I’m Not Here to Inspire You
Essays on disability from a regular guy living with cerebral palsy
by
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From the Introduction:
The word inspire has probably become a bit bastardized for me. It’s certainly not a bad thing to be inspired, find something inspirational, or even to inspire someone else by personal deeds.
Yet, I cringe when I hear the word.
I want to recoil when I hear someone use inspire, even if they are using the word in a perfectly reasonable way. The overuse of the word in describing people with disabilities has created somewhat of a Pavlovian reaction for me. I’ve literally had strangers approach me at the gym, for example, to tell me that I inspire them. I’d like to report that my physique is the cause of such remarks, but I’d be lying.
Their inspiration comes from the fact that I have cerebral palsy.
Over the years, I’ve seen hundreds if not thousands of news stories or television programs that put people with disabilities in the role of inspirational figure simply because they are living their lives. The only job I ever quit was when I was given the opportunity to cover the disability community in a realistic way—a concept I had proposed—for the local section of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Articles intended to be informative to the local disability community were edited into the typical human-interest stories about the disabled that newspapers have been doing forever. Years later I regretted not quitting a two-year job with a foundation—whose mission was supposed to be to enhance the lives of people with disabilities—when it became abundantly clear that they defined my role as a writer in terms of being their inspiring poster child.
I was born with my disability, so maybe that explains why I absolutely cannot comprehend the mentality of individuals who don’t seem capable of viewing people with physical disabilities as full-fledged human beings. With all of the political correctness in the world it may seem as though people with disabilities have achieved a level of acceptance where basic statements of humanity are completely unnecessary. But once the surface of that acceptance is scratched, they seem as needed as ever.
I am here to seek all of the same things that anyone else in the world wants, including happiness, fulfillment, success, and finding someone to love.
I’m not here to inspire you.
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About the Book
In this collection of essays, Rob J. Quinn offers insights on his own experiences as a man living with cerebral palsy and challenges the perceptions of people with disabilities offered by the able-bodied world. Many of the pieces are meant to give teens and young adults living with physical disabilities a new perspective on some of the issues they are dealing with in their daily lives. Quinn tackles topics such as going to school, physical therapy, dealing with the isolation that people with disabilities can experience, and pushing the limits of the physical abilities people possess despite a disability. I’m Not Here to Inspire You is intended as a positive, yet honest look at aspects of living with a physical disability.
After reading several essays from Quinn, Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Daniel Rubin wrote that the writer “chronicles his life unflinchingly.”
About the Author
Rob J. Quinn started as a freelance writer for the Philadelphia Inquirer Sports section, and wrote a series of articles on the disability community for the local section of the paper. He moved on to eventually work full-time as an editor with a children’s book publisher, and wrote a book for the publisher on a freelance basis. Quinn then spent several years blogging. His sports blog, Rob Q. Ink, was often quoted in the Inquirer’s “Blog Zone” section of the paper. On Rob Q. Ink—Page 2, the writer offered thoughts on various topics, including the disability community.
Learn more about the author and I’m Not Here to Inspire You at http://robjquinn.blogspot.com/. The site also offers links to find him on Facebook and Twitter, as well as other contact information.