‘I hate motivational cripples’
August 26th, 2007Writing on the BBC site “ouch,” anonymous columnist Disability Bitch criticizes the recent news that blind adventurer and motivational speaker Miles Hilton Barber performed aerobatics in a fighter jet (with a co-pilot who announced that the experience was “humbling.”) See original BBC story here.
It wouldn’t bother me – if you want to do aerobatics, go ahead – but why do all these motivational cripples have to be doing things which are so outlandish. I have a new challenge for Miles: go to any major city in the UK during rush hour and get from one end to the other on public transport. Go on.
See, that makes a few facilitated somersaults in a speedy aircraft look easy, no? My personal ambitions are a little more worldly. Have a career, have a social life, have friends, family. These are all things which are trickier than average for your common cripple, because the world doesn’t tend to be designed with us in mind.
… Cooing over Miles Hilton Barber’s aeronautical adventure is all well and good, but I’m still waiting for my local authority to introduce accessible buses.
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on Sunday, August 26th, 2007 at 8:20 pm and is filed under accessibility, commentary, success stories.
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August 29th, 2007 at 10:39 am
I would agree whole heartedly. I also think the media has a lot to answer for. I have been interviewed by newspapers, TV, and radio. Each time I have requested, beforehand, NOT to portray me as hero or victim, and yet every time the same thing has happened. I now ask to have editorial rights (which stops any interview!).