Disability talk, feedback welcome
Mar. 7th, 2011 08:45 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sasha_featherDisability talk for Cabell’s class
Intro: who I am
I went through two coming out experiences; 1st was coming out as disabled. I had been ill with pain and fatigue for several years, and realizing/adopting the label was very helpful for me because it gave me tools and community to understand and cope with my experience. I also realized later, from studying disability theory, that I my selective mutism is a disability.
2nd was coming out as queer. Similarly this connected me to community and helped me live a happier life. These were different experiences but there were some similarities and they connected to each other in unexpected ways. Both identities are considered “other” by society and aren’t apparent when you look at me.
Medical model of illness: you get sick, and then you either get better or you die. Medical institution is generally not good at dealing with chronic illness and disability.
Social model of disability posits that disability is created by society. It exists in the physical and social world. If the world were different, disability would not exist-- it would so normalized that you would not even notice it anymore. One example of this is glasses: mild vision impairment is effectively no longer a disability because it is so normalized, and so easily dealt with by society. If all places are wheelchair accessible, and there were no stigma, then using a wheelchair would be equivalent to riding a bike--it would not be a disability.
Another example: In a pre-industrial society, someone with high-functioning Down’s Syndrome can be fully integrated and lead a normal life.
Umbrella exercise
“Queer” is an umbrella term (draw it on the board)
Ask the students for identities/terms that fit under the umbrella
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual
Transgender, Transexual, Transvestite
Asexual, Intersex, Poly, Kinky, others?
Butch, Genderqueer, probably others not discovered yet
Similarly, “Disabled” or “Crip” are umbrella terms
Ask students to call out things that fit under this umbrella
Mobility problems, blind, d/Deaf, hard of hearing
Pain, cancer, HIV, fatigue, fibro, other medical problems
asthma and allergies, chem sensitivies
depression, anxiety, bipolar, other mental/emotional illness
addiction
Developmental problems
ADHD and OCD, speech and learning disorders
many others
Both Queer and Disabled are “othered” states that only exist in opposition to the cultural norm-- compulsory heterosexuality and compulsory ability. If you are not fully able then life is much harder for you.
In my own case, I exhausted myself (and still sometimes do) trying to prove that I am physically able compared to some arbitrary cultural standard, when I am not.
Both queerness and ability rely on an imaginary, culturally constructed idea of the body. What if your body does not fit the dominant narrative? This can leave you feeling lost and disassociated from your body. A challenge for all of us is to take back our bodies and really own them.
The concept of interdependency:
Almost no one is truly independent. I live in an apartment where water comes out of a tap, I can flip a switch and get electricity, I have internet and mail. And yet I need to go to the store for food, and I need to leave my house for work and health care. What comes to me versus what doesn’t is somewhat arbitrary. Mass transit and city construction and how people rely on each other-- this is another way that society creates disability or ability in its people. Can people with impairments communicate with each other? Can they get around physically? How hard is it to get health care and basic needs met? The harder it is, the more disabled people society is creating.
The King’s Speech. Summarize.
From IMBD:
“Tells the story of the man who became King George VI, the father of Queen Elizabeth II. After his brother abdicates, George ('Bertie' played by Colin Firth) reluctantly assumes the throne. Plagued by a dreaded stammer and considered unfit to be king, Bertie engages the help of an unorthodox speech therapist named Lionel Logue. Through a set of unexpected techniques, and as a result of an unlikely friendship, Bertie is able to find his voice and boldly lead the country through war.”
Of note in this movie is that even the most privileged person in the world, a prince of Britain (who is white, hetero, royal, etc), is still affected by stigma and bullying because of his speech disorder. He also feels tremendous pressure to “get over it”, to “man up”, to do his duty and talk “normally”, even though he cannot control his stammer. To stand up for himself against the bullying, he must somehow find his voice, the movie seems to say, rather than saying he should not be bullied in the first place.
It’s notable that radio technology is thought to force the King to give speeches, but for many disabled people, technology is a tremendous aide in how we live our lives.
