UPDATE: Extended deadline and revised title
Originally nicknamed the "Borders" issue, the Fall '99 edition of
_Disability Studies Quarterly_ has been more positively baptized:
"BRIDGING the Divide: Disability in the New Millenium." As the last
issue of the Twentieth Century, it seems more useful to be looking at an
inclusive future for disabled people, rather than stressing the
artificial borders that, like any social construct, are arbitrary and
fragile. Many societal boundaries have already been crossed;
exclusionary borders and categories are beginning to blur. The way
forward now, for the Disability Movement, seems to call for more
solidarity and common goals, in the expectation of enriching the lives
of disabled people globally.
The "Bridges" issue of DSQ, then, is devoted to readings that
explore the philosophical issues and multiple perspectives that arise
within the disabled community itself, in the hopes that a more unified,
cohesive bridge to empowerment might be built. Writers are invited to
explore the differences and similarities--and the potential for merger--
involved in positions on debatable questions such as these (which are
meant to stimulate, not confine, your creative thinking!):
* Is there "A" Movement, or several? International
contexts, variances in impairments, and such 'fringe benefits' to
disability as ethnic or gender characteristics, will naturally
complicate our perspectives; but are there POINTS OF STASIS, or
agreement, from which all disabled people can begin an argument for
equality?
* How is PHYSICAL disability different from impairments of a LEARNING or
cognitive nature? And what do such differences mean for people with
multiple impairments?
* Is legislation or POLICY change necessarily the first step to
"real"equality--or, conversely, is it possible to PERSUADE people to
reject the myth-information about disability that is so widely spread
(by the media, for example)? If society were to adopt more egalitarian
belief systems overall, might that reduce the need for, somehow,
"legislating" attitude change?
* What do the advances in SCIENCE, such as the Genome Project, or the
changing philosophy about PRENATAL TESTING or EUTHANASIA mean for our
culture as a whole, and for disabled people specifically?
* In what ways do the "RIGHTS" approach and the "critical "AWARENESS"
approach to disability issues coincide or diverge? How is the
Disability Movement *like* the movements of groups arguing for ethnic-
race-gender-religion-sexual preference freedoms; or how are disabled
people seeking change that is *unlike* the causes of the former groups?
* Where is the place for the NONDISABLED activist or researcher, within
the Movement? For comparison value, does one have to be black, female,
elderly, or alcoholic to present the ethos required for participation in
ethnic, gender, geriatric, or sobriety activities?
* What are the pros and cons to INCLUSIVE EDUCATION? Are there personal
stories of "special schools" that demonstrate ways in which separatism
can be a positive experience?
* Are there examples of cases where the Disability Movement is, or has
been, itself elitist or EXCLUSIVE? How might the contradictions in
philosophy be resolved?
* What consequences or, alternatively, benefits, might there be from the
MARKET ECONOMY encroaching upon academic and "caring" services?
* Is there more than one meaning of "PARTNERSHIP," as the notion is
applied for the contact zones of parents and professionals, or between
disabled people and the management of services they might require?
* If the theory of "Inclusion" is meant to cross boundaries between
school, community, and society writ large, what would an inclusive
society look like? What is your idea of UTOPIA for disabled people, and
what changes seem unachievable? Who defines the parameters that
currently exclude disabled people from total participation in life--and
how might those parameters be contested?
* Has there been progress in "disciplining disability," i.e. in the
university CURRICULUM? How has that been achieved, and under which
departments (e.g. Sociology, Humanities, Cultural Studies, or the psych-
medical colleges)? How is the philosophy of the Social Model
maintained, or distorted, depending on syllabi construction or
instructor's approach?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My vision for this issue of DSQ is that it will represent a truly
international, multidimensional, interdisciplinary dialogue, with both
researchers and "the Researched" exchanging their views, offering
provocative insights for readers who may be, like myself, confused about
the Movement and what/who it stands for/against. Convening for an open
debate in print, the disability community might together grasp a working
Mission Statement, with which we can move forward.
Please send abstracts of no more than 750 words, via Email, by 30 April,
to [log in to unmask] Typed drafts of accepted papers (in WP
5.0, please) will be due 1 July.
Thank you
Dona Avery
U of Bristol/AZ State U.
[log in to unmask]
www.public.asu.edu/~donam
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