In the last entry, we met Ensign Melora Pazlar, who was a guest on Deep Space Nine in the second season. Because Melora is native to a low-gravity environment, she uses a wheelchair to navigate Deep Space Nine. The episode entitled "Melora" explores the interplay of her and the crew's reactions to her situation.
When Melora finds Sisko, Bashir, and Dax discussing the possibility of her taking a runabout to the Gamma Quadrant alone, she responds confrontationally, asking whether she shouldn't have been included in the meeting. Sisko explains that he was having a meeting with his senior officers and that they often discuss personnel matters in these meetings; but the undertone in his voice implies that he is uncomfortable and perhaps he did mean not to include Melora... Melora continues to advocate for herself, explaining that she finds it easier to work alone. (Why would that be? one wonders.) She also objects to Julian's presence at the meeting, stating that a medical opinion is not necessary concerning her abilities. In the end, Sisko does not change his mind: Dax will accompany her.
As did the previous scene, this scene resonated deeply with me as a person with a disability. Melora is much more outspoken than I am--I tend to let things bubble inside until they boil over. The effect of her self-advocacy is palpable. It makes people uncomfortable with the truth. She is not able to demonstrate her ability for itself. It seems always to ride on the back of her ability to adapt to the environment and how she is doing medically--and perhaps even on other people's fears. Having grown accustomed to this, she has learned to anticipate it and to carry a spiked shield before her.
Such are the lives of many people with disabilities. And blessed are the people who know how to be comfortable with themselves and with the unknown so that they can, without drawing attention to our differences, allow life to unfold and allow us to become contributing members of the community who use different methods to do things.
