Unspeakable Conversations Essay

In Nancy Mairs’ article for The New York Times, “Disability”, published in 1987, she expresses her distaste with the media's representation of handicapped people. Mairs, who struggled with multiple sclerosis herself, clearly and sharply conveys this disgust by stating, “I’m not, for instance, Ms. MS, a walking, talking embodiment of a chronic incurable degenerative disease.” (Mairs 13), and that she is actually, “the advertisers’ dream: Ms. Great American Consumer. And yet the advertisers, who determine nowadays who will get represented publicly and who will not, deny the existence of me and my kind absolutely”(Mairs 14). Mairs is greatly upset that disabled people are defined by their disabilities and, therefore, are underrepresented in public media. This might lead to one asking themselves, but why are they? And the answer, according to Mairs, is quite simple, “To depict disabled people in the ordinary activities of daily life is to admit that there is something ordinary about disability itself, that it may enter anybody’s life”(Mairs 14). Mairs concludes by pointing out how this effacement could have dangerous consequences for both disabled people and, as she called everyone else, TAPs (Temporarily Abled Persons) alike. Treating disabilities as an abnormal characteristic (as opposed to viewing them “as a normal characteristic, one that complicates but does not ruin human existence” (Mairs 15)) can cause one of these repercussions, as it makes the

Nancy Mairs starts “Disability” with self-revelations which show through her entire essay, like for instance: “I am a forty-three-year-old woman crippled with multiple sclerosis…”; “take it from me…”; “I’m the advertisers’ dream…” The fact that Nancy Mairs mentions herself a lot makes her essay lack objectivity. But the reason behind this is that few are the people who can relate to this topic. So no one really knows what this is about as much as Mairs and all disabled people who form a minority do. This tells us that the author knows what she’s talking about. Since this essay is addressed to people who don’t know much about disability, its purpose is not merely to inform us about the physical disability itself but also about the psychological effects of the constant isolation and exclusion of people with disabilities. This makes the essay persuasive rather than argumentative since the author only mentioned her attitude towards this subject. But what a better way to do it than having a person with disability talk about his/her personal experiences? Persuading people of Mairs point of view which is that disabled people should be included in the daily activities couldn’t be done by just stating objective facts. This kind of persuasion needs examples. To prove that disabled people are unfairly treated, Nancy Mairs gives an example of a crippled women who was stopped from doing what she wanted to do, though she was still physically able to do

Unspeakable Conversations by Harriet McBryde Johnson is an article about her experience visiting Princeton University to exchange views and challenge Peter Singer, a professor who strongly believes that all disabled people, like herself, are “better off” not been born at all. The article provides an insight into Johnson’s life as a disabled person. She takes the readers on a journey that explores both sides of her own and Singer’s contrasting beliefs. She protests the prevalent stigma and prejudice of disabled people and gives voice to this marginalized community. Johnson challenges stereotypes of disability, uses her a personal experience to better understand the world and help others, and attempts to directly address oppression by arguing against Professor Singer’s theory and assemble a group of diverse and like-minded people for social change.

what matters most. The book provides information on how to have hard conversations, improve listening and problem solving skills. It is applicable in our personal and business life.

In this essay, the morality of the abortion of a fetus will be discussed in a drama involving a married couple named Deb and Derek (Smolkin, Bourgeois & Findler, 2010). For clarification purposes, we must first define the topic of this discussion; abortion is defined as the act in which a female voluntarily terminates her pregnancy where this act is legally permitted (Warren, 1973). Deb who is 16 weeks pregnant discovers that the fetus she is carrying will most likely be born mentally challenged (Smolkin et al., 2010). As the drama unfolds, the couple ponders the negative impact this child will have on their business, marriage as well as the quality of life that their child will experience if it is carried to term (Smolkin

Disability is of particular interest for justice because of the way in which it contrasts two basic and powerful senses of injustice: (1) the treatment of people as moral, social or political inferiors on the basis of irrelevant characteristics and (2) the perpetuation and/or failure to correct inequalities between income, wealth, health and other aspects of well-being amongst individuals. Article 13 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) guarantees access to justice. This article has two sections: first, “States Parties shall ensure effective access to justice for persons with disabilities on an equal basis with others, including through the provision of procedural and age-appropriate accommodations, in order to facilitate their effective role as direct and indirect participants, including as witnesses, in all legal proceedings, including at investigative and other preliminary stages; and second, in order to help to ensure effective access to justice for persons with disabilities, States Parties shall promote appropriate training for those work” (United Nations, 2006, p. 11). Cremin (2016) provided insights on the parameters of article 13. He discussed how article 13 attempts to clarify what effective access to justice requires and also provides recommendations on how the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities can improve its guidance on access to justice to help ensure equal rights for persons with disabilities.

