Disability archetypes – Heroes, villains, and saviors

All the world’s a stage,
and all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts” Shakespeare

Shakespeare’s words are as true now as they were when they were originally written. In my own life I have played the roles of son, brother husband, father, etc. The fact that I am also someone who is blind introduces another set of roles I am seen as playing. When I tell stories of my experiences downhill skiing or driving race cars, I’m seen as playing the role of “Blind Superhero.” When I find myself unexpectedly in a construction site, I might be seen as the lost child who needs to be rescued. Civil rights advocates may see me as a

victim to be championed when organizations create access barriers.

When we enjoy a well done theatrical production, read a well written story, or watch a good TV show or movie, we find ourselves drawn into the characters of the story and their relationships to one another. In the final scenes of many stories we see conflicts coming to a head, challenges overcome, and the clarification of relationships. A memorable story has multifaceted characters that are believable as they negotiate the twists and turns of plot and relationships.

Lessons learned:

Shakespeare’s stage metaphor works well here. As we all play our parts we go back and forth between stage and audience. I enjoy being seen as a super hero. I have both felt foolish and great relief at being rescued from potentially dangerous situations. And, even though I hate to admit it, sometimes I have been a victim and sometimes I’ve only felt that way. I can only be a superhero if I have

super fans, can only be saved if I have a savior, and either need to lose my victim mentality or find a champion to defend me.

Like memorable characters in fictional stories, we can only be seen as whole persons when we are seen as multifaceted characters negotiating the twists and turns of plot and relationships. We don’t need to look too far to see examples of iconic figures that have proven to be very effective in one area while being quite flawed in others. These revelations are sometimes met with surprise (or indignation) when we have only seen the individual through a one-dimensional lens. Similarly, we can see ourselves and others through a one-dimensional lens when it comes to our relationship with disability. I am sometimes a blind super hero, sometimes a lost child,

sometimes an intellectual, and sometimes a guy who lies in a hammock. Those I encounter (the heroes, villains, and saviors) are just as complex.

Applying the lessons:

Our alienation from one another is often rooted in our lack of awareness of the many facets of others. This seems especially true when we overlay our relationship with disability on our (personal and professional) relationships with others.

Here are a few questions to reflect on regarding your own relationship with disability:
1. What roles do you find yourself playing (hero, victim, care giver, etc)??
2. For each of these roles, who is your audience? Your fellow actors?
3. What motivates you to play the roles you play?
4. What are the roles of those you interact with?
5. What motivates them? How do you know that?
6. What could you do to expand your relationship with disability and those who are affected by disability?

Speech: “All the world’s a stage” By William Shakespeare

Retrieved from: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/56966/speech-all-the-worlds-a-stage

Join the conversation

The February 15, 2018 MoMS Connectors Table will explore disability archetypes. How we see each other as we move through the world is based upon many conscious and unconscious factors. The roles we play can be affected when we introduce disability into the mix. We’ll explore how the application of archetypes affects our relationship with disability.
The MoMS Connectors Table series explores our relationship with disability through first-person, facilitated, conversations.

Who: All roundtables are open to everyone. The roundtable conversations may be of special interest to: employers, HR professionals, professionals with a disabling condition, PWD allies, and disability service providers. As a first-person conversation, all participants are

asked to speak on behalf of themselves, from their own experiences.

When: The February MoMS Connectors Table will take place on Thursday, February 15 at 3:00 PM until 4:30 PM. Vision Forward Association campus located at 912 North Hawley Rd., Milwaukee. For more information or to register: Feb 15 Connectors Table

An underlying tenant of the roundtables is “We are each of us broken, and yet, we are all whole persons.”

for more information:

www.Mainstreaming on Main Street

Dan Lococo, Barrier Knocker Downer
414.333.5846
Dan.Lococo@gmail.com