Opinion Articles

SOUL MATTERS: Plenty of challenges, but no fear of failure
By Catherine Mahony

As a person who is blind, with the December 3 International Day for Disabled Persons approaching, I have been reflecting on the last year from the perspective of disability – my own and its impact on my life, and the representation of and attention given to it in the media and other sectors of the community.

I have been thinking particularly about blind paralympian, Gerrard Gosens, on Channel Seven’s Dancing with the Stars. This is not normally something I bother to ‘watch’, as it’s such a visual program – you can’t hear the dancing! But as soon as I learned of Gerrard’s participation, my curiosity was heightened.

I listened intently to all references to Gerrard by the program’s hosts (Daniel MacPherson and Sonia Kruger); by the judges (who were open about the challenges of adjudicating a dancer who is blind) by the other contestants, and by Gerrard’s dance partner Jessica Raffa. However, I listened most intently to Gerrard himself. I was impressed by his honesty about the impact of his blindness – especially on national television. I remember him speaking about the challenge of trying to create the impression of “looking” at his dance partner, when he cannot make eye contact, and has no understanding of being looked at by another. He spoke of the difficulties he was experiencing in trying to look relaxed (the judges and Jessica often commented on his stiffness) when he was concentrating hard on memorising the steps.

Some impressions have stayed with me. I was elated by the incredible sense of identity and identification I felt with Gerrard. Yet Gerrard’s television appearances also highlighted for me how little attention people with disabilities are given in mainstream media. The strong emotions I felt when blindness was portrayed – with humour, honesty and humanity – made me painfully aware of how often the one in 10 people living with a disability are excluded from popular culture.

Another impression that has remained is the painful reality that, even while enjoying the unusual and positive attention being given to blindness, I was excluded. I couldn’t see his dancing, or form my own impressions of his performance and his efforts and I had an unexpected yearning to “see” for myself.

Gerrard has made a number of comments about his experiences on Dancing with the Stars that I will remember as I celebrate the International Day for Disabled Persons this Thursday. He said that learning to dance was much harder than his attempt to climb Mount Everest or to pilot a plane! It’s often the small events of daily life that can be the hardest for people with a disability.

The comment that I most hope I will remember from Gerrard is from a story he tells of a journalist who was surprised when he told her he felt quite calm despite the pressures of Dancing with the Stars - particularly later in the competition when he was being challenged to learn two dances in one week. The journalist asked him why he was so calm, when the other contestants were admitting to feeling increased pressure and anxiety. “Because,” Gerard responded, “I am not afraid of failure.”

Catherine Mahony is the Media Officer for the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle. This article is submitted by the Churches Media Association www.cmahunter.com.au.

*This article was published in The Herald, 30th November 2009