"Disability" by Nancy Mairs

Analysis of “Disability” Nancy Mairs’ “Disability” is a short story from Carnal Acts that describes how Nancy Mairs, the speaker of the short story, studies the media’s view on disabilities. She is a victim of multiple sclerosis and feels inferior to everyone because she has a disability. The audience knows how she feels about this; she feels that handicapped people should be treated equally. She knows that she is not alone, but she feels like she isn’t accepted by everyone. This short story depicts a tone of desperation and attention, but it also expresses strong willingness. Nancy Mairs’s feelings of neglect from the media only strengthen her plight with multiple sclerosis. The media portrayal of disabled people is limiting and discriminatory and should not occur. In our everyday lives, many people suffer with some type of disability. People with disabilities will find it difficult to participate in ordinary activities. Some disabilities set a boundary for what you can do mentally or physically. Some can even affect your senses. Disability does not mean incapable. It is not an illness. Many people with a disability are capable of obtaining employment, playing, and getting an education. With the invention and advancement of mobility aids and assistive devices, most disabled people are able to live full productive lives (Nlm 1). Nancy Mairs intentions are to express the truth. She is a forty-three-year-old woman struggling with the devastating illness of multiple sclerosis. Most of her essays and poems are about serious, sensitive subjects including her disability. Nancy Mairs takes a stand for people with disabilities because she is, too, living with a disability. She feels that people with a disability should be treated equally. Nancy Mairs is able to walk a few steps with the assistance of a brace and a walking stick. Most of the times she rides in a wheelchair. With the assistance of these mobility aids and assistive devices, she can easily be