Impairments, Disabilities, and Handicapped

The film Murderball from class really made me aware of how great the human potential is to overcome adversity. If you were born with an impairment that's one thing because it's all you've ever known; but if you go from being an able-bodied individual to a paraplegic or quadraplegic then you have to overcome not only the physical challenges, but also the mental and emotional ones as well. In society today, I think we can be a bit ignornant to the abilities that those with disabilities have. And I know that sounds confusing, but I do not think we realize or give enough credit to those with disabilities, because they are able to do so much for themselves. Especially in sports. It is clear that the Paralympic Games do not receive as much broadcasting or advertisment as the Olympic Games, but why shouldn't they? Overcoming adversity is something we celebrate highly in our sports today. And while we value our Olympic athletes like Michael Phelps, Mia Hamm, Lindsey Vonn or Shaun White, sadly I don't think but one person out of ten could name a Paralympic athlete. If we had more people exposed to and educated about those impairments or disabilities I do not think we would have the prevalence of ignorance we have today as made evident by the film when one person thought the Paralympic Games were the same as the Special Olympics. Being in the class has also brought to my attention the levels of heirarchy we have in society, and how many people might look down on disabled individuals as incapable or inferior, when in fact while they may not be able-bodied it doesn't mean they are not able. There may be a point in time, perhaps in our near future, when those individuals with prosthetic limbs or man-made body parts far exceed even our best athletes. Will we recognize these athletes then? Will we give them the respect they deserve? Living without a limb or use of the legs, something that you or I cannot imagine, can only make an individual stronger, faster, better. I respect the disabled community and disabled athletes for the accomplishments that they have acheived. And this is not to say the fact that they can do stuff with a disability, it is to say that they, no doubt, far exceeded what I am capable of doing. So my question is, when will society accept and treat as equals, those with an impairment and/or disability, and stop treating these individuals as handicapped (inferior or "unable" due to disability)? Again, overcoming adversity, being tough (mentally, emotionally and physically), hardwork, perseverance, and an uplifting story, are all things that we value in our (able-bodied) athletes of today. Why can we not feel the same way towards those with a disability? Just because we can say we have more functional body parts than they do, does not make us better, and does not mean that we can look down on others, for the disabled persons community has the power to show us a true underdog story.
Danae Delfin
Kin 332i Sec 03