Dangling On The CN Tower Edge
“I get a little stuck on titles like meet the blind. I can’t help but feel that I am more than “the blind.” ~Kerry Kijewski, The Insightful Wanderer
CN Tower: Walking On A Ledge
Here’s a photo of my friend Kerry doing the EdgeWalk on the CN Tower in Toronto. The EdgeWalk is “the world’s highest full circle hands-free walk on a 5 ft (1.5 m) wide ledge. The ledge encircles the top of the Tower’s main pod, 356 m/1168 ft (116 stories) above the ground.”
I get that most people who don’t have disabilities don’t want to do anything to offend those of us who do. However, broadly speaking when we refer to a group or an individual by their disability it can be demeaning because it takes away our personhood. Likewise, there are people with disabilities who prefer identity first language because their disability is an important part of who they are as individuals. Both groups are right.
How about ‘respecting’ people as individuals?
CN Tower Image Description:
Kerry is strapped into a harness and smiling. She is literally hanging backward over the edge with her feet braced on the outer rim of the walkway ledge.