March 2, 2026 - 23:59
The author describes being both seen and mis seen at the same time. She talks about how people project their assumptions onto her disabled body before she even speaks, shaping the interaction around pity, curiosity, or discomfort. What struck me is that this isn’t just about individual prejudice, it’s about how society trains us to read certain bodies as tragic, fragile, or inspirational. Her storytelling makes it clear that these reactions are learned, not natural.
I was also really moved by how she reclaims the act of being looked at. As an artist, Lehrer chooses to paint and represent disabled bodies on her own terms. From being an object of scrutiny to the one who controls the gaze. It made me think about how representation changes when disabled people tell their own stories rather than being interpreted by others. Overall, the text challenged me to think about visibility in a more complex way: being seen is not automatically empowering unless you also have control over how you are seen and understood.