It seems to occur to NO ONE in this movie that George can be King and not have to give speeches. Perhaps the Queen could give the speeches, or another member of the family? No one thinks of this simple solution. There is too much invested in tradition and ableism-- the Tyranny of the Normal.
eta: "Crip drag": an abled person was cast to play this role rather than an actor with a stutter.
This movie falls into a classic disability narrative, that of a heroic and brave man who “overcomes” a disability that was holding him back. In life, very few of us overcome our disabilities. We live with them, we manage, we work on accepting them. We cope. We learn to ask for help when needed, we outsource difficult or impossible jobs to other people. We learn creative problem solving. Some of us rely on snarky, sarcastic rejoinders to deflect against ableism.
Disability studies is an exciting, growing academic field that I encourage you all to learn more about.
Feedback on this is welcome.
Intro: who I am
I went through two coming out experiences; 1st was coming out as disabled. I had been ill with pain and fatigue for several years, and realizing/adopting the label was very helpful for me because it gave me tools and community to understand and cope with my experience. I also realized later, from studying disability theory, that I my selective mutism is a disability.
2nd was coming out as queer. Similarly this connected me to community and helped me live a happier life. These were different experiences but there were some similarities and they connected to each other in unexpected ways. Both identities are considered “other” by society and aren’t apparent when you look at me.
Medical model of illness: you get sick, and then you either get better or you die. Medical institution is generally not good at dealing with chronic illness and disability.
Social model of disability posits that disability is created by society. It exists in the physical and social world. If the world were different, disability would not exist-- it would so normalized that you would not even notice it anymore. One example of this is glasses: mild vision impairment is effectively no longer a disability because it is so normalized, and so easily dealt with by society. If all places are wheelchair accessible, and there were no stigma, then using a wheelchair would be equivalent to riding a bike--it would not be a disability.
Another example: In a pre-industrial society, someone with high-functioning Down’s Syndrome can be fully integrated and lead a normal life.
Umbrella exercise
“Queer” is an umbrella term (draw it on the board)
Ask the students for identities/terms that fit under the umbrella
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual
Transgender, Transexual, Transvestite
Asexual, Intersex, Poly, Kinky, others?
Butch, Genderqueer, probably others not discovered yet
Similarly, “Disabled” or “Crip” are umbrella terms
Ask students to call out things that fit under this umbrella
Mobility problems, blind, d/Deaf, hard of hearing
Pain, cancer, HIV, fatigue, fibro, other medical problems
asthma and allergies, chem sensitivies
depression, anxiety, bipolar, other mental/emotional illness
addiction
Developmental problems
ADHD and OCD, speech and learning disorders
many others
Both Queer and Disabled are “othered” states that only exist in opposition to the cultural norm-- compulsory heterosexuality and compulsory ability. If you are not fully able then life is much harder for you.
In my own case, I exhausted myself (and still sometimes do) trying to prove that I am physically able compared to some arbitrary cultural standard, when I am not.
Both queerness and ability rely on an imaginary, culturally constructed idea of the body. What if your body does not fit the dominant narrative? This can leave you feeling lost and disassociated from your body. A challenge for all of us is to take back our bodies and really own them.
The concept of interdependency:
Almost no one is truly independent. I live in an apartment where water comes out of a tap, I can flip a switch and get electricity, I have internet and mail. And yet I need to go to the store for food, and I need to leave my house for work and health care. What comes to me versus what doesn’t is somewhat arbitrary. Mass transit and city construction and how people rely on each other-- this is another way that society creates disability or ability in its people. Can people with impairments communicate with each other? Can they get around physically? How hard is it to get health care and basic needs met? The harder it is, the more disabled people society is creating.
The King’s Speech. Summarize.
From IMBD:
“Tells the story of the man who became King George VI, the father of Queen Elizabeth II. After his brother abdicates, George ('Bertie' played by Colin Firth) reluctantly assumes the throne. Plagued by a dreaded stammer and considered unfit to be king, Bertie engages the help of an unorthodox speech therapist named Lionel Logue. Through a set of unexpected techniques, and as a result of an unlikely friendship, Bertie is able to find his voice and boldly lead the country through war.”
