Director of the National Council on Independent Living, Theo Braddy explains why being called "inspiring" for ordinary things does real damage. He and Matt Shedd work through the consequences on both sides, specifically how non-disabled people build a worldview out of low expectations, and how disabled people can internalize it. Theo illustrates this with hard examples running from Jerry Lewis telethons to Special Olympics to campus buddy programs. Theo also draws the line he will accept: be inspired by someone's story once you actually know it, not by the wheelchair you just noticed in the checkout line. Watch the full conversation and share it with someone who has never stopped to think about what “you're so inspiring” actually communicates.THE OVERVIEW

0:00 The Overview: What Inspiration Porn Is

2:55 Ordinary Things Made to Seem Extraordinary

4:45 The Elders Who Said He Needed More Faith

THE MISCONCEPTIONS

5:50 The Misconceptions: People Turned Into Props

8:45 When Disabled People Internalize It

10:40 The Kind of Inspiration Theo Will Accept

THE REAL STORY

13:05 The Real Story: The Power Differential

13:35 Special Olympics and the Other 364 Days

16:10 Best Buddies and Manufactured Friendship

WHAT YOU CAN DO

22:05 What You Can Do: Start With Real Interaction

24:38 The Minister Who Chased Him Through the Mall

26:42 Unlearning What You Were Taught

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