Module 4: Disabled Conceptions of Disability
“One simple response might be that you are disabled if you say you are. Although that declaration won’t satisfy a worker’s compensation board, it has a certain credibility with the disabled community. The degree and significance of an individual’s impairment is often less of an issue than the degree to which someone identifies as disabled. Another way to answer the question is to say that disability “is mostly a social distinction… a marginalized status” and the status is assigned by “the majority culture tribunal.”… when the distinction between disabled and non-disabled is challenged by people who say, “Actually, we’re all disabled in some way, aren’t we?”… I am not willing or interested in erasing the line between disabled and non-disabled people, as long as disabled people are devalued and discriminated against, and as long as naming the category serves to call attention to that treatment.” (Davis, 2017, p. 23)
Overview
A Message From Shaheen
In this module, you will learn how disabled people conceptualize disability. These ideas depart from the dominant ideas discussed in Module 3 to varying degrees. Some of the ideas are diametrically opposed to the dominant ideas and other disabled ideas are less dramatic departures.
The ideas in this module’s Engage sources will be new to many readers. Some of the ideas may call into question things you hold to be true. Engage with the goal of understanding these (likely new) ideas, with which you may or may not agree.
Thinking is fun; it is also hard work. Remember to give yourself time and space to digest and process what you are learning.
Musical Moment
Live Performance | Tralala Blip | TEDxSydney (Insufficient Captions)
Transcript of Tralala Blip Performance
|
Component |
Estimated Time to Complete |
|---|---|
|
Engage |
1 hr 20 mins-1 hr 40 mins |
|
Reflect |
1 hr |
|
Chat |
1-2 hrs |
|
Self-Assess |
10-15 mins |
Engage
Required
|
Source |
Summary |
Estimated Time |
|---|---|---|
|
Demystifying Disability Ch. 1 So What is Disability Anyway? By Emily Ladau |
This chapter delves into some possible ways to conceptualize disability, as well as some information about disability related language. |
22-27 mins |
| I Got 99 Problems… Palsy is Just OneBy Maysoon Zayid |
In this TedTalk, Maysoon Zayid discusses growing up with cerebral palsy, normalcy, pity, and media representation. |
8-14 mins |
|
Autism Is an Identity, Not a Disease: Inside the Neurodiversity Movement By Lydia X. Z. Brown |
This article shares the most widely held beliefs among autistic activists, and how those differ from dominant ideas. |
15-25 mins |
|
My Body Doesn’t Oppress Me, Society Does By Patty Berne and Stacy Milbern |
In this video, Patty Berne and Stacy Milbern discuss the social model of disability and the oppression they face on a societal level. |
3-5 mins |
| Overcoming the Concept of Overcoming As a Person Who Stutters By Nina G |
This blog post discusses the common “overcoming disability” narrative, and its harmful effects. |
3-6 mins |
|
Demystifying Disability: Ch. 2 Understanding Disability as Part of a Whole Person By Emily Ladau |
In Chapter 2, Ladau gives an overview of intersectionality, categories of disability, and models through which society views disability. |
14-17 mins |
Spend 10 More Minutes
|
Source |
Summary |
Estimated Time |
|---|---|---|
|
KING KAUTION HOW I FEEL By King Kaution Transcript: KING KAUTION “HOW I FEEL” Transcript |
Disabled rapper King Kaution expresses his perspective on living with a disability in this music video. |
3-4 mins |
|
Everything I Wish You Knew: A Letter to My Teenage Self By Karin Hitselberger |
In this blog post, Karin Hitselberger reflects on the changes in her self-perception and identity throughout her life as a disabled woman. |
4-6 mins |
|
Autism Defined: A Poem By Morénike Giwa Onaiwu
|
This poem contrasts the pervasive negative ideas of autism in society to the resilience and acceptance within the Autistic community. |
1 min |
|
This article uses the social and medical models of disability to discuss deafness, gene editing, and “disability cures.” |
3-5 mins |
|
|
Access Intimacy By Mia Mingus |
In this blog post, Mingus describes a rare generative type of access grounded in love and openness, not charity or mandates. |
4-7.5 mins |
|
4 Important Things Disabled People Disagree About By Andrew Pulrang |
This article presents varying perspectives on common topics of debate including media representation and advocacy. |
5.5-10 mins |
Optional
|
Source |
Summary |
Estimated Time |
|---|---|---|
|
Living (and Leaving) Diagnostic Labels By Terri Beth Miller |
Terri Beth Miller discusses her thoughts on diagnostic labels, the pathologizing of disabled people, and the power of language in this blog post. |
3-5.5 mins |
Reflect
Use the prompts below as a jumping off point. Do not let the prompts confine your reflection.
- What are some of the complexities of defining disability that this module’s Engage thinkers raised?
- How might different knowledge, identities, and experiences lead people to have diverging points of view on disability?
Chat
Use the prompts below as a jumping off point for a conversation with others in your class or community.
- Compare the ideas of disability in this Module’s Engage sources with (1) the dominant ideas shared in the Module 3 Engage sources and (2) your ideas of disability.
Self-Assess
- What idea/concept from this module was the CLEAREST to you?
- What idea/concept from this module was the MUDDIEST to you?
- Rate your knowledge on the ideas discussed in this module
- Expert
- Mastered
- Competent
- Still Developing
- Undeveloped
FAQ
Q1: Wait, so not all disabled people agree on everything?
A1: Definitely not! Disabled people, like any other group of people, have a wide-range of perspectives and opinions. The misconception that disabled people all have the same opinion about a topic is an example of a single story. There are many disabled communities and there are diverse perspectives within and among those communities.
Q2: Why wouldn’t Deaf people want to “cure” deafness using gene editing?
A2: Let us start by emphasizing that we are not Deaf and, therefore, can only communicate our understanding as outsiders. First, is deafness a problem? Some hearing people would say “yes.” But many Deaf people see deafness as a part of their identity—not a problem. People don’t usually want to cure something about themselves that they like, right? If there was a cure for hearingness, which would help hearing people become deaf, how many hearing people do you think would sign up for that cure? We suspect very few. Hearing people, us included, tend to see their ability to hear as a good thing, not a problem. Many Deaf people feel the same way about their deafness and therefore have no desire for a “cure.” They also see their Deafness as a connection to a community, culture, and language. If you want to learn more about the idea of deafness as an advantage, dig into the concept of Deaf gain.
