A Taste of Disability
Morgan Spurlock, of Super Size Me fame, continues to create work that is not only entertaining but also informative. As you may recall, Mr. Spurlock attempted to eat McDonald’s food 30 days straight in the aforementioned movie. Well, he has continued to take a similar approach with his TV series, 30 Days.
Though the topics vary widely, from living on minimum wage to asking an Arizona Minute-Man to live with an illegal immigrant family, the approach remains the same – put someone in a unique and uncomfortable situation for 30 days so they can experience what had previously been foreign to them.
Now Spurlock has masterfully accomplished this task when it comes to giving us a taste of disability. In the segment below Ray Crockett, a former NFL player, is asked to live in a wheelchair for 30 days. What unfolds over the course of the show is the most insightful and honest perspective on living with a disability that I’ve encountered.
Ever wondered what it’s like to be me? I encourage you to watch the full episode just below.
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(Disclaimer: the segment is 43 minutes long and deals with intense topics. But, it is well worth the time if you are curious about the impact of disability on an individual.)
Although Crockett’s stint in a wheelchair was different from my experience of a life without arms, several points resounded loudly:
1. The burden on family members that have been pressed into the role of care-taking is extraordinary. Ray’s wife quickly experiences this and, in addition to the time and energy required of her, there is a heavy toll on their relationship as she shifts from the role of wife to caretaker. As I’ve grown older I have come to appreciate the extra energy that both my parents and my older brother exuded in helping me throughout my growing-up years.
2. As the doctor at the beginning of the episode suggests, I have experienced the dynamic of how store clerks will refuse to interact with you when you are with an able-bodied person. Even as I sign a receipt, a clerk will often make eye contact with the other person and hand them the receipt — virtually ignoring me.
3. Living with a disability requires a different train of thought as to how you function at home. Ray was fortunate in that he had the resources to adapt a car with hand steering, to widen doorways and to build ramps. Most people with disabilities do not have those same financial resources.
Although I feel I’ve done very well thus far — even to the point of living alone — it has been through much emotional and financial support from individuals and government resources. This is where the “pull yourself up by your own bootstraps” logic that dominates our society completely falls apart, in my opinion.
4. The desire to participate in activities that your body will not allow you to do is extremely frustrating. Ray recognizes this as he watches his sons play basketball and is impacted heavily by not being able to join them.
I’ve loved sports my entire life and have always wanted to participate in whatever way possible. My mom tells me that at a young age I came walking into the house crying, upset that I couldn’t join the other neighborhood boys in a game of basketball. This is not a just matter of not being good at a sport — it’s the physical inability to do something you love.
5. Disability complicates relationships and issues of sexuality, even if only in the mind of the person with a disability. As seen in this 30 Days episode, the mates of disabled people often say that disability is not a big issue or even something that they consider much, but it still weighs on the day-to-day interactions of intimate relationships. From the mate’s care-taking role to social pressures, the relationship carries an extra burden.
6. Life with a disability simply requires extra effort to complete daily tasks.
7. Ray’s mom suggests that people with disabilities don’t want you to ask them about what happened. Completely untrue! Ignoring the obvious physical disability is insulting and exhibits a lack of curiosity on the part of others.
Sighs & Hallelujahs 