More Than Just a Prop: The Controversy Behind the Symbolism of the Wheelchair

When Kylie Jenner posed in a wheelchair for the cover of Interview Magazine, she granted the world permission to interpret the symbolic meaning of a wheelchair. Jenner used a wheelchair as a prop in order to send a message, a message that expressed how she feels limited by her fame and profession. However, in order for Jenner's point of using a wheelchair to symbolize her limitations to be clear to viewers, the stereotypical belief has to already be engrained in the minds of society; in this case, a wheelchair is limiting and therefore, the person who uses the wheelchair is limited. Never the less, the reality is quite the contrary.

One person's perception of limitation is another person's reality of freedom. A wheelchair is a mobility device; it assists people to get from point A to point B that otherwise would not be able to do so. When I received my first wheelchair as a child, it opened up a world of possibilities. I could now freely explore my neighborhood for the first time like the other children on my block. I no longer became exhausted when going to the grocery store or walking through the halls at my elementary school. My wheelchair has since given me the ability to graduate from high school, earn a four year university degree, and travel out side of Washington state to twenty-three states, as well as travel outside the United States to seven countries. Today, my wheelchair grants me the freedom of leaving my house and going throughout my daily routine; without my wheelchair, I would be stuck in bed. The limitations that people who use wheelchairs face each day range from person to person, just like how people who do not use wheelchairs face a plethora of limitations. However, there are two limitations that people in wheelchairs share.. 

The lack of accessibility as well as people's ignorant perception about disability are the two limitations that are apart of the lives of people who use wheelchairs; it is not the wheelchair that is limiting -- it grants freedom -- it is the treatment of people that tags along side the use of the wheelchair that limits the person.

The irony of Jenner posing in a wheelchair to represent her limitation, is that ignorance -- like her's -- is what actually limits people in wheelchairs. Stereotyping a wheelchair as limiting, and therefore a person who uses a wheelchair as limited, spreads the perception that being in a wheelchair is a tragedy and therefore deserves being pitied. 

Believing a person is limited and pitying them does not allow a person to be looked at as whole, and not be pushed to their full potential. People in wheelchairs are people and their lives should not be stereotyped just because they have common wheels. Being in a wheelchair is a characteristic, but it should not be considered anymore of a defining factor than height, weight, and color of hair or eyes. Just like short people face similar limitations and tall people face similar limitations, people in wheelchairs face common limitations as well. And, being in a wheelchair is not one of those limitations. 

When Kylie Jenner posed in a wheelchair for the cover of Interview Magazine, she granted the world permission to interpret the symbolic meaning of a wheelchair. In doing so, a spark ignited a discussion about the perception of wheelchairs and the people who use them for mobility. Education is the key to eliminating ignorance; in talking about the symbolic interpretation of a wheelchair, one may be enlightened and draw the conclusion that a wheelchair is not limiting, but freeing. 

The world needs to understand that the wheelchair is only stereotyped as a symbol of limitation because the world was not built for the wheelchair. If accessibility and the mindset about the wheelchair changed, then people who use wheelchairs will no longer be viewed as limited.