"Hopelessly Deformed Face"

As I was reading the news this morning, I came across an article on Fox News that was entitled, "Once-Disfigured Girl Attends Prom After 18 Surgeries." The headline obviously caught my attention (as it was supposed to do), but I don't know that it was for the reasons the author wanted. I am very intrigued by language and all of its nuances. For those of you who know me, you know two things: that my mother was my English grammar teacher and that I don't always use the English language in the most eloquent manner. That said, I am always interested in the words that people choose to explain their thoughts and ideas. In this case the words "disfigured" and "hopelessly deformed face" are used in to describe a young girl who was born with a "tumorous birth mark that distorted the shape of her face." The story (I think) is supposed to be a feel good story about her triumph over adversity and how she is now able to attend prom without anyone even knowing she ever had a problem. My first question is this...why the sensational language to describe this young woman? Now before all of you chastise and tell me that this is what the media does, I do recognize that and I understand that they do it to sell more papers or advertising space, but is it necessary? By using these terms do we reduce this young woman to some type of anomaly who is by the very structure of her being horribly different from everyone else? I would argue that if we are to respect other people and offer worth to all people, then we must change our language. This could be a wonderful story of the wonders of modern medicine and how this woman has beaten the odds, but I am only struck by the insensitivity of the language.

My second question/observation to this article is somewhat similar in nature. If you have read the article, does anything in particular strike you about it? Maybe what is being said or what is not being said? Or much more importantly (in my opinion) who is being heard and who is not being heard? We read about the details of the surgery, we read about the costs of the surgery, we read comments from the surgeon (of course!) and we definitely are inundated with the thoughts of the author (just as you are being inundated by the thoughts of this author!). Who is missing? Whose voice is silent in this article? The young woman! She is the center piece and yet she is noticeably silent. There are no quotes from her! Why not? Why not learn about how these 18 surgeries have impacted her life? The surgeon was only there for a short period of time; she has had to live through each and every one of the surgeries. Who better to talk about this story than Cody Hall?!

For me, the take home message is this. We still live in a society where people have a difficult time realizing that people with disabilities have the ability to think, talk, reason, laugh, cry, feel excited, feel hurt. There seems to be an underlying, subconscious mentality that people with disabilities can't feel or experience the same things that those without disabilities do. I am not saying that that was the intent or the mindset of this author; however, I would challenge each and every one of us not to "other" people with disabilities. Let's not exclude people from conversations or activities simply because they "don't look or sound like I do." Sounds similar to the lessons we should remember from the Civil Rights Movement.

Should Oscar Run?

This is such an interesting question with wide ranging ramifications that I am not sure anyone has a concrete answer to. In one of the articles that I have read, the author suggests that his heart says Oscar should run, but his head says that he should not be allowed to run. For me, the answer is slightly different. Oscar has prosthetic legs that, while they may allow for a greater return of energy than the human leg, also pose tremendous difficulties and disadvantages. If you have watched the YouTube video, you can see how his running gait is not the most graceful. As he reaches speed, his blades begin to turn outwards, and it almost appears as if he must slightly "throw his hips" to be able to run.

Now, I am not a biomechanist and I my understanding of human anatomy and physiology is limited, but my observations and limited knowledge lead me to believe that advantages received from the blades that he runs on are offset by the disadvantages he encounters from not having legs. These disadvantages can range from the matching of his legs to his prosthetics to balance issues due to the fact that there are no nerve endings in the blades for him to tell if he is running correctly on the track surface.

I had a track athlete recently suggest to me that he should not be allowed to run. I do think he should be given the same chance as others to try to run. If he can make the times necessary to participate, then he should be allowed. It should be noted that currently he is not fast enough to make the Olympic qualifying time so all of this may be a mute issue in reality, but he would still be eligible to run for the South African relay team. He should not have the rules changed for him and he should not receive any special treatment, but he should be given the chance to try.

In the end, I think that there are some important lessons that can be learned through his experience. All I want is a chance to try. Don't tell me that I can't. As soon as you tell me I can't, I will prove you wrong. The beauty of the human body and the human spirit is that we just don't know what is truly possible and by simply saying "no" just because we are uncomfortable or because we haven't seen something achieved before, we limit those who could do amazing feats. Should Oscar be allowed to run? In my mind the answer is a clear yes and to adapt a quote from Forrest Gump..."Run Oscar Run."

Natalie Du Toit

Another recent story of a woman with a disability desiring to compete in the Olympics. Natalie lost her leg in 2001, but has qualified to swim in Beijing this summer. Because her sport does not require the use of a prosthetic, there is much less controversy surrounding her participation. Check out the story here.

Oscar Pistorius

To steal the headline from a recent news article...is Oscar Pistorius disabled or too enabled? This is a question that has now been thrust to the forefront of our consciousness due to his desire to participate in the Olympics this summer in Beijing. Here are some stories worth reading to help formulate some thoughts.

Video
Story 1
Story 2
Story 3
Story 4 (This is a really interesting article)
Research Report

Why?

I have heard about blogs for quite awhile now, but I just couldn't understand the purpose behind creating a personal blog. Frankly, what do I have to say that others would be interested in? My students have to listen to my ramblings each day so why should I subject others to my thoughts via cyberspace?

I finally found an answer to the proverbial question of "why?" this morning. I am tremendously interested in the current issue that is facing a South African sprinter named Oscar Pistorius. For more information about his story, a quick google search will provide numerous news stories, but this link will give you the gist of what he is currently facing as he tries to be the first double amputee to compete in the Olympics (note...this is not the Special Olympics or Paralympics). I had posted an ESPN editorial about Oscar on my Facebook page and a current student of mine commented on the story. Suddenly, the lightbulb went on for me. A blog would be a great opportunity to post some stories and dialogue with others who might be interested in similar topics.

I will make ever effort not to spend time reciting the minutia that is my life on this blog. I just look forward to an exchange of ideas. Why did I start a blog, so ideas can be exchanged. It's as simple as that.