I don't like the term Ability in contrast to disability either. It's a
trap . It's like I have to justify my being as a disabled by pointting out
that I have an ability. it's the same trap than th4e one saying that we
can be productive members of society if accomodated . That assumes I have
to be productive. It assumes that I am to be judged by the standard the
majority developed and only by showing them that I can be like them that I
gain acceptance or differently said I sell the majority the special effort
of accomodating me by saying "If you help me than I can be like you".
I think we have to be contend rooted in who we are.
Every person has different abilities independdent of the label disability
men/women have different abilities young old have different abilities
blind deaf wheelchair users Down Syndrome people have different abilities.
I never liked the term disability because it assumes that I am not able
suggesting there is a master list of abilities I have to be able to
perform in order to be called able bodied.why is walking a preexisting
condition for being called able bodied? Many so called able bodied are
totally useless in science in Biochemistry so can I not say that they are
disabled and I am the able bodied as I am good in Biochemistry? Or someone
who can interact with people versus the once unable to. Who again decides
as to who gets labelled in which way. In the same way I don't like the
term person with a disability because it assumes disability as intrinsic
to the person (but of course it only defines disability in a very narrow
sense like I think a women in india is a person with a disability but the
definition in the western world is much more narrow).
Again I apologize if this is at all not clear. I guess I don't like any of
the terms as the powers to be decide what label I get. I am a disabled
because I have no legs period. I have no say. And it even
institutionalized this oppressing labelling process by saying you have to
agree to this label otherwise we will noyt give you the support you need.
Women /gay/lesbians../race related people get their support accomodation
based on human rights . We get it based on "you are a disabled and we feel
compassionate about your mishap and so we kindly give you stuff if we
can't prevent you in the first way".
I am not a person with a disability. I am a person with a certain set of
characteristics which might lead to different abilities And in this sense
every one is in the same boat as everyone is a person with a different set
of characteristics leading to different abilities under different societal
enviroments.
Cheers
Gregor
On Thu, 18 Nov 1999, Laurence Bathurst wrote:
>
>
> Hi Tom
>
>
> Thanks for your reply - and to you John - (first prize is a 2 year holiday in
> the community services institution of your choice:-)
> The reply below Tom reminds me that the contrast between ability and
> disability with the former being valued way above the other, also makes
> the word DisAbility (with a large A) sound like an apology. It could be
> read as saying: Please see and value my abilities DESPITE the fact that I
> have a disability.
>
>
> >
> > I find the term, "*dis*ability" to be problematical in terms of its contrast
> > with the notion of "ability" and cultural productivity. I understand the
> > sentiment of wanting to celebrate our abilities rather than concentrating on
> > dis-function, however, the use of the contrasting pair ability / disability
> > already tends to set up a hierarchy of performance. Those of us with
> > dis-abilities, of course, end up at the bottom of that hierarchy in terms of
> > the perception that we are no longer able to produce an acceptable amount of
> > cultural capital.
> >
> > A fellow stirrer of the ability / disability pot.
> >
> > Tom Craig
> > Visiting Scholar in the Women's Studies Program
> > Brock University
> > St. Catharines, Ontario
> > L2S 3A1
> > Canada
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Laurence Bathurst <[log in to unmask]>
> > To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
> > Date: Wednesday, November 17, 1999 8:28 PM
> > Subject: a query
> >
> >
> > Hi everyone
> >
> >
> > Can I beg people's indulgence in asking a few question to which I think I
> > have alluded to before? Would poeple mind pondering the slogan for
> > International Day for People with a DisAbility (in Australia) "A Celebration
> > of Ability". Is it not the 'celebration of ability' that causes disability?
> > Is the
> > accentuation of Ability by using a capital A in the word disability,
> > problematic for anyone besides me?
> >
> > If anyone else agrees that the slogan is dubious, then is the slogan
> > "celebration of disability" just as problematic? Could such a slogan be
> > read 2 different ways? 1) The celebration of oppression and 2) the
> > celebration of disability as an identity of which to be proud?
> >
> > Am I just being pedantic and a stirrer?
> >
> >
> > Best regards
> >
> > Laurence Bathurst
> > School of Occupation and Leisure Sciences
> > Faculty of Health Sciences
> > University of Sydney
> > P.O. Box 170
> > Lidcombe NSW 2141
> > Australia
> >
> > Phone: (62 1) 9351 9509
> > Fax: (62 1) 9351 9166
> > e-mail: [log in to unmask]
> >
> > Please visit the School's interim web site at
> > http://www.ot.cchs.usyd.edu.au
> > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> > Not one shred of evidence supports the notion that life is serious
> >
> > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> >
> >
>
>
> Best regards
>
> Laurence Bathurst
> School of Occupation and Leisure Sciences
> Faculty of Health Sciences
> University of Sydney
> P.O. Box 170
> Lidcombe NSW 2141
> Australia
>
> Phone: (62 1) 9351 9509
> Fax: (62 1) 9351 9166
> e-mail: [log in to unmask]
>
> Please visit the School's interim web site at
> http://www.ot.cchs.usyd.edu.au
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Not one shred of evidence supports the notion that life is serious
>
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
Dr. Gregor Wolbring
Research Scientist at the
Dept. of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Faculty of Medicine
and Adjunct Assistant Professor
at the Dept. of Community Rehabilitation and Disability Studies
Faculty of Education
both University of Calgary
Phone 1-403-220-5448
Fax 1-403-283-4740
eFax 1-603-761-3704
e-mail [log in to unmask]
webpage: http://www.thalidomide.ca/gwolbring
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