What’s wrong with #InspirationPorn? featuring Frizz Kid Art!

An illustration of four disabled people by Hana Shafi of @frizzkidart , with handwritten text reading, “Disabled people don’t exist to inspire you.” @the.mad.muslimah wears a red hijab with a flower crown and heart sunglasses over a sweet leopard print coat. @thewillowswork is drawn seated in her electric wheelchair, with floral shoes, a long blue skirt, and a blue crop top. @preezilla stands next to her, rocking glasses, a yellow top tied up above their waist, and wide leg lavender pants. @infiniteecho97 is seated with one ankle over their over knee, wearing a bright pink “queer as fuck” and red shoes.

WHY IS DISABILITY #INSPIRATIONPORN BAD? I’m in the drawing! I’m honoured to have been drawn by super-cool Toronto artist FrizzKidArt whose work includes the iconic, “Healing Is Not Linear” piece. A lot of commenters asked why considering disabled people inspiring is a problem.  

* It’s not inherently wrong to be inspired by a disabled person, but it is a problem when all disabled people are EXPECTED to be inspiring. 

*Who gets to be an “inspiring” disabled person? Who doesn’t? Young, thin, ciswomen with visible disabilities are often assumed to be inspiring. What assumptions do we make about fat disabled people? What do we assume about less visibly disabled people? 

*With the assumption that disabled people exist to inspire able people is anger when disabled people are NOT inspiring. 

*We need to talk about what barriers disabled people have to overcome, rather than praising individuals for overcoming problems that are systemic.

*Finally, inspiration porn is often used to shame others into doing more, like “what’s your excuse?” This puts down the accomplishments of disabled people, and it pressures able people while oversimplifying issues they may be facing.

I do not live my life to inspire able people- or to infuriate them, which I do just as often. I don’t often name my diagnoses, which puts people off. They want to know which box to put me in: deserving or undeserving, inspiring or uninspiring. But my diagnosis/disability has nothing to do with whether or not my behaviour is inspiring.