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Judith I take much of your argument - which was well put - but I think the term able-bodied has some use depending on its use. I would agree that were we to be distingusiging between those disabled by society and those not disabled by society it might present a problem in comceptualising the 'other' in a prejudicial fashion to disabled people. I'm also increasingly concerned to make a distinction between those disabled by society on the grounds of 'impairment' - which i actually am uneasy about the use of as a term of identification although I recognise any form of distinction might engender the same concerns - and on other grounds. In a sense, one of the vagaries of capitalist modernity is a notion of the individual both idealised and dehumanised that disables in different ways most if not all those who inhabit it (by degrees, of course). Now I would not want that to become a swamping of disability politics, but I think the distinction is useful - politically and philosophically Where able bodied is useful is in describing capitalist-modernity as an 'able-bodied' modernity precisely because I would want to argue it imposes/requires a medicalised and idealised/dehumanised notion of humanity upon individuals in inculcating it into its value systems and functional systems. Indeed, able-bodied here serves the same as patriarchal, imperialist and heteronormative in identifying major 'key' discourses in the context of the composition of capitalist modernity. Or not..... Regards Paul Paul Reynolds Reader in Sociology and Social Philosophy Programme Leader in Sociology and Social Psychology Department of Social and Psychological Sciences Edge Hill University St Helens Road Ormskirk Lancs L39 4QP Tel: 01695 584370 email: [log in to unmask] >>> Judith Stephenson <[log in to unmask]> 07/19/09 9:33 AM >>> Thanks, Larry, for raising this. "Able-bodied" has been bothering me since the original question was posed, and I'm kind of surprised no one else challenged it. "Able-bodied" retains the medical model assumption that 'disability' resides in the body rather than in society. I fear for DS's future if we don't come to understand this basic premise. Not only that, "able-bodied" also assumes impairment renders the disabled or 'impaired' body rather useless. Even though I am blind my body is able to do most everything else I want it to do. Even so, society continues to disable me. The concept of able-bodiedness also excludes cognitive and sensory features of the lived experience of embodiment and probably more than what is coming to my mind at the moment. I am also troubled by the continued use of 'disability' and 'impairment' interchangeably. And I disagree with and am offended by the assertion that everyone has "disabilities." This is the whole point. This international list does not have an agreed understanding of Disability. That is why we use the expression 'non-disabled' as opposed to 'able-bodied' This discussion keeps rearing its head. Impairment or condition is the concrete fact and disability is the systematic oppression that people with impairments face. Re: the content of the question -- I think whether it is appropriate for nondisabled researchers to do disabilitly research depends on their intent, their theoretical approaches, their research models, etc. I think it's important for disability researchers who consider themselves nondisabled to state this throughout the project, including in the write-up. At various times during my doctoral research, each and all the participants mentioned they would not have responded to my call for blind participants had I not stated I am blind because they were not willing to be used once again by sighted researchers. It is the same at DPO level, disabled people are continuously researched, 'consulted with', 'involved' etc etc. And people are sick and tired of it. They need action, they need money, they need jobs etc Whilst organising a disability arts and culture festival individuals/organisations who have indeed been of good intentions kept suggesting non-disabled arts practitioners to me. And when I said the festival would only employ disabled people - i was immediately asked 'but, do you mean you are discriminating against 'able-bodied' people"? And instead of going through all the rigmarole of trying to explain what disability culture was all about - I just said YES. ________________End of message________________ This Disability-Research Discussion list is managed by the Centre for Disability Studies at the University of Leeds (www.leeds.ac.uk/disability-studies). Enquiries about list administration should be sent to [log in to unmask] Archives and tools are located at: www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/disability-research.html You can VIEW, POST, JOIN and LEAVE the list by logging in to this web page. ----------------------------------------------------- This email and any attachments are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual to whom it is addressed. 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