Fighting Chance blog 6

LifeX

We believe that it is simply unacceptable that a significant portion of our community be excluded from actively participating in society because of their disability. Public isolation, loneliness and a lack of social opportunity is a far too prevalent and unnecessary challenge for Australians with disabilities. So what did we do..? We launched the Life X program in June of 2012, our aim, to make social inclusion a reality!

We run an annual calendar of events, from evenings at the pub and concerts through to weekends away, open to people with disabilities and our able bodied supporters. By doing so, we bring together young people who would otherwise never meet.

Keep an eye out on Facebook and Twitter for upcoming events, and get involved.

Our in-house blog writer Maria Makhoul comments on the Queen of the little monsters Lady Gaga, after attending her concert.

On Sunday June 24, some members of the Fighting Chance team, including myself, were lucky enough to go and see American pop star Lady Gaga at All Phones Arena, in Sydney as part of the Fighting Chance LifeX program.

While many people may classify her controversial stage presence along with her mildly wild personality and eccentric sense of fashion as perhaps not suitable to everyone else’s artistic tastes, on the flipside, her underlying inspirational message overshines that particular fact.

I think that going to this concert help us all connect with our inner wild child and it was a great night overall.

Attendees: Laura O’Reilly (Fighting Chance Australia CEO), Amanda Keegan (volunteer and Kellie Keegan’s sister), Kate Howard-Jones (former carer and HR staff member), Sophie Cooper (Georgia Cooper’s sister and volunteer), Kellie Keegan (current carer and HR staff member), Kylie Daily, Brianna Heaton, Georgia Cooper me, Brianna Azzopardi.

Fighting Chance blog 7

We’re not here for your inspiration . . . I politely disagree

Inspirational: Imparting a divine influence on the mind and soul.

Hi Readers,

I’m writing this article in response to an article by Stella Young that I read on ‘Ramp Up. ‘Ramp Up’ is the ABC website featuring news, discussion, debate and humour for everyone in Australia’s disability communities. Stella Young is a comedian, disability advocate and editor of ‘Ramp Up’. The article “We’re not here for your inspiration” criticises the use of images depicting disabled people doing ‘normal’ things captioned with inspiring quotes intended on encouraging ‘non-disabled’ people to put their worries into perspective, of which Stella disapprovingly labels “inspiration porn”.

In my attempt to respond to her, I’m going to do my very best to advise her to lighten up, encourage her to tone her criticism down and show her that there’s nothing necessarily wrong with being ‘teachably’ inspiring towards others in my similarly entitled blog “We’re not here for your inspiration…I politely disagree”.

I was born with a moderate type of cerebral palsy which means that while I am able to walk using mobility equipment to support me with my physical balance issues, I use a wheelchair for long distances because I get tired. Because my CP is moderate, I sometimes feel reluctantly lucky that I can do the things I can, but despite that, my parents always insisted that I treat myself the same way as everyone else and conduct myself with complete normalcy (whether it’s with your attitude and/or your physical capabilities). So far most of the people that I’ve come across have been encouragingly kind and pleasant towards me.

Although people with a physical disability (like myself) might be doing completely ‘normal’ everyday tasks as Stella so defensively points out. These tasks are in fact challenging for those of us who do not live in a ‘normal’ functioning body. So what then is the dispute over recognising this feat as inspirational? I would argue that to be inspirational one does not need to be extraordinary, rather one can be simply ordinary but in extraordinary circumstances.

As anyone who has a disability will know, growing up can be a real roller-coaster ride. Often you have to search far and wide for inspiration about how you can make your life more meaningful and achieve a sense of purpose and fulfilment. For me, it’s the feat of overcoming obstacles and achieving against the odds that is inspiring, individuals achieving their goals no matter how big or small.

I would argue then, that a photo of a famous athlete with the slogan “you can do it!” “find the power” is no more or less ‘appropriate’ than a picture of an amputee walking on prosthetic legs with the caption “before you give up try”. With the permission of the individual in question how can it be suggested as abusive or disrespectful to advertise ones triumphs in the hope of inspiring others? We all need a little motivational reminder every so often this hardly denotes ‘inspirational porn’.

So, Stella, if you disagree I hereby pose a question: What and/or who would you personally and specifically identify and/or classify as an inspirational person to you?

Maria Makhoul – Fighting Chance in-house blog writer.