Mindset Matters: Reflecting On The Value Of The Disability Narrative In An Era Of Culture Wars

While the position of diversity, equity, and inclusion has continued to make strides across society, another school of thought has raged against its significance of what is needed in our everyday lives. The disability narrative has even seen its fair share of criticism these days, most recently from certain conservative political commentators. Yet, even in the gauntlet of the culture wars, it is important to take a moment and step back and think about the true value of the disability narrative. Too often all these critiques are habitually one-dimensional and lack the imagination of the true value that this community can provide. While embracing the disability narrative is certainly not a panacea to today's culture wars, it may offer a more humane approach to what we need in our very divided space.

Though we often don’t say it aloud, the disability narrative is something we all share and is part of the fabric of our lives impacting us in some way. Whether family, friends, or otherwise. For so long it was seen as something to pity. But that has certainly changed, and the disability narrative has transformed from civil rights, to design, to greater representation across the arts, and business to accessibility as a key driver for inclusion and innovation. These ideas must be welcomed as a shared value for us all. Rather, than seeing disability as something to be feared, see it as part of the human story and something that engenders a need to build more effective communities that embrace creativity, highlight fairness, and a recognition that we are not so different from one another.

Too often throughout history, the story of disability has provided a dividing line due to society’s response. However, as we cross the threshold of the 21st Century, perhaps we need to rethink our understanding of disability once again and see it not just through the lens of personhood, but as an idea that unites us. This recognition will force all of us to rethink what we need as a culture to bond us in a way that we’ve never considered before. Perhaps there is naivete in this sentiment, however, if one harkens back to the philosopher Robert Fulghum's book All I Need to Know I learned in kindergarten when he wrote “It doesn’t matter what you say you believe - it only matters what you do.” For us as a society, it is time to act and treat each other as we would want to be treated. The disability experience is a great motivator to make a change and see the world anew for all of us!

As organizations are being forced to rethink their work culture, the disability narrative needs to play a vital role in every facet of this conversation. It is this lived experience that will help redefine the status quo, but also force us to recognize that the necessities of our collective daily lives are not that different, but we need a language by which we can articulate that. The disability narrative can be the link by which we find common ground and define a new vocabulary of trust, vulnerability, and the capacity to listen and learn. Designing a world that provides access gives us the facility for greater awareness and understanding that we share a common history, and being able to consider the whole person will take us much further than being defined by these invented barriers.

While the disability narrative is not a real antidote to the culture wars that rage on, it does however offer another perspective to think about why we need open, honest dialogue that focuses on the basic requirements for creating a better quality of life. Providing this in a respectful and empathetic manner will only get us one step closer to something needed more than ever, kindness.