Etmanski Lesson 1 Summary

In Etmanski’s book, lesson one is about the idea of having a perfect body. Many people
think they know what a perfect body looks like, but as Etmanski said, “perfection is an illusion
that needs to be broken” (Etmanski 17). Every person is unique and different, and that is what
makes us each special. In my opinion the most important lesson to learn from “If It Ain’t Broke,
Don’t Fix It” is that we should be striving for wholeness instead of perfection. On page 17,
Etmanski wrote, “In reality, all of us are a mixture of frailties, inadequacies, mistakes,
imperfections, and flaws — as well as a mixture of talents, strengths, and abilities.” Realizing
that the combination of all of this is what makes us perfectly whole is the key to being happy in
our own skin and being confident with who we are inside and out.
As I was reading the stories about people who have disabilities and have lived positive,
whole lives, a few things stood out to me. The first was Eli Clare’s description of differences. On
page 19, he described differences as “perfectly imperfect.” Instead of seeing differences as a
negative word, he explained that those differences are what make us who we are. Clare also
mentioned using the word “giftedness” in place of perfect because this would mean “making the
best with the knowledge, skills, and abilities you have” (Etmanski 20). The next story, about
Judith Snow, also mentioned using the word gift. She believes that “everyone has a gift,
including and especially what others saw as a deficit or a disadvantage” (Etmanski 21). The
connotation of the words changes dramatically when you say gift rather than deficit. If everyone
saw both the advantages and disadvantages as gifts, people with disabilities would be just as able
to make contributions to society as those without disabilities. Snow tells stories about her life as
a person with a disability to advocate for the disability community. Dr. Stephen Hawking
attributed his discoveries and successes in the world of science to his disability. His disability
“shielded” him from “lecturing and administrative work” (Etmanski 22). Without Hawking’s
disability, he may not have been able to make such important discoveries. Higashida used his
disabilities to write books about autism, which has helped parents across the world understand
their children with autism better. By truly accepting who he is, he has helped people become
better parents to children who have autism. These were just a few points that stood out to me, but
all of the stories were very interesting and inspiring in their own way.
All the people discussed in this story live whole, imperfect lives. The lesson for all of us
to remember is that being perfect is an illusion, but being you is a gift. The amazing people with
disabilities in this chapter live lives that are inspiring and often teach everyone something along
the way. I had a friend in grade school with disabilities. She would jump around when she was
excited, she struggled with classroom activities, and she had a speech impediment. We were
young, so no one really knew why she acted differently than the rest of us. I was always very
confused, but I hated seeing her left out. My friends and I would try to include her, but some
days we struggled to find ways to include her. Now that I look back on those days, I remember
how happy she always was. She almost always had a smile on her face, and she was always
laughing. She brought so much brightness and happiness into our class. I wish that we could
have understood more about why she was different than the rest of us, so we could see those
differences as gifts not deficits.
 Etmanski, Al. The Power Of Disability: 10 Lessons For Surviving, Thriving, And
Changing The World. Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2020.