Hi Dan
Each time I tell people (especially the so-called non disabled people) that my PhD thesis was proofread and edited by my blind friend, Kudzai; the response is often; "Is that possible? How did he read it? Did you write your thesis in Braille?" It goes to show that as society, we still have a long way to go before we understand that disabled people can also be as capable just like any human being as long as we make necessary provision. Here, I am also aware of the importance of not promoting the super-cripp syndrome!
Another comment that I get quite often is people asking me whether I have a disabled family member for me to have studied disability studies over other desciplines. Although I am aware that some people have been drawn into disability because of personal or family experiences; most people still think that 'all' disability researchers have a direct or indirect experience (family) with disability. If I say no; the next comment is "oh, you have a good heart, you are merciful just like your name, God will bless you!", and I am thinking, 'Oh my God!' By the way, the translation of my name Tsitsi in English is 'Mercy', so I guess that's why I get such comments. But my question to those who studied other descplines; e.g. Christian Theology - where they too many sinners in their families for them to study Christian Theology?For those in medicine; where there too many sick people in their families for them to study medicine; the list goes on! It is this sympathetic discourse that really gets into my nerves when I get such comments. Disability is still far from being seen as a development and human rights issue, and also, just one of the many descplines worth studying without being seen as a 'philathropist'.
Hope this helps Dan, will share some more experiences I remember them
Tsitsi
Dr Tsitsi Chataika
Postdoctoral Research Fellow - Stellenbosch University, Centre for Rehabilitation Studies
Research Associate - University of Dublin, Trinity College, Centre for Global Health
Editor - Global South to North Disability Research E-Newsletter
Physical Address
Stellenbosch University, Tygerberg Campus
Faculty of Health Science, Centre for Rehabilitation Studies
African Policy On Disability and Development (A-PODD) Project
P.O Box 19063
Tygerberg, 7505, South Africa
Tel: +27 (0)21 938 9816 (office)
+27 (0)76 408 5148 (Cell/Mobile)
Fax: +27 (0)21 938 9855
Website: www.a-podd.org & http://a-podd.academia.edu/TsitsiChataika/About
"“The two things one should never watch being made are sausages and public policy” - Lomas, 1997.
________________________________________
From: The Disability-Research Discussion List [[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Dan Goodley [[log in to unmask]]
Sent: 11 October 2011 22:41
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: The psychopathology of the non-disabled: a call for stories
Hi Jenny
thanks for this -really appreciated - and yes your text along with other key peices including work by Carol Thomas, Donna Reeve, are key planks of the literature around the paper
thanks again
Dan
Dr Dan Goodley
Professor of Psychology and Disability Studies
Manchester Metropolitan University
Department of Psychology
Manchester, M13 0JA
http://cdsmmu.posterous.com/
http://www.hpsc.mmu.ac.uk/psychology/
http://mmu.academia.edu/DanGoodley
http://post-blair.posterous.com/
<http://mmu.academia.edu/DanGoodley>Visiting Professor, University of Iceland
Visiting Professorial Fellow, University of New South Wales
<http://cdsmmu.posterous.com/>
Before acting on this email or opening any attachments you should read the Manchester Metropolitan University's email disclaimer available on its website http://www.mmu.ac.uk/emaildisclaimer
________________________________
From: [log in to unmask] [[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Tuesday, October 11, 2011 9:39 PM
To: Dan Goodley; [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: The psychopathology of the non-disabled: a call for stories
I had a weird encounter recently when I was in a shop and a woman thought she was in my way - though she wasn't. The usual thing of someone suddenly registering a disabled person is present and expressing some level of unease by saying 'sorry' as if she was in my way. I said 'It's fine, you're not in my way' and her reply was 'I didn't mean to embarrass you'. I couldn't work out why I felt so offended by her response until my daughter pointed out that embarrassment is associated with shame and therefore the woman was projecting a feeling of shame on me - presumably just for being there and being different (as signified by my wheelchair).
BTW, presumably you're aware of Lois Keith's chapter called 'Encounters with Strangers' where she explores just this kind of issue - in the book I edited also called 'Encounters with Strangers: Feminism and Disability'?
