Venus De Milo. Photo Credit: Macaulay Library.

By Rick Rader, MD, FAAIDD, FAADM, Editor-in-chief, Helen Journal

“You have to accept the fact that sometimes you are the pigeon, and sometimes you are the statue.” - Claude Chabrol

The editorial offices of HELEN were energized with excitement to learn that the State of Alabama was dedicating a statue to our hero, Helen Keller. This coming October, statues of both civil rights activist Rosa Parks and Helen Keller are scheduled to be dedicated on the grounds of the Alabama State Capitol.

An interesting side story is that the planned Braille plaque that will be placed on the Keller statue requires a minor punctuation change to currently reflect the translation to Braille and improve the flow of the text. So, the Alabama Institute for the Deaf and Blind had to intervene and accept that the use of a comma in the Braille translation created a run-on sentence. Eventually the Braille plaque will be corrected, but they did not want the change to prevent delaying the unveiling ceremony.

In “The Profound Narratives of Statues Through History,” an article that appeared in The Mental Itch stated, “When it comes to narrating the stories of our past, statues have a quiet yet potent contribution. Every statue, whether they are delicate sculptures in contemporary parks or the imposing images of historical monarchs, has a story to tell. They capture the spirit of different eras, much like time capsules. These figures, carved from stone or cast in metal, are not just for decoration. They remind us of who we were, the battles fought, the leaders who guided, and the artists who envisioned a world beyond ours.”

We are used to seeing statues of military heroes, politicians, mythological characters and idealized physical specimens. Michelangelo’s “David,” Rodin’s “The Thinker,” and Alexandros of Antioch’s “Venus De Milo” are probably the three most famous statues of all times that have been seen and revered by millions of spectators.

While statues of soldiers on their charging horses are intended to both celebrate the individual and provide inspiration to facing challenges, they pale in comparison to statues of people with disabilities, each leading a different charge in a different way.

Stella Young

Stella Young was an Australian comedian, journalist, and disability rights activist.

Young was born in 1982 with osteogenesis imperfecta and used a wheelchair for most of her life. At the age of 14 she audited the accessibility of the main street businesses of her hometown in Australia.

Brooke Bannister writing in “Who are you? Stella Young” refers to an editorial Young wrote in “Ramp Up Magazine,” where she deconstructed society’s habit of turning disabled people into what she called “inspiration porn”, the idea that disabled people can do certain things “in spite” of their disability and are used to motivate non-disabled people, rather than uplifting disabled people. The concept was further popularized in her April 2014 TED Talk, titled “I’m not your inspiration, thank you very much.”

In 2023 a bronze statue of Young in her wheelchair by sculptor Danny Fraser was unveiled in her hometown. Motion-activated audio at the statue provides a description to provide greater accessibility.

Stella Young statue. From: Stellayoung.com.au

Bo Östlin

In the cold Swedish town of Hudiksvall there is a statue unique in its kind; it is the world’s first public statue that is showing a person born with an intellectual disability. Bo Östlin, known as “Bosse” was born in 1952 and was supposed to be sent to an institution. His family insisted that he be allowed to grow up in a regular home, and people believe this “normalization” was responsible for his pleasant personality. He was a well-known, nationally acclaimed actor and acted regularly at Glada Hudik Theatre, a theatre ensemble where the majority of actors have some form of intellectual disability. He demonstrated how people can reach their potential if given the opportunity and support they deserve. He became the national personification of kindness, friendship, and respect. When he died, a crowdfunding initiative helped to raise the money to erect a statue. The Swedish artist Hanna Beling designed the statue, and it portrays Bo as someone ready and willing to give everyone a much needed hug.

Team Hoyt

Team Hoyt consisted of Dick Hoyt and his son Rick Hoyt. The pair competed together in both marathons and Ironman Triathlons. Rick had cerebral palsy. During the competitions, Dick pulled Rick in a boat during swims, carried him in a seat in the front of a bicycle, and pushed him in a wheelchair as they ran. Team Hoyt was inducted into the Ironman Hall of Fame and served as inspiration to thousands of onlookers who received a new and much needed perspective of personal achievement. On April 8, 2013, a bronze statue in honor of the Hoyts was dedicated near the start of the Boston Marathon in Hopkinton, Massachusetts. They were featured on inspirational billboards within the U.S.

Matthew Robinson

Born in 1988, Matthew suffered numerous disabilities resulting from a lack of oxygen. He was blind, paralyzed from the neck down and only spoke a few words. His parents came to the realization that a lack critical equipment often curtails a disabled person to reach their potential. In 1993, the Robinsons established “Ability Found”, a nonprofit organization that gives people with disabilities the medical and rehabilitation equipment they can’t afford but need in order to become more engaged and included in the community. They support people with cerebral palsy, spina bifida, multiple sclerosis, stroke, cancer, and spinal cord injuries. When Matthew died at age 11, his dad Ernest designed a particularly moving tombstone to honor him. It is a statue of Matthew climbing out of his wheelchair and reaching for the sky.

Venus de Milo

It is believed that this famous ancient Greek sculpture depicts Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love. What is unique and novel for a depiction of perfection is the absence of both arms.

Writing in the Journal Alter (2008), Tobin Siebers (Disability aesthetics and the Body Beautiful) challenges us to come to terms with two concepts: (1) how beauty can exist against the background of imperfections and/or (2) can disability help redefine beauty itself?

“If beauty is supposed to be flawless, and disability shows nothing but flaws, how do we account for the remarkable fact that modern art is preoccupied with human bodies that can only be described as disabled? How does beauty thought broken at first glance become beauty adored as perfect at second glance? And, finally, how might we expect the idea of beauty given to us by the history of art to change our everyday idea of beauty? Will we ever get to the stage where we see in our neighbor's disabled body the same radiant beauty that we experience when we gaze upon the Torso Belvedere or the Venus de Milo?”

One thing is certain; regardless of who is depicted as a statue, they are not protected from the ravages of bird droppings, perhaps the highest form of true inclusion.

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