Changing the Narrative

The Celebration of the Ordinary

Changing the Narrative: The Celebration of the Ordinary
For nearly a century, stories about disability have followed the same script: a life without hope, a body defined by loss, and a “dignified” ending that too often means disappearance.
Changing the Narrative examines how this idea took shape—from early eugenic theories and Nazi propaganda films to modern cinema, literature, and media—and why it continues to shape how disabled lives are valued today.

Drawing on historical records, cultural analysis, and contemporary data, R.M. de Loera traces how the focus shifted from collective policies to emotionally charged individual stories, reinforcing the belief that disability is a burden rather than an ordinary part of human existence.

This essay challenges that inherited narrative and proposes a different ending—one rooted in access, dignity, mutual dependence, and love. Not through spectacle or tragedy, but through the radical act of allowing disabled people to live fully, visibly, and without apology.
Changing the Narrative is an invitation to pause, question what we’ve been taught, and reconsider what we call a life worth living.