Brittanie-We Are More Than The Headlines We Are Given in The Media
I was shocked when I read Marna's Instagram post about her experience with the Daily Mail article. I too have had the same experience. Let me start out by introducing myself.
Hey everyone! My name is Brittanie. I, like Marna, have Arthrogryposis. I live in St. Paul, Minnesota and use a wheelchair to navigate through life. I was recently contacted by a media outlet to write up a story about my life that would reflect disability in a positive way. I was really excited to share some of my experiences and viewpoints on disability pride, because this year I have been focusing on the ways disability shapes my life.
I was asked a variety of questions and took time to respond in a meaningful way. When the article was published, I freaked out and told no one about it because of the title. It reads "Woman Living with Rare Joint Condition That Many Infants Don't Survive, Says She's Living Proof That Parent's Should Not Abort Babies Based Solely on A Doctor's Prognosis.”
I was really disappointed that a story meant to shine on the importance of self love and self advocacy, was overshadowed and distorted into a sensational headline to grab readers’ attention. In my opinion, the greatest way to be an ally to the oppressed is to listen to our voices and help to amplify them. Unfortunately in this case, I believe more could have been done to show the true essence of my responses starting with a headline that reads "Disability Pride and Self-Love: My Journey".
I'd also like to address the part of the article that states, “proving everyone wrong by living independently.” No one's worth is or should be based on the ability to live independently. We are all born with worth, independence is not an indicator of worth, period.
I hope that those who read the article can see that beyond the spin, my message is one of self love and perseverance.
Here is a link to the article*
Thanks!
Brittanie Wilson