Most disabled and chronically ill people wince at the word, “inspiration(al)”. It seems harmless initially, but the toxic positive people and a specific breed of condescending ableists have made it anything but harmless.

Inspiration porn has long haunted our community. I've been stopped by many strangers in public that bent down to my level to tell me variations of “it's so inspiring to see people like you out of the house!” Strangers that knew nothing about me other than I was disabled.

If you're also disabled and struggling with the insecurities of being in the public eye, then it can be inspiring to see others like you - but just an able bodied stranger? No.

For years, “ugly laws” in several US cities made it illegal for visibly disabled people to be in public. They marked an extremely dark, ableist chapter of US history that lasted from 1867 all the way to 1974! The laws are gone, but the strict beauty standards persist, but now with a sugarcoat.

Whether or not these people are aware of it or not, they perpetuate the ideas of the archaic past by those “compliments”. It may be done in a pseudo-polite way, but it still is a clear way to tell the disabled that their presence in society is not normal. The existence of a disabled person - be it a wheelchair user, amputee, or anything else - is a completely normal occurrence.

Life and nature is quite diverse: bodies age, grow, get sick, are disabled, and so much more. We're all ever-changing vessels of our personalities, thoughts, and emotions (souls, if you believe, as well) and sometimes the vessels begin with a disability or become disabled.

That said, it is also possible for you to be inspired by a disabled person. However, if you know nothing about a disabled person in a grocery store, you're not “inspired” by them - you have ableism that you need to address. Ask yourself, “would I be inspired by them if they weren't disabled?” If the answer is no, you should examine your biases.

Disabled people who are inspiring aren't just existing. But many of us are inspiring.