In an Alternative Universe...

Excerpt:

 “All the able-bodied were given special toughened helmets (provided free by the village) to wear at all times. Special braces were designed which gave support while keeping the able-bodied wearer bent at a height similar to their fellow wheelchair-user villagers. Some doctors went so far as to suggest that there was no hope for these poor sufferers unless they too used wheelchairs, and one person even went so far as to suggest amputation to bring the able-bodied down to the right height. ” (Finkelstein, 1975)


Commentary:

I became aware of the significance of a person's environment in determining how well they adapt to society while reading Finkelstein's fictional universe where the social structure is designed to favor the crippled. I am aware of my advantages in having access to education and a reliable support system. Not everyone is raised in a setting that supports their development and helps them attain their full potential. It's not their fault that certain students who are better and perhaps harder workers than I don't have as much access to education; rather, it's the outside world. Likewise, those with disabilities found it difficult to survive in a society that simply provided the barest necessities.


Citation:

Finkelstein, V. (1975). To deny or not to deny disability - what is disability? To Deny or Not to

            Deny Disability - What is disability? | Independent Living Institute. Retrieved December 12, 2022,

            from https://www.independentliving.org/docs1/finkelstein.html 


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