Keith et. al.
Not quite true. Scholarships are (sometimes) only provided to full-time
students. At least, this was the information given to me by administration
at Leeds. So those of us that have too few hours per day to cope with the
body, the logistics of administrating a disabling environment,
administrating assistance etc. to fulfill the criteria of full-time students
are out. But according to same offical this has nothing to do with
disability since the university system only look at "academic capacity".
Now, this is a clear example of discrimination through the use of "general
rules" - on the surface having nothing to do with disablement - but which
are non-adaptable to make the system accessible for all. My guess is that if
you really evaluated most academic systems of this, that and the other, you
would find similar excluding features in all of them.
In fact the same could be said of this discussion on language. Requiring
someone to conform to a set "general rule" of what is considered appropriate
language for an academic list is no better than requiring someone to conform
to other limiting rules in society.
I recently bought a *speech-program' for the computer and discovered to my
utter surprise that using it meant that my language started to change. For
example the beautifully descriptive word "loghorreic' - which I learned from
one of Larry's earlier posts - is non-existent in "dragon-talk'. This gives
me two choices: either to succumb to the limitations of the present system
(decided by the producer of the program) and keep believing that "all
animals are equal"; or decide to make the extra effort to expand the system
by teaching it new and exciting words in the firm knowledge that "some
animals are more equal than others" and this has to be dealt with.
Now there's also the fact that I, through years of experience with 'general
rules', have acquired a slight over-sensitivity to certain subjects, like
lofty proclamations of accessibility (in a wider sense) and academic debates
(in a more limited sense). The resulting "mental sneeze" is something I try
to control - or maybe contain is a better word - but sometimes it just
spills over. I guess the rest of you will just have to take that (or leave
it by simply hit the "delete"-button), like I and others like me, have to
take the sheer stupidity of the "general rule", the excruciating slowness of
social change and the utter nonsense of a lot of research.
Now I wish I could say that this list and disability studies in general
promote out-of-the-box thinking which expand our views and allow us to
question the answers of yesterday. But this is rarely the case, is it?
Instead we seem to spend endless amount of time getting hyped up over
perceived insults and letting off paranoid knee-jerk reactions.
Here's a few suggestions:
If you feel an utter dislike of some inputs on this list, delete them from
your screen and mind.
If you do not understand someone's input ask specific questions.
If you have trouble understanding words or references do the same, or use
google.com or Merriam Webster or other dictionaries and expand yourself.
Do no require of people to limit themselves to your perception of 'general
rules' but be aware of the imperfection inherent in these.
And, yes Keith I agree, let's expand our neurological systems, or at least
contain our "mental sneezes" whether or not they are disability or
academically related.
Susanne
----------------------------------------------------
Susanne Berg
Skarpnäcks Allé 41
128 33 SKARPNÄCK
Sweden
telephone/fax: +46 (0)8 15 73 54
mobile phone: +46 (0)705 15 73 56
e-mail home: [log in to unmask]
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Från: The Disability-Research Discussion List
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] För Keith McVilly
Skickat: den 15 juli 2006 03:08
Till: [log in to unmask]
Ämne: Re: postdoc opportunities at Leeds - British Academy Visiting
Fellowships
So, to check my understanding of the critique of the Post Doc
Opportunities ......
Its not that debate of disability issues (or the funding of debate
through scholarships, etc) is not appropriate in university / academic
circles or that having a degree excludes a person from participating in
the debate......
It more of a question about how well informed that debate is,
particularly in so far as it is inclusive of people with first-hand,
lived experience of the issues........
The challenge for the university sector (and the responsibility of
those who comprise the 'academic community' - for both those who do and
do not identify as a person with disability) is not much different from
the challenge for the wider community; to not only value diversity, but
encourage and support the participation of persons with diverse views
and experiences in its debates, deliberations and activities?
Participation in tertiary education is clearly more than a question of
physical access. But surly we all knew this? But if we did already
know that its about more than just physical access issues....why do
people still feel so excluded?
Maybe those of us who claim membership of the academic community need
to do a regular access audit on our neurological systems, to ensure they
are open to participation with and the integration of a diversity of
views?
keith
Dr Keith R. McVilly
B.A., Grad. Dip. Psych., M. Psych. (Clinical), PhD
MAPS & Member of the College of Clinical Psychologists
Tel.: +61 (0)3 9925 7362
Fac.: +61 (0)3 9925 7303
E-Mail: [log in to unmask]
Web: www.rmit.edu.au/disability-studies
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