Of note in this movie is that even the most privileged person in the world, a prince of Britain (who is white, hetero, royal, etc), is still affected by stigma and bullying because of his speech disorder. He also feels tremendous pressure to “get over it”, to “man up”, to do his duty and talk “normally”, even though he cannot control his stammer. To stand up for himself against the bullying, he must somehow find his voice, the movie seems to say, rather than saying he should not be bullied in the first place.
It’s notable that radio technology is thought to force the King to give speeches, but for many disabled people, technology is a tremendous aide in how we live our lives.
It seems to occur to NO ONE in this movie that George can be King and not have to give speeches. Perhaps the Queen could give the speeches, or another member of the family? No one thinks of this simple solution. There is too much invested in tradition and ableism-- the Tyranny of the Normal.
eta: "Crip drag": an abled person was cast to play this role rather than an actor with a stutter.
This movie falls into a classic disability narrative, that of a heroic and brave man who “overcomes” a disability that was holding him back. In life, very few of us overcome our disabilities. We live with them, we manage, we work on accepting them. We cope. We learn to ask for help when needed, we outsource difficult or impossible jobs to other people. We learn creative problem solving. Some of us rely on snarky, sarcastic rejoinders to deflect against ableism.
Disability studies is an exciting, growing academic field that I encourage you all to learn more about.
Feedback on this is welcome.
no subject
Date: 2011-03-08 03:55 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-03-08 04:16 am (UTC)And anyways, healthy athletes etc aren't disabled, they are enabled. They may be an interdependent part of society but theoretically they could live independently.
no subject
Date: 2011-03-08 12:47 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-03-08 04:05 am (UTC)The first is that your definition of the social model of disability is going to really throw people, because let's face it: even if the whole world was wheelchair accessible, Don would still be disabled. I think instead of saying that disability would disappear or be meaningless, it's better to make those points a bit less hard & fast.
The second is that I wouldn't actually talk about how everyone is a little disabled, because that gets into the "Because everyone's a little disabled, then obviously doing things that help out specific PWD is silly". (I've seen this argument play out time and time and time again. "I know about disability, I have difficulties carrying boxes up stairs! That's just like being a full-time wheelchair user!"
The third is... There are a plethora of actors who have stutters. A notable one is the dude who played Xander, but there are others. Why didn't they cast one to play the King?
no subject
Date: 2011-03-08 04:12 am (UTC)2) Thanks! I will cut that out.
3) WORD, thanks for this!! Crip drag indeed.
no subject
Date: 2011-03-08 04:16 am (UTC)I didn't say, I'm sorry - overall I think it looks *great*.
no subject
Date: 2011-03-08 04:20 am (UTC)Thanks so much for your feedback!! I'm a little nervous but also excited. :D
no subject
Date: 2011-03-08 04:24 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-03-08 03:03 pm (UTC)What I would recommend is gently trying to compare this to how people sometimes criticize drag because male-bodied people are performing a particular brand of femininity that might actually reinforce sexism and binary gender paradigms. They are dressing up as a category of people who lack a privilege that they have, even though the fact of dressing up that way may put them at risk in a homophobic and sexist society. You don't have to give it a lot of time--tell them if they're not sure about it, we can talk about it in section.
I really love your notes, and am very excited about this talk! I especially like the way that you connect the ways in which queerness and disability are both about having a non-normative body.
no subject
Date: 2011-03-08 03:04 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-03-08 03:08 pm (UTC)The main comparison with crip drag/crip face that seems to work better is comparing it to black face, which is something that is seen as totally unacceptable by most people.
no subject
Date: 2011-03-08 03:12 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-03-08 04:23 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-03-08 04:23 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-03-08 04:41 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-03-08 04:47 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-03-08 03:19 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-03-08 04:24 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-03-08 06:12 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-03-08 09:03 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-03-08 09:05 pm (UTC)