Blog #1 - Personal Experience

Sofia Torrie

Disability and Sports

Dr. Sowers


My personal experience with disabilities were very limited, I'd say until I was in high school. I did not have many connections to people with disabilities because I do not have any family members with disabilities. In high school, I was introduced to more students within my school that had disabilities, and by getting to know them, I was able to see that they are just like us, but there are things that may limit their normal day to day lives. I became good friends with a disabled student, and I learned new things from him everyday. My understanding of disabilities were changed by getting to know someone personally with a disability, and seeing how they navigate through life. 

Social media has a broad spectrum of media and nowadays, there are a lot of people who openly talk about their experiences with disabilities which allowed me to learn more about different types of disabilities and how it may affect their lives. Social media has a great way of showing people's hardships while also showing their successes as they come day by day. Learning about different disabilities and also spending time with people who have disabilities opens your eyes and you will learn a lot by hearing about their experiences, or just by observing. Another way I have had experiences with disabilities is through college courses. I have taken different disability courses, and I have learned more about people's experiences, and it has also given me more of an understanding of disabilities and how they affect people. By doing research in these classes and being involved with individuals with disabilities has taught me to proceed with understanding and support. 

Through my college experience and taking disability courses, I have seen this Ted Talk by Stella Young many times. She mainly focuses on how she wants to educate people on how they should treat others with disabilities, and not by not treating them like they are any different than others. Her Ted Talk has taught me that the way people view disabilities and how they treat people with disabilities may not seem like they are degrading them, or treating them like less for celebrating normal everyday tasks, but it is. "Inspirational porn" sounds like an unusual term, but the meaning to it is very deep. As I touched on celebrating small everyday tasks, is what she explains "inspirational porn" to be. Individuals who are not disabled see these things as inspiration and something to be celebrated, but it is just a person doing normal everyday tasks, despite their disability. Young also wrote an article, We're Not Here for Your Inspiration, which also touches on similar topics within her Ted Talk. She explains that by individuals without disabilities focusing on disabled people and their accomplishments through "inspirational porn," we can be discussing more important topics such as what the disabled community actually needs. Inclusion, accessibility, and equal opportunities. 

This Ted Talk and article by Stella Young has brought a new perspective to the way I think about individuals with disabilities, and how they should be treated, just like anyone else. They are normal people navigating through life just like everyone else in the world and they are not here for our inspiration, they are here to live their life normally. 


Resources: 

“We’re Not Here for Your Inspiration.” ABC News, 3 July 2012, www.abc.net.au/news/2012-07-03/young-inspiration-porn/4107006. Accessed 26 Jan. 2026.

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