Mark Smith broke his neck in an auto-motorcycle accident when he was 15, which left him paralyzed from the neck down. Smith, an actor and activist, explained during a panel discussion that the hardest time was during his teenage years, but he has lived a normal life in the 43 years since.
Smith and other panelists discussed their experiences with the disabled community at the second annual Disability Studies Forum on Wednesday night.
Nonie Lancaster, co-founder and principal consultant of Human Capabilities LLC, a disability awareness group, was born with cerebral palsy. She said she was aware of the fact that she was different as a child but didn’t know she had a disability. Lancaster said her family treated her no differently from her siblings.
“In our society, we have a decision, if we want to conform or be different,” Lancaster said. “Some people are surprised I’m able to drive. Ironically, driving down the road, no one knows that I have a disability.”
The forum, a two-day event hosted by the Interdisciplinary Graduate Certificate Program in Disability Studies, brought many members of the disabled community together to learn about how to improve their situations.
The forum showed the movie “Born Freak,” which follows British actor Mat Fraser as he researches the history of freak shows, which became popular in the Victorian Era. He explores the lives and careers of many of the popular freak show actors who had various physical deformities, ranging from having been born without limbs to having a conjoined twin.
Fraser said he identifies the most with Sealo, one of the actors who has seal-like limbs because he was born with a physically deforming disorder. Fraser is given the chance to reprise the role of Sealo for one summer at Coney Island Circus Sideshow so he can further understand what it was like for other disabled actors.
Fraser poses the question throughout the film of whether the actors in freak shows were just considered freaks, or if they can actually be actors in the minds of their audience. At the end of the film, he concludes that it is up to audience members to decide.
On the second day of the forum, Anita Silvers, professor and chairwoman of the philosophy department at San Francisco State University, discussed how disability rights have changed over time and how it affects U.S. veterans. Students and faculty in the graduate certificate program from the U and Utah State University also displayed their research for the public.
“This is a unique event for Salt Lake because talking about people’s differences is not done,” said Cathy Chambless, a research associate for the Center for Public Policy and Administration, who organized the event. “I wanted people to change their attitudes. We wanted to generate conversation.”