Inspiration: Maybe, maybe not.

By STEPHANIE DIEBLE

Updated: September 26, 2012, 4:32 PM

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Grand Valley State University senior and journalism major talks about life in a wheelchair, and her journey on the road as Miss Wheelchair Michigan.

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If there were ever four words that make people with disabilities cringe, they would come in the form of you are an inspiration.

I address these four words after making an appearance on GVTV’s student-produced show, INSPIRE, which will air Oct. 5 during GVTV’s premiere night on channel 10 throughout campus. Hosted by Grand Valley State University sophomore Sam Shields, INSPIRE profiles students and members of the GVSU community who have compelling stories to share. In so many cases a person with a disability is tabbed as inspirational. There are some instances where that association may be true, but it shouldn’t be automatic.

Let’s face it, it’s human nature for us to find inspiration from people who overcome adversity and achieve greatness. We all have that one person who has accomplished what we are striving toward or that one individual who has overcome that hurdle and still found a way to make it work. From them, we find courage, we are motivated, we remain optimistic and we continue to move ahead.

For people with disabilities though, daily routines are filled with barriers, challenges and adversity.
Every day life can include medical procedures, being out in public and having to consider if there is even a restroom you can maneuver into if you need one, or maybe it’s the extra time it takes to get dressed because you may not have the ability to stand up or the use of your upper-body extremities.

While it is true that a person with disability faces barriers regularly, the majority of people who have a disability raise the question why should I be considered an inspiration just for living my life?

Yes, there are plenty of obstacles that come along with having a disability, but it is also true that the rest of society faces its own set of hurdles. Besides, 99.9 percent of the time, the adversity people with disabilities face is not even considered an obstacle, it is simply a part of life.

Now, I don’t mind people finding inspiration from my actions. In fact, my hope is that I live my life in such a way that I give to others whenever I am capable and receive without forgetting to appreciate an act of kindness. It is my daily actions, not what I have accomplished with a disability that I want people to be inspired from.

The concept of inspiration may get tossed around a lot and may regularly get associated with people who are living with a disability, but shows like INSPIRE help convey the message that everyone has the capability to create inspiration through their actions. No matter who we are, where we come from or what we do, we all have a story to share.

Stephanie Deible
Ms. Wheelchair Michigan 2012.

Published September 26, 2012 in Beyond the Chair