>Gill Dixon wrote:
>
>> >I tend to think David that this is the way you would like to keep it too!
>> I am a student of Disability Studies, and fifty percent of my particular
>> course do not have disabilities themselves (that includes me) but are
>> extremely interested in the construction of disability in our culture and
>> the injustices therein.
>>
>> I'm trying to get away from the 'us and them' scenario.
>> How about you?
>> Gill.
Well, whereas I think the 'us' and 'them' scenario is not helpful, I think
we have to remember where it came from in the first place. I'm on record as
having written that in academia, the vast bulk of those who end up with
PhDs in the UK (Deaf Studies, but I suspect its also true of Disability
Studies) are NOT deaf and/or disabled. This makes me wonder about who
really controls the academic agenda - which I do see as an important part
of our struggles. I'm not knocking the small minority of these people who
do try to believe in the emancipatory goal and practice it, but there are
an awful lot of others who go off and use those PhDs in the service of
their own status and the oppression of disabled people. I know that
emancipatory research is full of dreams, but I constantly ask whether it's
enough if we retain the non-disabled person in the role of the researcher
and the disabled person as the researched (however much disabled people are
asked what they want and how we would like it to be achieved).
Though I respect what you have to say, I tend to agree with Carolyn and
others - it is a question of where you say it and how. If I'm honest,
somehow Tanis' story resonates much more with me because it is part of my
history and my culture. This is a story OF disabled people ... your story
is about you in relation to disabled people i.e. a story ABOUT disabled
people. I think there is a difference and if more non-disabled people
understood this, the 'us' and 'them' might begin to disappear.
Best wishes
Mairian
*********
"To understand what I am doing, you need a third eye"
*********
Mairian Corker
Senior Research Fellow in Deaf and Disability Studies
University of Central Lancashire
Postal Address:
111 Balfour Road
Highbury
London N5 2HE
U.K.
Minicom/TTY +44 [0]171 359 8085
Fax +44 [0]870 0553967
Typetalk (voice) +44 [0]800 515152 (and ask for minicom/TTY number)
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