Aimee Mulara A Phenomenology Of Disability

When many of us hear the word “disabled,” we often times have a preconceived notion characterized as a limited individual or even one who lacks skillfulness. Although most of us don’t choose these thoughts in a critical manner, we frequently overlook the potential opportunities that these disabled individuals have to adapt and overcome difficulty. In all fairness, I can admit that at times when I have thought of a “disabled” individual, I am guilty of having a predetermined mindset. Since being recently introduced to “Clara: A Phenomenology of Disability,” and Aimee Mullins “The Opportunity of Adversity,” I have become much more mindful in the way I perceive those living life with a disability and how it may affect their future. Within “The

Clara struggled for many years with her disability in “darkness” while slowly discovering ways to accept herself and be okay with her disability. Unhappy and discouraged, Clara described her status as “trapped,” and “abandoned by everyone and everything.” She often focused on who she was before her disability and compared that to who she is now. She let her past keep her from moving on to other things and potentially creating a new, positive reality. She felt troubled with accepting that where she was at this point in her life was up to her to decide. She continuously struggled since who she once was had changed in certain physical aspects leaving her to start from a lesser version of what she expected to be. Clara reveals that she often felt alone and incapable of doing more because of the way she was viewed as well. Her family would pick up her slack or assume that she couldn’t handle many situations giving her no chance to grow. She was often embarrassed but turned this research process into a therapeutic process that helped her see the light at the end of the tunnel. It took a long time for her to believe in herself again, against what others may see her as. Slowly she began going against the grain and even challenged her Father when he didn’t believe she could walk to work alone. Over time with this phenomenology, Clara concluded “What was important wasn’t doing at all. It was that through doing I could realize I could be myself, and be someone who, like others, continues to live and change and grow,” which was a wonderful way to finalize her outlook against her personal