally carry all the age and disability oppressor distresses and then aim them at themselves. They often do the following:
- Resist seeking or accepting help; insist on independence when it results in isolation or an unworkable “do it yourself” approach (in fact, we are an interdependent, gregarious species!)
- Refuse to accept limits—for example, by continuing to drive
- Resist using a wheelchair or disabled access, even when it would help with daily life
- Resist identifying as “disabled” when doing so could provide them with resources and legal entitlements
- Insist on distancing themselves from disabled people instead of taking the attitude that “I have a disability now. New things to learn! Where do I sign up to join the disability community?”
- Resist thinking about and planning for age-related impairments
- Resist learning about options and resources for older people with impairments—so that the reality comes as a shock and a crisis
We can discharge on the early memories of, and messages about, bodies, disability, and illness among family, peers, and others. We can ask ourselves, “What early distress is getting restimulated?”
We can also do the following:
- Reach for an empowered relationship with health care providers
- Make friends with people with disabilities; get past the oppression and the myths
- Learn about the disability community
- Explore intersections with race, class, ethnicity, ancestry, sex, age, and all other identities
- Become a bold leader and eager counselor for others on disability issues
- Claim the identity: “Proudly disabled!”
(Present Time 209, October 2022)
Last modified: 2022-12-25 10:17:04+00