More than 15% of the world is disable and 7 out of 10 people with disabilities say they’ve been abused in some kind of way. “The Scarlet Ibis” by James Hurst is about a boy and his disabled brother,Doodle, as he try everything to try and make him normal. Doodle was born a disappointment with a big head head and a small, red, and shivered body. Doodle meets his end, the same day he buried the scarlet ibis, after having been pushed too hard. Doodle’s brother’s reaction to his arrival is both shocked and unhappy.…
“Imagine finding yourself in another culture…the language is familiar but…facial expressions and body language are foreign.” Hammond’s words intrigued me immediately. Had I ever before considered how it might feel to live “in a diamond bubble,” unable to interpret subtle signals of body language or comprehend accepted social cues? Megan Hammond’s plainspoken and insightful blurb for her autobiography ‘My Life with Asperger’s’ initially captured my attention through challenging my perspectives towards the everyday outlook of living with a disability. Inspired to gain knowledge on the “confusing world” Hammond encounters, I was particularly interested in learning about her personal challenges and triumphs in regards to schooling, employment,…
“A summer day doesn’t get much better in my mind. It’s relaxing, simple, and nothing happens to remind me of the disease that’s slowly destroying every muscle in my body.” And so is the tale of Shane Burcaw, a 21-year-old with spinal muscular atrophy. With a disease that slowly cripples him to the point where one day, he will no longer even be able to lift his own head up, Burcaw aims to provide a humorous look into his daily life—and reveal that a life-threatening disease should not stop any one from being an authentic human being. As he states, “The beauty begins when you connect with other people and realize that we’re all in the same boat.…
Many personal adversities arise when dealing with cultural differences and misunderstandings about disabilities. But in the end, people need to learn to cope with their experiences, and learn from them. In the interview, Finding Her Way, Stacy interviews her sister-in-law, Angela Park, and discusses how she coped with her situation. Angela moved to America from Korea at a young age, and many kids at school bullied her for it.…
While reading through this book I was quickly captivated by the first page, and successfully drawn in even deeper throughout the progression of the novel. In this book, Higashida takes the reader with him on an exploration of many different emotions and relatable scenarios that strike a chord with the readers following along. Before reading through this book, I just knew a general idea of what it was about. All I knew was that it was written by a young boy with autism, and was then translated into English to share with a wider community by a well-known novelist by the name of David Mitchell. It wasn’t until I began to delve into the chapters that I was quickly informed of all of the details surrounding this book.…
The play “God's Middle Name”, by Jennifer Overton, features a quick-paced series of vignettes that unflinchingly investigate a mother's experiences living with an autistic son, as she comes to understand the condition and shifts from denial to acceptance. It recounts the true story of Jennifer's family over a span of 10 years, moving from confusion to a life-changing diagnosis, through phases of refusal, resentment, sorrow, dealing and, eventually, acceptance. Through rambling scenes and dramatic flights of fancy, Overton takes a genuine look at the difficulties of having an autistic son. Nonetheless, she also praises the delights of parenthood and pride in a child's achievements. While Overton writes mainly from the perspective of a mother’s love for her child, humor also plays an important role within the play.…
The Protector of all Sidekicks Imagine trying to talk to your parents but all they hear is gibberish coming from your mouth. Imagine not being able to walk in a straight line. Imagine feeling alone. Someone with autism deals with these issues every day.…
“How does Mark Haddon’s The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time portray interesting ideas about themes?” By employing distinctive features, Mark Haddon effectively situates the responders to experience life through the perspective of an individual with autism. By openly disregarding the rules of conventional storytelling, Haddon’s implementation of exploring the everyday occurrences through the perspective of Christopher Boone, who happens to be a dramatically unconventional character, promotes the responder’s comprehending of the life of an individual who cannot grasp human interactions.…
There is a thin line between normal and abnormal. Normality is completely relative to the society in which one exists. Each culture has its own definition of average and each person is expected to live up to that definition. When someone does not meet that expectation, they are often ostracized from the group and labeled an outcast, or even a monster. Although the “monster” itself faces many struggles throughout life, the family of the “monster” is often left conflicted between fitting in with society and supporting their loved one.…
Charlie did not realize previously the amount of effort it took to care for someone with autism. Raymond’s disorder teaches Charlie to be more patient, and unselfish.…
Overall the society is the one in control who can actually make a difference in reducing and eventually removing the barriers between a disabled person versus a “normal” individual. In the memoir, the example of the social model was when Martha brings Adam to Harvard for her to finish up her year. No one acknowledged Adam being born. They wouldn’t make eye contact with him, and those who would speak with Martha did not try to make obvious that Adam looked not “normal”. Towards the end of the book, Martha states, “That was only the beginning.…
1. Introduction Social construction of illness is the concept that the meaning and experience of illness is not just based on biomedical knowledge but also developed through interaction in a social and cultural context (Conrad & Barker, 2011). The topic of illness as a social construct then impacts how the afflicted cope with the illness and how the society responds to them (Skrzypek, 2014). In Rain Man (1988), the plot revolves around Charlie, a young car dealer, on a road trip with his new-found autistic brother, Raymond.…
Exiting Nirvana: A Daughter’s Life with Autism does not proceed in a chronological order of Jessy’s triumph of becoming normal, but rather the narrative looks into instances in Jessy’s life that focus on the autistic perspective of talking, thinking, painting, and living. Therefore, the book focus on Jessy’s journey of becoming more aware of others as the title indicates, exiting out of her world, Nirvana, and engaging with the real world as well as not losing her identity during the process. Even though the narrative is from the perspective of a person without a disability, Clara effectively illustrates Jessy’s progress of adapting in the real world while not losing who she is. Exiting Nirvana: A Daughter’s Life with Autism has deepened my…
When Elle, a young autistic female, stayed in a cabin during a family vacation, she became highly distressed by her new living quarters and the presence of another family in the cabin (Park, 1995). Raymond barely reacted to staying in various hotel rooms with Charlie and Charlie’s girlfriend, despite rapid and large changes to his environment. Raymond only asked that the bed be moved, and to watch his favorite TV shows (Levinson and Johnson, 1988). Though these requests are accurate, his reaction to a completely new room, with complete strangers, and none of his belongings seems subdued. Christopher adjusted well to a new house in London, but he only spent time in two homes, while Raymond was forced to move frequently.…
Imagine yourself being locked in a glass room. Outside are strangers whisper and interact with each other in secret words and gestures. You smile at them, wave at them, even scream at them; However hard you try, you seem to be invisible. When you are finally seen, you are stared at, as if you are an animal in zoo.…