The Power of Telling Your Story: A Rooted in Rights Storyteller Reflects on Her Experience
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As someone who’s been an amputee since the age of two, I wanted to be a Rooted in Rights Storyteller to help educate people about a problem that I’ve been surrounded by my entire life: the difficulty amputees face accessing prosthetic limbs.
I am a disability rights attorney, so I have the good fortune of being able to advocate for people so they can get what they need, with the caveat that the thing they need is something to which they are legally entitled. Unfortunately, while prosthetic limbs are certainly necessary for those who are missing limbs, coverage of these devices is often limited by insurance companies. Since insurance companies are not doing anything illegal when they limit this coverage, my skills as an attorney haven’t really provided a solution to this problem.
Because of this, I had been searching for a platform to at least start educating people that this problem exists in order to contribute to an eventual nationwide policy shift that I’m hopeful may occur at some point in the future.
I had thought about writing about this issue before, but I didn’t really have a captive audience and I think it’s hard to effectively reflect this concept with words on a page because you don’t get to see the people who are impacted. I’ve also been interviewed in the past for different videos and news stories, and I’ve tried to throw the problem regarding access to prosthetics limbs into quite a few of my interviews, but that never really got the point across because it was just a little nugget of information within a longer story.
Then, to my great delight, along came the Rooted in Rights Storytellers project and I knew my opportunity had arrived. I finally had the equipment and support I needed to really create a quality video to help educate the public about this problem.
Working with the Storytellers team was a huge benefit during this process because they helped me refine the video concept, draft the script, shoot the video, and then they edited it based on what we had all agreed to regarding the original concept. My hint of a dream to do something like this finally came true because of the Storytellers and their professional guidance and assistance. Bringing awareness to the experiences of amputees trying to access prosthetic limbs was empowering, and I’m so grateful to have had the opportunity.
About Rooted In Rights
Rooted in Rights exists to amplify the perspectives of the disability community. Blog posts and storyteller videos that we publish and content we re-share on social media do not necessarily reflect the opinions or values of Rooted in Rights nor indicate an endorsement of a program or service by Rooted in Rights. We respect and aim to reflect the diversity of opinions and experiences of the disability community. Rooted in Rights seeks to highlight discussions, not direct them. Learn more about Rooted In Rights
Very enlightening video. I agree that all individuals who need limbs should have them, as needed/whenever needed. I am saddened that insurance causes much difficulty. I will remain more aware and do all that I can. Suggestions are welcome! Thank you.
Hello Emily Harvey,
I’m also glad the Storyteller project by Rooted in Rights provided you a platform for which to discuss an important but little discussed issue such as this one.
I would also like to thank you for the bravery shown in making your story known. While the amputee experience is not one that all members of the disability community can relate to, that definitely does not mean that the issues with procuring artificial limbs is less important.
The majority of society has also fallen into this numerical thinking, which is one of the reasons members of minority groups’ rights are vulnerable to attack. I have seen this numbers logic used to justify countless rights abuses for people with disabilities.
Just because the lived realities experienced by minority group members are not ones everyone can relate to does not mean that their experiences are less valuable! The attempt to justify the presence of injustice with the obscenely simple assertion that it doesn’t hurt enough people is both a reductionist and fatally flawed argument. But I digress…
The healthcare system does not treat the disability community in a socially responsible way. This is also true of the insurance industry. I have lost count of the stories I’ve heard where insurance has served as a limiting force to accessing appropriate healthcare.
Keep on keeping on!