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Analysis Of Nancy Mairs 'Disability'

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There are thousands of people who face challenges that come with having physical disabilities everyday, and many do not understand this reality. Having a disability does not mean that one is weak and pitiful, but rather brave and admirable for having to adapt to the challenges that most do not have to face. Three authors who advocate for disability representation, Nancy Mairs, Andre Dubus, and Harriet McBryde Johnson, are able to elaborate on their views of disability representation in the world today. Through Mairs’ essay, “Disability”, she is able to convey her thoughts on the media’s inclusion of people with disabilities. Similarly, Dubus wrote “Why the Able-Bodied Still Don’t Get It”, and in his essay, he explains how his thoughts on disability …show more content…

The personal stories that Mairs discusses in “Disability”, regard her struggle with multiple sclerosis as well as the lack of representation she finds for disabled people in the media. For example, in the fifth paragraph, Mairs recalls asking a local advertiser why he didn’t include people with disabilities in his adverts, and he explained that he didn’t want people to think his products were only for disabled people. Mairs calls this an excuse and asks, “If you saw me pouring puppy biscuits, would you think these kibbles were only for the puppies of the cripples?” (Mairs). By including this question, Mairs is able to elaborate on her thoughts on the lack of representation in the media as well as the dismissive behavior that she receives from people in her everyday life. In Andre Dubus’ “Why the Able-Bodied Still Don’t Get It”, Dubus similarly describes how he recognizes himself being treated patronizingly by others. Furthermore, Dubus explains how prior to being hit by a car and losing the use of his legs, he had not understood the disabled community. While discussing this Dubus states, “I lacked the compassion and courage to imagine someone else’s suffering” (Dubus). This statement shows a perspective that is true for many people who do not understand how a disability affects one’s life, and Dubus is able to convey this message in his essay. Harriet McBryde Johnson also has a valuable perspective on disability representation and treatment that she argues in her essay “Should I Have Been Killed at Birth?”. As someone who struggles with a physical disability that caused her back to form a “S-curve”, Johnson describes how people “think they know everything there is to know, just by looking at me” (Johnson). Moreover, Johnson exemplifies a

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