Disability As A Metaphor For Inferiority

In Nancy Mairs’ article for The New York Times, “Disability”, published in 1987, she expresses her distaste with the media's representation of handicapped people. Mairs, who struggled with multiple sclerosis herself, clearly and sharply conveys this disgust by stating, “I’m not, for instance, Ms. MS, a walking, talking embodiment of a chronic incurable degenerative disease.” (Mairs 13), and that she is actually, “the advertisers’ dream: Ms. Great American Consumer. And yet the advertisers, who determine nowadays who will get represented publicly and who will not, deny the existence of me and my kind absolutely”(Mairs 14). Mairs is greatly upset that disabled people are defined by their disabilities and, therefore, are underrepresented in public media. This might lead to one asking themselves, but why are they? And the answer, according to Mairs, is quite simple, “To depict disabled people in the ordinary activities of daily life is to admit that there is something ordinary about disability itself, that it may enter anybody’s life”(Mairs 14). Mairs concludes by pointing out how this effacement could have dangerous consequences for both disabled people and, as she called everyone else, TAPs (Temporarily Abled Persons) alike. Treating disabilities as an abnormal characteristic (as opposed to viewing them “as a normal characteristic, one that complicates but does not ruin human existence” (Mairs 15)) can cause one of these repercussions, as it makes the

Disability has been a difficult topic of society for years. Many people find discomfort in the presence of the disabled and many feel pity for those who are disabled. Back in the 1800s, the disabled were perceived as unable to contribute to society, often forced to undergo sterilization, and forced into institutions and asylums (“A Brief History”). In fact, this treatment of the disabled and mentally ill has been persistent until somewhat recently, when the Civil Rights movement took place, and those with disabilities decided to take a stand for their rights. Although people with disabilities continue to face difficulties in finding jobs, legitimizing their opinion, having the right to vote, and choosing whether or not they receive or refuse

Douglas C. Baynton argues in his article, “Disability and the Justification of Inequality in American History”, that the concept of disability is culturally constructed and has been paid little to no attention to throughout history. He also argues that the term disability plays an important role in justifying discriminations against minority groups, based on gender, race, and ethnicity. He states that “Disability has functioned historically to justify inequality for disabled people themselves, but it has also done so for women and minority groups. That is, not only has it been considered justifiable to treat disabled people unequally, but the concept of disability has been used to justify discrimination against other groups by attributing disability to them.” (Baynton 94) He used women’s suffrage, African American freedom, and immigration restriction as examples to show how disability played an essential role in illustrating how minorities who were labeled as disabled were treated with discrimination. As they were labeled with disability, discrimination against them became justifiable, which ultimately proves that discrimination against disabled was thought as justifiable and were looked over.

Each time period had people with different views of disability and ways of treating those with disabilities. For example, early European colonists in 1492-1700 had a definition for disability that discussed productivity in regards to things such as class and gender. For children who were born with disabilities, the women were always blamed. For the time period of 1700-1776, slaves who had "undesirable bodies" were left to die. After that until 1865, African and indigenous women compared to white women were compared to animals and viewed negatively due to their features. Each time period had people who viewed disabilities in different capacities and took

Ultimately, as Shapiro emphasized throughout the reading, the stereotypes that exist around the disabled population is that main perpetrator to inequity. The infantilization leads to “the paternalistic assumption that disabled people are not entitled to make their own decisions and lead the lives they chose.” Destroying the stereotypes that disabled people are incapable of living a successful, meaningful life without being the means of pity of inspiration will lead to the destruction of the systematic oppression disabled

