Being an Inspiration for Basic Tasks

“Nadia Goodwin opening a pull door.” Photo taken by Jessi Miller.

For some reason, I have often been called an inspiration by strangers for accomplishing the basic things that an average person can do.  

Allow me to set up the scene for you. 18-year-old Nadia casually paying for gas when a couple strides over to her. The woman says “You are such an inspiration. I saw you open that door and if you can do it, I don’t have an excuse not to do anything.”  

This might seem familiar to a lot of you. If you have been in the limb lost and limb difference community, you probably have had a similar experience. 

Being called an inspiration sometimes gets onto my nerves because it is a reminder that society has this image of the disability community. The idea that we cannot do the basics of even opening a door. Mind you, the door mentioned above was a push door.  

Just because I have a disability does not mean that I cannot accomplish basic tasks. The image that society has of the disability community is harmful.  

The advice my parents give to other parents in my community is “Treat them like they can, and they will; treat them like they can’t, and they won’t.”  

People grow up and continue to add to this image that opening a push door is something to applaud.  

We are capable of doing more than the basics.