Myth of Supercrip and Disability Policies

Abstract

Society often values appreciation for people with disability who are able to overcome the obstacles of their disabilities to achieve what they want. Such people with disability is called ‘Supercrip’. Although in many cases it is only a general achievement that people without disability are able to do that in their daily lives but society always chooses to praise excessively for those basic activities and that becomes myth. This image of success of the Supercrip put some of people with disability under social pressure to be able to act or struggle in the same way. If anyone is not able to do that, they will be made to feel as an outcast by the non-disabled society and will be made to feel inferior from the Supercrips as otherness. However, the excessive praise for engaging in everyday activities is thought to reflect low expectations about what people with disability can achieve. This paper aims to present a new perspective of analysis of policy decision makers. Their attitudes are reflective of the attitudes of society. When society expects a higher degree of efforts from people with disability that would also mean the same expectations of those in power. This leads to the neglect of issues concerning disability policies, on the belief that people with disability deserve to overcome those obstacles on their own as a Supercrip. It resulted to many people with disability to have to choose fighting through policy problems which no authorities are interested in solving until they develop an illness that could become debilitating to themselves or to a family member that leads to a disability themselves hence then trying to become a ‘Supercrip’.