Riley II has continued to bring awareness to many issues related to disability throughout his life, the author and recipient of many books and awards related to disability. Riley himself is able-bodied, and has addressed several issues within the able-bodied community as a professor of journalism at Baruch College; therefore, Riley establishes his own credibility. This is key to the target audience trusting Riley and for him not to be perceived as just another ordinary writer. Riley can be trusted by the able-bodied community due to himself being disabled, along with his accomplishments, is something that is practically non-existent for any other

Recently, on the day of the talent show, I was asked to dance with a disabled student to a previous hit titled “Gangnam Style” by Psy. As we were practicing the dance, he started to tease me repeatedly and I wanted to say something, but I stopped myself because I knew it would not be acceptable. Although I knew he was socially challenged, I took offense to his comments and felt that he was acting inappropriately. David Birnbaum, writer of the essay, “The Catbird Seat”, which was published in the New York Times “Lives” section, argues that as a disabled person he is allowed to take advantage of his rights and has special privileges when the Americans with Disabilities Act is not fulfilled. Birnbaum’s essay discusses how he felt after becoming a quadriplegic and how the special treatment he receives equals up to what he has faced from being handicapped. Also, Birnbaum concluded his essay by describing the division between America’s social hierarchies. The writer intended to catch the minds of a more prestigious audience, particularly a group of scholars who have excess time to read the newspaper. Through personal experiences and an unapologetic tone, Birnbaum conveys his overall argument that the special privileges of the disabled community equal up to the pain and suffering they encounter on a daily basis.

The topic in regards to the disabled worker is of interest to the author. The commentary is titled “Accommodation for Disabled Workers: Knowledge of Rights a Good Start” at the Rand Corporation blog by author Kathleen Mullen. The article describes how employees quitting their jobs because of healthcare decline and applying for social security benefits. As a number of social security benefits increase it puts US funding at risk. The author knows several disabled workers that are faced with working with a health-related disability. Additionally, they are challenged to take care of their families in spite of their disability. The disabled subgroup often expresses that they feel misunderstood by the world. The disabled person is betwixt and in between.; society expects the

Disability justice is both a movement and an intersectional framework of analysis that moves the focus away from rights and independence and, instead, centers justice, intersectionality, interdependence, and accountability, all in effort to address the variety of needs of the most marginalized within a society. In other words, as was explained by Mia Mingus in her piece, “Changing the Framework: Disability Justice” (2011), instead of placing an emphasis on obtaining rights and independence as was done so during the disability rights movement in the 20th century, disability justice fights, instead, to bring about justice to the lives of those continuously and disproportionately oppressed and abused by individuals and institutions by virtue od being disabled. However, in order to do so, disability justice recognizes and stresses the importance of accountability and interdependence, as

Over the course of time, selective infanticide has been heavily debated and surrounded by much controversy. Harriet Johnson’s piece “Unspeakable Conversations” navigates through the discourse between Johnson and selective infanticide advocate Peter Singer. Real world applications of the social and medical model of disability are embedded all throughout Johnson’s personal account of her encounters with Singer, causing audiences to think of these models in ways other than textbook applications. The work written by Johnson was published very recently, and it is evident that the controversy surrounding selective infanticide at the time of its publication is still present today. Johnson’s piece on selective infanticide offers a stance on the matter that should not be ignored because it is coming from someone disabled. Further analyzation of the text provided will support this claim.

The overarching topic of the book is focused on creating a new future about the concept of disability and disabled bodies. The overarching argument of the book is the idea that “disability is often seen as a future that no one wants. Furthermore, Kafer writes this book to bring a new definition of disability focusing on the political experiences of this concept. Throughout the chapters of the book, Kafer incorporates a variety of social issues that are analyzed using different theoretical principles. Some of these theoretical principles include crip theory, queer theory, and disability studies. In many chapters of the book, Kafer cites herself when she talks about her experiences as a disabled person.

Through the course of history, people with disabilities have often been viewed through the context of their limitations. The Disability Rights Movement, beginning in the 1960’s, strived to change society’s thinking to considering people with disabilities through their abilities instead. Positive messages of person’s abilities have begun to permeate our media, including changing ideas of how we view disability in general. Through the use of captivating personal anecdotes and scientific information to back them up, the 2015 This American Life podcast “Batman” seeks to prove that disability is a social construct, because one’s abilities are directly influenced by those around them.

Self-determination for all people is important, and some overlook this fundamental right when individuals experience disability, potentially only seeing the disability, not the person who experiences it. I am passionate about person-centered support, believing that person who wants or needs services has the most important voice when developing care plans. Individuals experiencing disability have the right to choose the life they would like build and have the supports they need to do so in a healthy and safe manner just as any other member of the community would. This includes choosing where they would like to live, the people they want surrounding them, and the vocations or interests they enjoy. In my professional life, it has been a fulfilling

I wanted to tell someone Renee’s story, but there was no one I trusted that much, not even Leo. Luc returned from Nam with his own problems. “Glover,” he said as we floated along the shore of Lake Mira Mar, “I left a sixteen-year-old girl in Nam. I was nineteen at the time. I left her pregnant. It is not a good feeling.”