Duckworth and the modern amputee

I enjoy Tammy Duckworth. Not just because she's running for U.S. Representative in the notoriously conservative Illinois district where I first exercised my right to vote upon turning 18. Not just because she's winning, or a woman, or a disabled veteran. I enjoy her apparent ease with her physical self despite becoming a double-amputee not that long ago.

Photos of her pressing the flesh of her future constituents show her in pants or skirts, on crutches or using a wheelchair. I think of the times I've seen someone with a visible prosthetic in public and heard someone else comment that they wish the amputee would wear more concealing clothing. I suspect this is one aspect of adapting to impairments where military veterans often succeed beyond other disabled folk since their injuries symbolize patriotic pride as much or more than they do bodily shame at abnormality.

Duckworth also challenges the idea of one appropriate way to respond to a particular disability. Not that other amputees don't switch between crutches/prosthetic and wheelchair when necessary, but Duckworth is doing this very publicly and therefore educating us all about what living with a double amputation can be like. It's a form of practicality -- using whatever tools you need for mobility and access whenever you need them -- that nondisabled people often find confusing about disability. It's interesting and very cool to see.

Photos from Duckworth's political site, linked above.