Jenny
On 11 October 2011 at 19:05 Dan Goodley <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> The psychopathology of the non-disabled: a call for stories
>
> Comrades
>
> I am writing a slightly tongue in cheek (as you can tell by the working title) but also, I hope, serious, article exploring non-disabled people’s reaction to disability. I would like to collect stories from list members about non-disabled people’s verbal or other responses to disability that you have witnessed.
>
> In writing the article I will be making clear that not all non-disabled people engage in such responses, that many non-disabled people are allies, friends, supporters and parents of disabled people and that we are all marked by differences associated with class, gender, age, sexuality, ethnicity, etc. Moreover, of course, what counts as non/disabled is open to debate. However, I do want the article to expose, hopefully explain and also challenge some of the common reactions of non-disabled society to disability.
>
> I have already collected a number of stories from existing disability studies texts, research and my own personal accounts. Some of these include:
>
>
> You get that all the time people stare, people comment, or people … I would rather people said to me, ‘What’s wrong?’ rather than just stare. Then you can hear them as soon as you walk past, [whisper sounds]. (Jemma, mother of a disabled child reported in McLaughlin et al, 2008).
>
> When people comment on my impaired experience I am shocked, amused and angered all at once (Hewitt, 2004: 13).
>
> A lifetime with psychic armour as sure as skin … where thousands of daily encounters are layered with danger, disgust or distress (Lurie, 2004: 85)
> ‘Your child’s the naughty boy in my child’s class, isn’t he?’ (A parent’s question to the mother of a child with the label of ADHD).
>
> ‘I never think of you as disabled’ (A common ‘positive’ comment from friends of the disabled writer Michalko, 2002)
>
> ‘At least he’s not too disabled’ (A health visitors comments to the mother of a new-born baby).
>
> ‘Did you read on the web that 52% of the American public would prefer to be dead than disabled?’ (Bar chat on a November night).
>
> ‘You are just so brave, I don’t know how you cope’ (A mother’s comment to another mother of a disabled child in the playground).
>
> ‘I don’t know how you can work with those people … It must be so rewarding to work with those people’ (Contradictory comments from a friend to a key worker for people with learning difficulties).
>
> ‘I’ve had coins dropped in my lap by strangers in the street’ (Hewitt, 2004)
>
> ‘Don’t worry about paying love, we don’t charge for retards’ (comment from a fairground assistant to the mother of a disabled child, from Goodley and Runswick Cole, forthcoming).
>
>
> If you would be willing to share some similar (or not!) stories then please could you email them to [log in to unmask] Any reference to these stories in the article would recognise the source (e.g. as shared by Jon Smith, 2011, personal communication) but, of course, if you would prefer to keep these anonymous then that would be totally fine too.
>
> Thanks for reading
>
> Dan Goodley
>
> Dr Dan Goodley
> Professor of Psychology and Disability Studies
> Manchester Metropolitan University
> Department of Psychology
> Manchester, M13 0JA
> http://cdsmmu.posterous.com/
> http://www.hpsc.mmu.ac.uk/psychology/
> http://mmu.academia.edu/DanGoodley
> http://post-blair.posterous.com/
>
>
> Visiting Professor, University of Iceland
> Visiting Professorial Fellow, University of New South Wales
>
> Before acting on this email or opening any attachments you should read the Manchester Metropolitan University's email disclaimer available on its website http://www.mmu.ac.uk/emaildisclaimer
>
> ________________________________________
> From: The Disability-Research Discussion List [[log in to unmask]] on behalf of Allan Sutherland [[log in to unmask]]
> Sent: Wednesday, October 05, 2011 3:35 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: Sorry Wrong Link this is what I meant
>
> Thanks for that link, Larry. It encapsulates a great deal of what I feel
> about being epileptic.
>
> Best wishes
>
>
> Allan Sutherland
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "larry Arnold" <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Wednesday, October 05, 2011 11:43 AM
> Subject: Sorry Wrong Link this is what I meant
>
>
> Sorry I sent the wrong link I was looking for this instead: -
>
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