Is It Better To Be Dead Than Disabled

Running head: IS IT BETTER TO BE DEAD THAN DISABLED 1

Is it better to be dead than disabled

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IS IT BETTER TO BE DEAD THAN DISABLED 2

Is it better to be dead than disabled

According to the article, ‘I'd rather be dead than disabled' by Joel Michael Reynolds,

many people misunderstand the issue of disability and view it as a condition that can easily

and quickly be corrected by a health practitioner. However, there is much more involved in

disability than what people think. The inclusion of the education about disability in medical

training is of much importance though people often overlook it. People living with disabilities

appear to have the most difficulties when it comes to patient-practitioner communication. The

primary factor that contributes to this inadequacy is that studies involving health

communication are rarely incorporated into critical disability studies (Reynolds, n.d.). Joel

Reynolds aims at demonstrating various ways that can be helpful in enriching the integration

between significant disability and health communication studies. Therefore, the author

provides techniques to enhance patient-practitioner communication among people with

disabilities. Joel highlights the issue of ableist conflation and how it can be applied.

The ableist conflation describes disability as a state of undesirable experiences, pain,

mortality, and suffering. Joel Reynolds includes a proclamation be Steven Pinker in this

article, where the latter states that the issues of disability, suffering, and death have the same

experiences and no one would want to go through such situations. The statement by Pinker

reflects the thoughts of many people including activists and thinkers across the world.

Such statements make it difficult for people living with disabilities to communicate

openly about their situation due to the discrimination and stigmatization they get from others.

Pinker also relates the state of disability with war and crime that result in premature deaths or

numerous years of suffering and pain. He does not see the need for research involving

disability as he assumes that it eventually leads to death or continued pain (Reynolds, n.d.).

IS IT BETTER TO BE DEAD THAN DISABLED 3

The claims by Pinker are a clear indication of uncritical thinking involving the issue of

disability.

People across the world, including health practitioners, should work endlessly to

understand and do away with the problem of ableist conflation. For people living with

disabilities to gain confidence and improve their communication with health workers, it is

important that other people show them that they understand their situation and do not link it

with suffering and pain. The people who are ignorant about disability education tend to

sympathize with people with disabilities in the same way as those in pain from diseases such

as cancer or Alzheimer's disease (Lorde, n.d.). The first step of enhancing patient-practitioner

communication among people living with disabilities is ensuring the public is aware of

disability education and that it has no connection with pain and suffering. Also, activists

should quit encouraging the issue of ableist conflation as it contributes to the stigmatization

and discrimination of the disabled.

Medical practitioners with a negative attitude towards the issue of disability make a

significant contribution to the inadequate communication between health workers and people

living with disabilities. Also, the perception of a medical worker about disability is a

reflection of how other individuals in the society view the issue. For instance, according to

the article, ‘How Do I Ask About Your Disability?', which is mentioned by Joel Reynolds,

the disabled are in need of a closer relationship with their health experts.

However, the article claims that medical practitioners hold a negative thinking

towards disability and thus discourage patient-practitioner communication with the disabled.

The lack of critical analysis on the issue of disability contributes highly to the wrong

conceptualization of disability and the ill-treatment and stigmatization of the disabled. For

this reason, the issue of health communication is likely to be enhanced by critical disability

IS IT BETTER TO BE DEAD THAN DISABLED 4

studies (Reynolds, n.d.). Such studies help health workers to identify various ways that can

assist them to refrain from material and epistemic practices that are unjust.

Also, some medical facilities provide information that is written in a language that

blind people find hard to comprehend. The crippled should be able to access information in

notice boards at hospitals. However, most health practitioners ignore this and place

notifications at place where the disabled cannot reach (Scuro, n.d.). To help the disabled,

health workers should ensure they cater for their needs by for instance, providing information

written in braille to suite the blind people and notices that can be read easily even with those

in wheelchairs.

The issue about disability and how people perceive it is interesting in that it opens up

the thinking of different people and educates them on what disability is all about. The article,

‘I’d rather be dead than disabled’ by Joel Michael comprehensively shows how medical

practitioners contribute to the mistreatment and stigmatization of people living with

disabilities across the world. The ableist conflation explains just how most people perceive

disability and why it is difficult for the disabled to live a comfortable life today. What makes

the article and other reading interesting is that they provide statements and articles by other

people, which prove just how ignorant people are about the issue of disability.

Personally, I have come across may disabled people, particularly the crippled who do

not get the chance to board public service vehicles because people assume that they are a

burden. Also, some companies ignore the fact that they need to install infrastructure such as

ramps that favor the disabled. It is necessary for the society including medical practitioners to

get educated on the issue of disability to improve patient-practitioner communication.

IS IT BETTER TO BE DEAD THAN DISABLED 5

References

Lorde, A. (n.d.). Breast Cancer: A Black Lesbian Feminist Experience, 23-54.

Reynolds, J. M. (n.d.). "I'd rather be dead than disabled ": The ableist conflation and the

meanings of disability, 1-20.

Scuro, Havis, & Brown. (n.d.). Intersectionality, 1-176.

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