Roheena Ali Shah
A Physical appearance may decide the position of an individual in the society, like the skin color, dress and fitness etc. Similarly, a disability may interrupt the values appreciated by an individual. The values can be goals of life, safety of life and the self-image, that how a person sees himself or herself. A person with a disability fights with the differences within their own body and compares themselves with the abled bodies, the socially accepted body, lack of control on their body as the abled bodies have, inferiority complex and possible life threats. To accept the disability of one’s own body is difficult for a disabled person which can be related to the importance that physicality affects self-perception. Physicality of a person with disabilities is highly related to the identity of that person. People’s negative perception of disability exacerbates the pain of the disabled person who is already suffering from the disability and persuades them to compare himself/herself to the socially standardized body. During my research work on “Life stories of disabled women entrepreneurs in GilgitBaltistan” one of my respondent Bano said “Sometimes I feel that I am worthless, and my disability is the main reason that my husband divorced me”. Similarly, the other respondent, Another respondent Naheeda said “I wish I could stop that time when I came out from home and I got that accident, sometimes, from the day disability became my identity I avoid to wear kajal(an eye liner, girls use in eyes to enhance the beauty it is part of makeup kit) for I feel like I have lost myself”. However, one of the respondents, Zahida proudly owns her identity of disability and consider her body as a unique personality and she claimed the social structures are barriers for their mobility and reason of the dysfunctionality of their body instead to treat their bodies she thinks that the social norms and the infrastructure needs to be altered and make accessible for all. She said “If all stairs and lifts will be discarded then nobody can reach to 2nd and third floor as to reach on the second floor able bodied person need some support and medium similarly we need support as per our needs”. One of the respondents, Zainab said, “My left leg is smaller than the right one by birth, I felt bad when I couldn’t walk like my other sisters and my friends could. Time heals everything well, and if you have support from your family you get the confidence that I am ok with who I am and with my situation.” She laughed and then said,” I am lucky that due to this disability my family didn’t ever force me to do home chores as my responsibility.” So the experience of disability is different for different individuals depending on the economic status, family support, education and exposure.
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