Comrades
I have already received many, many powerful responses to my request last month. I have responded to people individually but wanted also to say a big collective thanks. Also, I wanted to send one further email request out for those that might have missed it. Many thanks Dan.
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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