Social Interaction: Ten Thousand Stitches
This project was picked up and dropped nearly two full years ago and what better way to pick it back up than to post a reflection that only slyly relates to the vision field?
Warning: while the information below will not diminish the quality of reading the book, it doesn’t contain what may be dubbed “spoilers.”
In Olivia Atwater’s book Ten Thousand Stitches, Effie experiences problems such as servitude, being female, and loving a man outside of her grasp. Such problems, on their own, are not overly exciting. What is truly intriguing is another feature – her sewing. Dubbed by some as a gifted seamstress (though she doesn’t believe them), Effie mends clothing in the house and creates lovely embroidery to brighten the dismal days of her peers. Well into her ventures, she discovers a problem. The recipients of her sewing projects experience high degrees of frustration and dissatisfaction, which then leads to a degree of anger regarding their situation; an anger that mirrors her own anger about her life. Effie becomes panicked after this realization and tries to remove her stitching wherever possible but that move only has a detrimental effect on her peers.
The key reason to mention this work: the power of anger, one of my favorite subjects. People with disabilities may feel trapped in their situation, trapped by their bodies, and trapped by a society that not only isn’t accessible to them but also seems unwilling to make adjustments. In Atwater’s book, getting in touch with anger ends up being empowering. What would happen if we allowed, even encouraged, a similar empowerment among our students? On top of that, what if that anger was encouraged among a group of students sharing similar experiences? Happiness is a worthwhile goal but it is only a sliver of the human experience. Do we fear what might happen if our students are filled by a rage related to their experiences, as people with disabilities as well as other factors that separate them from the dominant groups running society, that they will become unhappy? Unruly? Or do we think a widening of their self-awareness through widening their emotional palette will force us to face our own limitations?
Though none of Atwater’s characters are labeled as having disabilities beyond their life circumstances, books such as hers may benefit the development of multidimensional emotional experiences among our population. While it might be daunting to professionals without disabilities, it could also provide a path of greater fulfillment with those we serve and get them closer to the independence to which we claim to strive. If nothing else, it can certainly be a conversation starter.
Image for thumbnail was taken from Olivia Atwater’s Twitter account: https://mobile.twitter.com/oliviaatwater2