Metaphors Of Disability

Having the option to watch and listen to a movie at the same time is something we as a society often take for granted. Those who are either deaf blind do not have these options and are often treated with inequality because of it. Being a sighted person myself, I decided to try and experience the difficulties regarding television show watching from the perspective of those who are visually impaired. In order to do this, I blindfolded myself and put on the audio description feature on my Netflix account. To be frank, I couldn’t last 5 minutes without taking a peek at the visual display on my screen. I found the audio description to be thorough, yet it didn’t convey everything that was shown on the screen. The more I watched sans vision, the

These stigmas are often unknowingly taught to children through the usage of metaphors in childhood media. The usage of these metaphors in childhood stories have persisted for many centuries: “Hans Christian Andersen depicts The Little Lame Prince in maudlin tones, and some other childhood tales use the stereotype of the selfless dwarf, or the blind seer” (Dahl). Since Hans Christian Andersen emphasizes the word “lame” in his title and other authors emphasize disability in their pieces of work, it shows how stigmas are often utilized to shape the minds of children. These works of literature are often created for younger audiences, allowing stereotypes to become integrated into society for future generations. Additionally, the usage of metaphors in the media to describe those who are disabled is seen through the imagery of misshapen villains: “villains are always ugly and deformed in some manner, heroes and heroines are possessed of beauty and grace” (Dahl). Since the words ugly and deformed are typically used to describe villains, Dahl points out that the media tends to associate a sense of evilness with a deviation from the norm. This is then reflected in those who are disabled because they have similar characteristics to the way villains are portrayed. This results in the children and adults who watch these movies perceiving those who are disabled in a negative light because of the metaphors associated with this stigma. Minority status and the usage of metaphors often impacts the perception others place upon those who are disabled. These perceptions are often negative in light due to their belief that those who are disabled are nonconforming and are also associated with inferiority. This, in turn, impacts the lives of those who are disabled as a