Disability and the Theatrical Event
When I was 10, I was hit by a car. Actually, I was 9 years old, got hit by the car and turned 10 in hospital.
I was walking home with my friends after school.
It all happened in the blink of an eye.
Someone was driving. Someone didn't look.
Someone was careful but not careful enough.
They ran. I waited.
Not in the right place.
And I was hit.
Just like that.
A piece of glass from the headlight pierced my skull and entered my brain.
My brain was damaged.
They call it ABI. Aquired Brain Injury.
I was meant to die.
My fist did come down from my chin.
I learnt relaxation processes by living and practicing Yoga in an Ashram.
Yoga also helped me learn to walk with a reduced limp.
I toned and strengthened my body through Yogic practice.
I recommend Yoga to anyone who wants to work with his or her body.
And I discovered theatre.
In the theatre I was magical. I could create a world where I was good enough.
Moving my body to music was empowering.
And when I feel empowered,
disability and difference do not matter.
I become one with the music. I transcend to a plane of just . . . being.
In drama my difference doesn't have to matter.
But -- if I want it to matter -- my difference is treasured.
I can use my difference to my advantage to say something to the world.
I decided to help others through counseling work and began a Social Work degree at the University of South Australia. I graduated from my social work degree in 2000.
I have finally realized that only by celebrating disability and difference --
-- only by making our disability visible -- can we get out of the trap.
We reconstruct ourselves through theatre and make choices.
We create new opportunities.
We turn the situation around.
‘“Now it’s my turn to make it better for generations that come after, which is why I’ve become, involved in disabilities issues”’ (Open University, 2016a).
The Techniques Used by Shakespeare to Keep the Audience in Interested in Romeo and Juliet
William Shakespeare's Use of Dramatic Devices in Act 3 Scene 1 of Romeo and Juliet
the main theme of the play. With out this scene in the play I don’t
in the play. The theme of love is a young man (Romeo) from one family
this scene and the end of Act 1 Scene 4. The last scene ended on a
How Shakespeare Gains and Holds the Audience's Attention and Interest Up to Act One Scene One of Romeo and Juliet
to his friend Tuble for the rest of the money. Later he takes a quote
rich merchant needs money to lend to friend so he makes a bond with a
1)Disability is a form of physical or mental impairment to the body and mind that can prevent a person from doing certain things in their life.
My interest persisted and grew as I began to see how my efforts had the ability to improve the lives of people around me. I first noticed this on a personal level as friends would come to me for advice or for me to listen to their struggles and provide comfort. No matter how mundane, horrific, unique, or common the story was, I listened to them in a genuine and non-judgmental manner. I truly enjoyed hearing people’s stories and providing comfort and advice when needed. These moments helped me realize the power of simply being there for someone, and it increased my interest of pursuing a career where I can support those who need it most. I want to become a social worker so I can provide direction to those who may not be able to get it from other sources, just like I have done for various people throughout my life.
One of the ways Shakespeare makes this scene dramatically effective is the way he portrays Romeos thoughts when he first meets Juliet. Romeo uses very poetic language and appears to be a bit of a romanticist. He likens Juliet to a dove among ugly crows: “Beauty too rich for use, for earth too dear, So shows a snowy dove trooping with crows” Romeo is stunned by Juliet’s beauty. It is a case of love at first sight and Romeo is smitten with Juliet after this first passing: “Did my heart love till now?” Romeos form of speech is far more poetic then ...
In the essay “Disability,” Nancy Mairs discusses the lack of media attention for the disabled, writing: “To depict disabled people in the ordinary activities of life is to admit that there is something ordinary about disability itself, that it may enter anyone’s life.” An ordinary person has very little exposure to the disabled, and therefore can only draw conclusions from what is seen in the media. As soon as people can picture the disabled as regular people with a debilitating condition, they can begin to respect them and see to their needs without it seeming like an afterthought or a burden. As Mairs wrote: “The fact is that ours is the only minority you can join involuntarily, without warning, at any time.” Looking at the issue from this angle, it is easy to see that many disabled people were ordinary people prior to some sort of accident. Mairs develops this po...
his tribe, is very rich and looses all that he has at the end of the
Every day in America, a woman loses a job to a man, a homosexual high school student suffers from harassment, and someone with a physical or mental disability is looked down upon. People with disabilities make up the world’s largest and most disadvantaged minority, with about 56.7 million people living with disabilities in the United States today (Barlow). In every region of the country, people with disabilities often live on the margins of society, deprived from some of life’s fundamental experiences. They have little hope of inclusion within education, getting a job, or having their own home (Cox). Everyone deserves a fair chance to succeed in life, but discrimination is limiting opportunities and treating people badly because of their disability. Whether born from ignorance, fear, misunderstanding, or hate, society’s attitudes limit people from experiencing and appreciating the full potential a person with a disability can achieve. This treatment is unfair, unnecessary, and against the law (Purdie). Discrimination against people with disabilities is one of the greatest social injustices in the country today. Essential changes are needed in society’s basic outlook in order for people with disabilities to have an equal opportunity to succeed in life.