Hello everyone
In terms of disability education, I think the argument is important. Rather
than teaching students what is the correct terminology, explaining the
argument should be much more fruitful. It is important for students (anyone)
to understand the political and cultural histories that have seen the two
(or more) widely used terms arise and the implications for using either. Is
it Foucault who talks about "reverse discourses" and "reappropriation of
language"? From memory, Umberto Eco has something to say about
representation and authenticity in his book Travels into hyper-reality (or
something like that). Look at the Gay and Lesbian Communities and queer
culture for examples of reappropriating the language of oppression.
From the little I know, the "people with a disability" language was to some
extent installed to avert the objectifying "The" as in "The Disabled".
However, the term "people with a disability" shifts the objectification from
the person to the disability (grammatically through the use of the word
"a"). Are there any grammarians out there who can explain the adjectival
forms of the the word "disabled" and "disability" and the relative
positioning of the "person" within these terms?
Best regards
Laurence Bathurst
School of Occupation and Leisure Sciences
Faculty of Health Sciences
University of Sydney
PO Box 170
Lidcombe NSW 1825
Australia
Ph: 61 2 9351 9509
Fax: 61 2 9351 9509
Email: [log in to unmask]
See School Website www.ot.cchs.usyd.edu.au
Home Ph: 61 2 9818 2050
Mobile Ph: 0407 069 441
----- Original Message -----
From: "Simon Stevens" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thursday, July 18, 2002 7:00 AM
Subject: Re: 2003 logo
| I agree with Paul. Being disabled as nothing to do with ability. I do
| own my impairment which is a positive part of my identity but I do not
| own the oppressed that is forced onto me. I have the ability to do
| anything I want in my own way. Society refusal to accept my abilities is
| the issue.
|
| As someone who went to Seattle in 2000 at an big Individualised Funding
| Conference and say the transatlantic divide, I refuse to accept it is
| merely geographical divide.
|
| The social model, with all its faults, is a cornerstone of what was the
| UK disability movement and now the basis of disability policy and
| thinking in the UK. The replacement of WHO first definitions with pure
| social model definitions can only lead into the logic of disabled people
| or people with impairments has being grammatically correct regardless of
| location and thinking. I acknowledge at took me a few years before I
| understood and began living the social model, but I was 19/20 with no
| academic background in disability.
|
| In the UK, the current thinking is anyone who uses PWD or disability
| awareness training (although impairment literacy is starting to be
| possible) is obviously not aware of their job or even pretending to
| understand. OK, many disabled people in UK do use PWD but are often
| oppressed into an medical model way of thinking.
|
| Unlike words like physical challenged, special or less able, I do not
| want or need to pretend being disabled is anything other than oppression
| and not something needing sugar coating. My impairment, cerebral palsy
| or cp, is a neutral identity tab similar to my weight, my eye colour, my
| penis size!
|
| I do think this 'we are people first/ argument is wrong. The whole point
| is we are not allowed to be people ever. Society has disabled me and
| refused to let me and my impairment exist freely.
|
| You may argue this is geographical semantics, I just argue that is
| grammatical accuracy for anyone who works within a social model
| perspective.
|
|
| --
|
| Simon Stevens
| [log in to unmask]
|
| Tel: +44(0)24 7644 8130
| Fax: +44(0)870 133 2447
|
|
| -----Original Message-----
| From: The Disability-Research Discussion List
| [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Paul Darke
| Sent: 17 July 2002 20:25
| To: [log in to unmask]
| Subject: Re: 2003 logo
|
| people do not have disabilities (it is not a pathological thing); we are
| 'disabled' by society, thus we are disabled people - what we share is
| not a pathological feature rather we share an experience of constructed
| social processes that exclude, discriminate and abuse (segregate etc.).
|
| such is life
|
| On Wednesday, July 17, 2002, at 04:39 , Mary Ennis wrote:
|
| > Hi Mark,
| >
| > Here in Canada, the consumer movement has worked long and hard to
| > change the
| > language, to put the individual first and foremost instead of
| > following a
| > label. I'm really curious as to the reasoning behind your request for
| a
| > name
| > change to the European Year?
| >
| > Mary
| >
| > ----- Original Message -----
| > From: "Mark Priestley" <[log in to unmask]>
| > To: <[log in to unmask]>
| > Sent: Friday, July 12, 2002 1:05 PM
| > Subject: 2003 logo
| >
| >
| >> Hi
| >>
| >> Just to let you know that I managed to persuade the people at
| European
| > Year
| >> of 'People with Disabilities' to produce an alternative UK friendly
| >> logo
| >> titled 'European Year of Disabled People'.
| >>
| >> They haven't put it on their web site yet, but they sent me one when
| I
| > asked
| >> for it.
| >>
| >> EYPD Team
| >> EurO&M
| >> 22 rue de la Putterie
| >> B - 1000 Brussels
| >> mailto:[log in to unmask]
| >>
| >> http://www.eypd2003.org/eypd/eypd/logo/logo_2.html
| >>
| >> Best Wishes
| >>
| >> Mark Priestley
| >> Centre for Disability Studies
| >> University of Leeds
| >> LEEDS
| >> LS2 9JT
| >> UK
| >>
| >> tel: +44 113 343 4417
| >> fax: +44 113 343 4415
| >> e-mail: [log in to unmask]
| >> http://www.leeds.ac.uk/disability-studies
| >>
| >> ________________End of message______________________
| >>
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| >> are now located at:
| >>
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| >>
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| >>
| >
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| >
| >
| Dr Paul Darke [log in to unmask]
|
| Outside Centre Limited
| 112 Clark Road
| Compton
| Wolverhampton
| West Midlands
| WV3 9PB
|
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