This archive report was first published on 3 September 2019.
The Dignity of Disabled Lives ¶
As we strive for social progress, it's essential to acknowledge the value of disabled lives, which have often been marginalized and hidden. In the 20th century, people with disabilities were often kept at home or sent to institutions, a painful reminder of the stigma surrounding their existence.
However, with the rise of social progress, disabled people are now more visible than ever. We live in a time of great medical progress, where many forms of disability are being acknowledged as identities, but also subject to cure. It's crucial for us to be aware of the interplay between social and medical progress.
As someone who has struggled with depression, a mental illness that can earn you disability stripes, I've come to realize the importance of recognizing and valuing the lives of people with disabilities. My grandmother used to say, 'Everybody's got something.' Our work is to seek meaning in who we are rather than in who we might have wished to be.
Andrew Solomon (@Andrew_Solomon) is a professor of medical clinical psychology at Columbia University Medical Center and the author of 'Far From the Tree,' which has been made into a documentary film, and of 'The Noonday Demon' and 'Far and Away.'
This essay is adapted from the author's foreword to the new book 'About Us: Essays From The New York Times Disability Series,' edited by Peter Catapano and Rosemarie Garland-Thomson.
