The Politics Of Pictures
I have always hated group pictures. Always. I've always hated group pictures because somehow I always feel left out. If I'm in my chair, I often times end up in the front of the group with everyone else standing together behind me, it's awkward. Other times I get out of my chair, and then just look like I'm falling over. Also awkward. 22 years of being a wheelchair user have taught me how to make pictures less awkward and more comfortable for me, but honestly it takes a lot of creativity, and it's only been in the last few years that I've realized ditching my chair for the photo isn't the only solution. That's why I feel so ambivalent over this whole school photo debacle. I've been that kid. I know how it feels. I so don't blame him for wanting to get out of his chair to take the photo, for wanting to be just like everyone else, because at 7 years old I felt exactly the same way. I do however question the culture we have that has created the feeling that in order to fit in and be part of the group it is necessary to ditch any outward signs of disability. I question why I, like this boy, always preferred to ditch my chair for photos.That should always be a choice, always be an option, and no one should ever tell you it's wrong. No one should ever force you to stay in your chair if you don't want to. But that's not the point, that's not what this all is really about. My real problem isn't even with the photos, it's with the discussion surrounding them.
When I read comments like this:
"Nothing intentional was done to exclude the child. His chair is as close to the benches as possible. Some people have too much time on their hands (media). However I do think it was nice to retake the photo."
Or this:
"no one did anything wrong in my opinion. The boy must use a wheelchair and for the class picture they had him wheeled as close to his class as he could be. If anything, they could have shifted all the children down the stands closer to him. But nobody deliberately decided to single him out and exclude the "disabled child". What if he was attached to medical equipment, as many wheelchair-dependant people are? Would there be such an uproar that he wasn't taken out of his chair then? Sensitivities run a little too high sometimes in our overly-politcally correct environment."
Or worst of all this:
"If the mother made this much fuss about the picture just think what she would have done if the boy was dropped moving him "just to take a picture"."
The ableism of it all makes me sick. It doesn't have to be intentional to be wrong. It may not be anyone's fault, but it's still wrong. If his chair couldn't get close enough to the bleachers, then maybe it's time to come up with a photo set up that doesn't involve bleachers. Instead of saying "they had him wheeled as close to his class as he could be" why not just acknowledge that there were better options, like having everybody sit in regular chairs instead of the bleachers. Instead of always blaming the wheelchair, why not just acknowledge that it wasn't an accessible environment? It's not about blaming people, it's about acknowledging the situation as it really is. And finally, how about trying to understand his parents' perspectives, instead of insinuating that they're complaining too much. That is such an example of privilege, I can't even stand it! It must be wonderful to be able to live in a world so set up for you, that when somebody is trying to point out an injustice, you say they're making a fuss.
I don't blame this kid, or his parents, for preferring that the photograph be done without the wheelchair. I don't blame this kid for one second for wanting to blend in and be like everybody else. Heck, I can't count the number of times I've wanted that. I can't count the number of times I blamed my wheelchair for feeling excluded. I don't blame anybody, but I do think this situation represents why we need to acknowledge the ableism that has become so ingrained in our culture. It may not be anybody's fault, but we can do better. We have to stop trying to assimilate people, and really start trying to be inclusive of people and embrace our differences. I hope that one day I live in a world where wheelchair users like myself and this boy feel included without having to blend in and be just like everybody else. I long for the day when we can be fully part of the group, chair and all.
Above is both photos being discussed in the post. On the left is a photo showing a young boy in a power wheelchair smiling and visibly separated from his classmates who are sitting on bleachers. On the right is the re-shoot picturing the same boy smiling and sitting next to to his classmates on the bleachers, no longer in his wheelchair.
Note: I do not own the photo, and got it from a Today article on the subject.
When I read comments like this:
"Nothing intentional was done to exclude the child. His chair is as close to the benches as possible. Some people have too much time on their hands (media). However I do think it was nice to retake the photo."
Or this:
"no one did anything wrong in my opinion. The boy must use a wheelchair and for the class picture they had him wheeled as close to his class as he could be. If anything, they could have shifted all the children down the stands closer to him. But nobody deliberately decided to single him out and exclude the "disabled child". What if he was attached to medical equipment, as many wheelchair-dependant people are? Would there be such an uproar that he wasn't taken out of his chair then? Sensitivities run a little too high sometimes in our overly-politcally correct environment."
Or worst of all this:
"If the mother made this much fuss about the picture just think what she would have done if the boy was dropped moving him "just to take a picture"."
The ableism of it all makes me sick. It doesn't have to be intentional to be wrong. It may not be anyone's fault, but it's still wrong. If his chair couldn't get close enough to the bleachers, then maybe it's time to come up with a photo set up that doesn't involve bleachers. Instead of saying "they had him wheeled as close to his class as he could be" why not just acknowledge that there were better options, like having everybody sit in regular chairs instead of the bleachers. Instead of always blaming the wheelchair, why not just acknowledge that it wasn't an accessible environment? It's not about blaming people, it's about acknowledging the situation as it really is. And finally, how about trying to understand his parents' perspectives, instead of insinuating that they're complaining too much. That is such an example of privilege, I can't even stand it! It must be wonderful to be able to live in a world so set up for you, that when somebody is trying to point out an injustice, you say they're making a fuss.
I don't blame this kid, or his parents, for preferring that the photograph be done without the wheelchair. I don't blame this kid for one second for wanting to blend in and be like everybody else. Heck, I can't count the number of times I've wanted that. I can't count the number of times I blamed my wheelchair for feeling excluded. I don't blame anybody, but I do think this situation represents why we need to acknowledge the ableism that has become so ingrained in our culture. It may not be anybody's fault, but we can do better. We have to stop trying to assimilate people, and really start trying to be inclusive of people and embrace our differences. I hope that one day I live in a world where wheelchair users like myself and this boy feel included without having to blend in and be just like everybody else. I long for the day when we can be fully part of the group, chair and all.
Above is both photos being discussed in the post. On the left is a photo showing a young boy in a power wheelchair smiling and visibly separated from his classmates who are sitting on bleachers. On the right is the re-shoot picturing the same boy smiling and sitting next to to his classmates on the bleachers, no longer in his wheelchair.
Note: I do not own the photo, and got it from a Today article on the subject.
