The Right Stuff - Disabled Astronauts?
I know you all love a good podcast and I was listening to one of my favs Radiolab when they played a throwback episode called “The Right Stuff.” And let me tell you, it rocked my socks off. For someone actively working in accessibility, this episode made me challenge my own perceptions of disability…even in the most extreme locations…like in SPACE.
When we think of astronauts, we often envision individuals at the peak of physical fitness, embodying an almost superhuman standard of health and capability. This image has been etched into our minds since the dawn of space exploration. However, reporter Andrew Leland and the Radiolab crew challenge this notion by advocating for the inclusion of disabled individuals in space missions.
In this episode, Leland joins a blind linguistics professor named Sheri Wells-Jensen and a crew of eleven other disabled people on a mission to prove that disabled people have what it takes to go to space. And not only that, but that they may have an edge over non-disabled people. Sheri Wells-Jensen, an associate professor at Bowling Green State University researching astrobiology, linguistics and disability studies who also happens to be blind, has been on the forefront of this work. She even wrote an article about it called The Case for Disabled Astronauts. In the podcast and the article, she talks about how having a disability can actually be helpful in space, especially in emergencies such as blind astronauts having the ability to quickly navigate the space if fires occur OR using sign language if communications break down, etc.
The idea of disabled astronauts also forces society to confront and reassess its perceptions of disability. Historically, disability has been viewed through a lens of limitation and incapacity. This perspective is deeply ingrained in many aspects of life, from architecture to employment practices. However, seeing disabled individuals in roles traditionally reserved for the able-bodied, such as astronauts, can shift this narrative. It demonstrates that disability is not a barrier to achieving greatness and that it can coexist with capability and excellence.
It was Sheri’s story that stuck with me the most. Her speaking about growing up with people telling her to "Slow down. Be careful. Stay safely on the ground. Let me literally control where your hands go. And please go sit down and let me take care of you." A representative of all these judgements that are put on people with disabilities that they could not POSSIBLY live a happy, full, adventurous life without the help of others. She has fought that perception with her advocacy, research, and now with an anti-gravity flight. I the end, Sheri states, “We can do this. Disabled people can be astronauts. It's clear to me.”
Of course this is a preliminary test back in 2022 and we still have a long way to go before we are ready to safely take a team of people with disabilities into space. But it’s not impossible. By expanding the definition of who can be an astronaut, we are pushing the boundaries of human potential. This inclusivity sends a message that space, the final frontier, is for everyone. This episode encapsulated all of the frustrations put on us by society and the willpower to break through. The stories told in "The Right Stuff" and "The Case for Disabled Astronauts" remind us that the sky is not the limit; it is just the beginning.