Overcoming through Technology
This 2017 report from ABC News describes Dr. Chris McCulloh, a paralyzed third-year general surgery resident, as a “real-life ‘Iron Man’” due to his ability to perform surgeries from his standing wheelchair (Real-life 'Iron Man,' 2017). By presenting McCulloh as a superhero, the story reinforces the "overcoming" narrative that has long been imposed on disabled individuals. Paul Longmore (2015) explains that Americans have historically “believed that individuals who worked hard could achieve success against any obstacles and that failures typically stemmed from personal faults” (p. 115). Technology extends the concept of overcoming beyond the individual to suggest that societal progress fueled by ingenuity and intellect—when paired with personal determination and grit—provides a pathway by which disabled individuals might achieve “normality.” This idea withholds the assumption that the problem of disability is located in the bodies, character, and attitudes of disabled people themselves.
McColloh’s own words conform to this narrative of overcoming when he is shown saying, “I don’t want to be treated any differently or ask for any accommodations or ask for anyone to do things differently.” This quote reflects what Longmore describes as the “pervasive American goal to be independent and as self-efficient as possible” (p. 115). McColloh’s statement implies a moral hierarchy that values an individual’s efforts to conform to established norms over attempts to change social structures, attitudes, and beliefs that result in stigmatization and oppression. This story accepts prevalent cultural messaging that disabled individuals are inadequate and incomplete and presents technology as a means by which they might heroically overcome what are considered to be embodied limitations.
References:
Longmore, P. (2015). Telethons: Spectacle, disability and the business of charity. Oxford University Press.
Real-life ‘Iron Man’: Paralyzed surgeon uses standing wheelchair to perform surgeries [Video file]. (2017, September 13). ABC News. https://abcnews.go.com/2020/video/real-life-iron-man-paralyzed-surgeon-standing-wheelchair-49796465