Sorry in advance if this restates subsequent comments by others.
Re: the following comment from Philip Scullion
'In relation to the complaint about wording dare i ask two questions please?
Is the definition of homophobia is all embracing, to include a positive
regard for homosexual life styles? I expect someone has a readily available
definition.
Is this an absolute pre-requisite for having an interest in disability
issues?'
I think that one thing we know about 'disability' is that it shares with
many other categories the elements of disadvantage, marginalistion or
prejudice, or any number of other negative terms. They are loaded into the
social, cultural and political discourse, in whatever context, and there's a
lot of discussion around deconstructing them.
To take up this enquiry: defining these categories suits what purpose? What
is this question really asking? What is a 'life style'? The politics of
'disability', like those of sexuality, 'gender', ethnicity, 'oppression' etc
is a highly contested area. One thing we can do is reflect always on our own
values, not just about our own idea of our/others' identity, but looking at
the value systems around us as well, and our roles within them. We may not
agree on precisely what we all mean by 'social model' or even 'social'
itself, but this dynamic process needs to continue - forever!
Perhaps the enquiry is about the relevance of this recent thread to
something we call 'disability-research'. Some readers might be saying that
it is a distraction from the proper purpose of the list. Those certainly do
occur, though sometimes that is where the most interesting discussions are
found. In this case, I think it is highly relevant. I hope that the heat
that the discussion generates will also provide some light. The worst thing
which could happen would be for people to leave the list because the content
upsets them. That happens too often, so I agree that the tone of discussion
should be respectful.
Stefan Couani
Sydney
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