Stephen Hawking was a renowned scientist famed for his work on black holes and relativity.

He published several popular science books such as A Brief History of Time.

Professor Hawking was also a wheelchair user who lived with motor neurone disease from the age of 21.

Yes, he was an award-winning scientist, but a lot of the coverage after Prof Hawking’s death has created a narrative of an “inspirational” figure who was “crippled” by his condition and “confined to a wheelchair”.

As a disabled person, I’ve found this discourse troubling and somewhat regressive.

I’m tired of being labelled an ‘inspiration’

Stephen Hawking’s death has reminded me why I’m tired, as a disabled person and a wheelchair user, of being labelled an inspiration just for living my everyday life.

Prof Hawking was an extraordinary scientist and an incredibly intelligent human being.

However, many disabled people, myself included, would take issue with calling him an “inspiration” as this term is often used in popular society to belittle disabled people’s experiences.

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