Throughout the day on March 14, my newsfeed was filled with tributes to Stephen Hawking. Although I also have a PhD, my degree is in neuropsychology, and I do not pretend to know enough about theoretical physics to fairly evaluate the quality of Dr. Hawking’s professional work. I have, however, read that while Dr. Hawking was a brilliant man, he was not significantly more brilliant than many of his lesser-known colleagues. Indeed, I fear that the primary reason for Dr. Hawking’s celebrity was his physical disability.
While Dr. Hawking obviously had to overcome huge obstacles throughout his life, we must be cautious not to glorify him simply because of those challenges. I have many patients with severe movement disorders, including neurodegenerative conditions like amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and I have a child with mild cerebral palsy. While all of these children and young adults do deserve a great deal of admiration for their accomplishments, which are often more hard-won than their typically functioning peers, it is a disservice to compare them in an overly positive (or negative) manner to others. We disrespect individuals with disabilities when we over-state their accomplishments rather than treat them as equals, and we perpetuate the idea that those individuals need our charity in order to make important contributions to society. By classifying Dr. Hawking as a “disabled theoretical physicist,” we are unable to appreciate his work simply as a typically brilliant theoretical physicist.
In no way do I intend to minimize the barriers that Dr. Hawking faced. However, I wish that some other aspects of his incredible life received more attention. First, it is amazing that Dr. Hawking survived so many years with ALS, and we should continue to support biomedical research that will enable others with neurodegenerative conditions to remain healthier longer and to eventually eliminate all negative effects of these conditions. Next, Dr. Hawking should remined us of the need to provide top-quality, accessible healthcare services to all people, particularly those who require specialized treatment and equipment. I hope that everyone who paid tribute to Dr. Hawking appreciates the resources necessary for him to have achieved as much as he was able to accomplish (e.g., complex surgical procedures, skilled nursing services, motorized wheelchairs, electronic communication devices). I also hope that they will honor Dr. Hawking’s memory by actively supporting access to these types of resources so that every other person has the opportunity to achieve his or her potential.
Just as with personal characteristics such as race and gender, we should not convince ourselves that we are blind to an individual’s disability, particularly when that disability is physically obvious. However, for the sake of my son and my patients and everyone with a disability, I hope that we can appreciate all individuals as people without having to qualify our admiration.