By tracing the impacts of this movement, one can gain a better understanding of how fear and devaluing of people with disabilities became deeply embedded in our culture. Doctors were still calling people with disabilities burdens, segregating them in institutions, sterilizing them, and treating them as subhuman as late as the 1970’s. Today, many people still treat people with disabilities as burdens and with fear. During the height of eugenics in America, medical research was being done on people with disabilities (Groce and Marks, 2000). This is a clear equivalent to the status of animal, as only animals and people with disabilities were used in the manner; comparing people with disabilities to animals remains part of our medical and academic culture. In fact, Groce and Marks (2000) challenged anthropologists who consider the value of non-human primates higher than other animals because of their similarities to people with disabilities, connecting these arguments to the American eugenics movement. While the result of the eugenics movement was to devalue people with disabilities, and anthropologists in this case intended to increase the value of the life of the primate, in both instances, the

Disability has functioned historically to justify inequality for disabled people themselves, but it has also done so for women and minority groups. That is, not only has it been considered justifiable to treat disabled people unequally, but the concept of

Throughout history both in the past and present many individuals who are living or who lived with a disability have been viewed as a burden to society. According to The Dimensions of a Disability Oppression (2010) by L.J Charlton several aspects are intertwined with disability oppression which is beliefs, politics and economics. Policy and the world system have a lot to do with how people see another person especially an individual with a disability because thanks to poverty and powerlessness are viewed as daily experiences in the life of someone living with a disability. In our society when it comes to differences we either ignore it and if we feel that it’s not dominant enough we start to think its subordinate compared to us. We are taught

It is reasonable to argue that, over the last century or so, the United States has made great strides in addressing issues of injustice. Feminism, the Civil Rights movement, and activism from gay men and women have transformed laws and greatly changed the ways in which these populations were once perceived as inferior. There are still major conflicts regarding race relations, just as issues remain with other minorities and women's rights. At the same time, there has been remarkable progress, indicating a nation more aware of its ethical obligation to treat all equally. To some extent, this same awareness goes to the disabled. Unfortunately, this is a population still very much victimized by bias, and because

The overarching topic of the book is focused on creating a new future about the concept of disability and disabled bodies. The overarching argument of the book is the idea that “disability is often seen as a future that no one wants. Furthermore, Kafer writes this book to bring a new definition of disability focusing on the political experiences of this concept. Throughout the chapters of the book, Kafer incorporates a variety of social issues that are analyzed using different theoretical principles. Some of these theoretical principles include crip theory, queer theory, and disability studies. In many chapters of the book, Kafer cites herself when she talks about her experiences as a disabled person.

Disability in a socio-cultural context can be defined as "a barrier to participation of people with impairments or chronic illnesses arising from an interaction of the impairment or illness with discriminatory attitudes, cultures, policies or institutional practices" (Booth, 2000). The traditional view of disability often focuses on the individual, highlighting incapacities or failings, a defect, or impairment. This focus creates obstacles to participation on equal terms since an individual who seems to lack certain capacities may not be able to attain autonomy.

Society’s ideological constructs and attitudes towards minority groups are created and reinforced through media imagery. Although negative associations that maintain inequities with regard to race, gender and homophobia (Conner & Bejoian, 2006) have been somewhat relieved, disability is still immersed in harmful connotations that restrict and inhibit the life of people with disabilities in our society.

Despite the response to disability varying greatly between times, places and cultures (Barnes, 2012), there is no doubt that disability has an immeasurable impact on people’s lives. Disability affects an individual’s identity and their ability to work, socialise and be involved in society. In this essay I will discuss how approaches to disability have changed over time, specifically how approaches to disability have developed in recent centuries. I will start by discussing the medical model before moving on to its direct challenge in the social model. Finally I will discuss responses to the social model, in particular the biopsychosocial model.

Disability is a human reality that has been perceived differently by diverse cultures and historical periods.  For most of the 20th century, disability was defined according to a medical model. In the medical model, disability is assumed to be a way to characterize a particular set of largely static, functional limitations. This led to stereotyping and defining people by condition or limitations.

This week’s discussion dealt with Individuals and Disabilities. Over the years, people who have a “disability" have been subjected to prejudice and more. And the first way to diminish someone is through language, by using words or labels to identify a person as "less-than," as "the others—not like us," and so forth. Once a person has been identified this way, it makes