Disabilities In Cammie Mcgovern's Say What You Will

Autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and Down syndrome are only a few names listed, but are some of the most commonly found disabilities in many children and teenagers. These individuals are surely impacted greatly from these disabilities, but they are otherwise just as equal as everyone else. However, if one isn’t treated with the equality they deserve, how does that impact the rest of their life? In Cammie McGovern’s Say What You Will, Matthew and Amy are new friends aspiring to have a memorable high school end, while also dealing with the obstacles and judgement that come with having their own disabilities, like obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and cerebral palsy. Throughout the novel, McGovern demonstrates that because
This can be seen when Matthew is expressively explaining to Amy as to why he thinks her life isn’t great. As one of his points, he argues, “You don’t have any real friends because no one acts like themselves around you. You’re always with an adult,” (McGovern, 22). This is significant because Matthew shows that his outside inferences make him believe Amy is unable to make friends since cerebral palsy requires her to always have an aide. Due to this necessity, Amy is unable to share her interests and feelings with anyone, and isn’t able to fulfil her dream of having solid friendships in her life. To add onto that, a scarcity of social life is also evident when Amy is being told by her parents that she is not allowed living in a regular college residence. Amy, infuriated, asks her mother (in her computer-generated voice), “‘SO I HAVE TO LIVE IN THE INFIRMARY?’ ‘Of course not. You won’t be in the infirmary. You’ll be next door,’” (McGovern, 259). Even though Amy knows her capabilities, her mother assumes that she is not able to live on her own. What she doesn’t know is that because of moving Amy, she is limiting Amy’s sociability with everyone else at the school that lives together. Amy is in fact a very friendly and talkative person, despite the obstacle of using a voice computer machine to speak. But due to her disability and the problems connected with it, she suffers
With all the negative connotations of having a disability around them, it can be hard for one to feel a sense of worth or self-acceptance. This is revealed through Matthew and his OCD. He has many quirks that are visible to the public eye, and as a result, others at school begin to refer to him as “the locker tapper,” (McGovern, 87). When he is told this, he immediately feels terrible. This is significant because his OCD causes him to do something he can’t control, and since society doesn’t understand that, he is judged upon and given a name that lowers his self-esteem unnecessarily. This reinforces that the public eye only sees him for his disability and not everything else he is able to do. Another great example of the lowering of self-esteem is also represented when Amy questions Matthew if he ever has many tendencies to wash his hands. He replies, “‘I used to wash my hands a lot.’ [Matthew] felt a little self-conscious now. He didn’t want to tell her he still did,” (McGovern, 54). This is significant because Matthew is clearly trying to hide the fact that he may still wash his hands, a quirk usually connected to having OCD. With Amy asking him a somewhat stereotypical question, he does not feel confident enough to tell her what is really on his mind, and because of that, he is then underrated. His lack of self-esteem reinforces that he is unable to live or think to his full capacity as his disability causes him