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We all need a good story once in a while. I had the opportunity over the recent winter break to dive into the realm of old folk and fairy tales, journeys of characters leaving their homes behind to go on an adventure, overcoming obstacles, being patient and being good, fighting against evil, and being transformed. Stories embodying universal human values transmitted over generations through the spoken words, now mostly written words. Stories about hardship and how the world can be unfair.
Reading some of the classic tales from the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen among others, I was struck by how disability is most often portrayed as negative. Fairy tales work in metaphors and symbols, helping us conceptualise and put in perspective a world which may seem unfair and harsh. But the adoption of disability as a symbol of vulnerability or even worse, curse, wasn’t progressive and has likely led to further entrench negative attitudes towards people with disabilities, a reflection of the attitudes at that time.