“Imbecile”
What if that was your label? And it was on display for everyone to see.
Even worse, what if a respected member of society had given you this label? People whose opinions others value and hold in high regard. And whose expertise is followed.
But…that label isn’t you. And day after day, you advocate for yourself but no one hears you because all they see is the label. What would you do to be heard?
The scenario I’ve described isn’t hypothetical. It’s Ruth Sienkiewicz-Mercer’s story.
Ruth Sienkiewicz-Mercer
Ruth Sienkiewicz-Mercer was a quadriplegic with cerebral palsy. The only part of her body that she had some control over was her facial features – she could also utter a few sounds. But for the most part, she was dependent on others to meet her needs. However, trapped in a body she couldn’t control and bend to her will was a highly intelligent woman.
Unfortunately for many years, no one knew that. Due to the extent of her disability, she couldn’t pass any intelligence tests. She simply couldn’t communicate answers in ways the test administrator could understand – testing has changed a lot since then. Since she failed to answer any of the questions, she was labeled an imbecile and officially diagnosed as severely retarded. Although it sounds offensive, they were common medical terms in Ruth’s day. Thankfully, most doctors don’t use them today.
The remarkable part of Ruth’s story is that she didn’t allow that label to define her. And she never gave up trying to find a way to communicate even when everyone treated her like an imbecile: too stupid to learn or understand. Her parents were the only exception. They treated Ruth just the same as their other children.
But Ruth didn’t stay confined within the limits of the label or her disability. Instead, she challenged commonly held opinions about people with cerebral palsy. Her later years were better than the years she spent living in an institution. She would find love, get married and write a memoir – I Raise My Eyes to Say Yes*. She was also an advocate in the disability community until her death on August 8, 1998.
The lessons from Ruth’s story
Her story is a lesson on the dangers of labels and the potential harm they can do. But it’s also a story about resilience and grit.
And labels aren’t only for people with disabilities. When I was in elementary school – the first couple of years anyway – I was labeled ‘quiet’ and ‘shy’ by my teachers. In fact, as a child, I was often called shy by other people even though I wasn’t. I just had nothing to say. Plus. I didn’t know how to carry on conversations with adults. But put me with a bunch of kids my age and I was fine.
Considering everything my teachers could’ve called me, I was fine with shy. It’s the negative labels that are the worst. Some are damaging enough to crush the spirit and that’s pretty bad. As Proverbs 18:14 says ”The human spirit can endure a sick body, but who can bear a crushed spirit?”
Thankfully, the spirit can be mended and made whole. And it boils down to our mindset: Give negative labels power over our lives or defy them.
Ruth defied her labels. She is proof that we don’t need to let labels – or our disabilities – define and limit us. We were created to do extraordinary things.
For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. Eph 2:10
*I would highly recommend reading Ruth’s memoir. Parts of her story are difficult to read due to the nature of the cruelty she – and other institutionalized people – suffered at the hands of people who were supposed to help her. Nevertheless, it’s an inspirational story about a remarkable woman who rose above the limitations of her body to have her voice heard.