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More people than you think have a disability. The name of this blog Disability is Everywhere, means different things to different people. Let's start with the word 'disability'. Some within the movement for disability rights have taken ownership of the word with a sense of proudness recreating it as a superpower. Others find the word offensive as a word that makes it sound like the issue is within us; a word that carries a story of sickness, wrongness, less than, deviant. Those who support the social model of disability would in fact state that the impairment is the condition the person may be struggling with, but the disability is created by barriers preventing a person from participating in the life of their society, or by what I call "institutional ableism". Nancy Willis Self Portrait 1 Purchase here I use the word 'disability' because it is the word most recognized at this moment. Although I recognize that many are now using the description 'differently abled' or 'lived experience'. Now, on to 'Everywhere' In every topic, every discipline, every construct, there exists a link to people with a disability. There is no industry which does not impact people with a disability. There are no social functions which don't affect people with a disability. We exist in all intersections and multidisciplinary approaches. Everything is relevant to a person with a disability because we are everywhere; in all walks of life and in all parts of life. In Closing, Disability is Everywhere seeks to find the link between any topic and disability. Leave a comment below about what disability means to you, people want to know! Read on to discover the intersections I've found thus far.

The importance of elevating the voices of the disabled in rural Guatemala through qualitative research. Disability studies can be understood as a conversation that begins with personal narratives. When conducting research of a community experiencing compounded marginalization (rural, poor, disabled), it is necessary to allow the personal narrative discourse to arise from within the group and not be imposed by the outside. During my research internship with Viviendas Leon, I conducted research on disability in central America and how to create a research project that gathers the most effective data to be used to help the community. Guiding Questions What type of data gathering will create the most effective policy and implementation guidelines for the disabled population in Guatemala? Qualitative data allows for this process to occur. Though disability studies is a conversation, the most vital interlocutors of this conversation, disabled people and their families, are not included. Therefore, the policy that is currently in place does not fully represent the social difficulties that a person with disabilities confronts in their day to day life. I hope to fill a gap in research by elevating the shared experiences of those who live in rural areas of Guatemala through qualitative data. By focusing on the most underrepresented sector of the population, researchers can establish a relevant definition of disability, discover the causes, and assess their needs. Background Through Viviendas Leon, I began building a network for dispersing the interview through disability advocacy non-profits in the Lake Atitlan area of Guatemala. The project is not completed yet and there are no findings to share until I conduct the interviews. Literature Review Poverty and Disability “Disability and poverty are concomitant conditions. The cyclical relationship between these two conditions has been recognized globally, with disability increasing the risks of becoming poor and poverty increasing the risk of becoming a person with disability” (Pinilla-Roncancio, 2017, p 398). Disability is both a cause and a consequence of poverty. Another economic researcher states, “disability is both a determinant of poverty, because it lowers earning power and consumption expenditures (Haveman and Wolfe 2000; Gertler and Gruber 2002), and a consequence of poverty, because the cumulative deprivations of poverty such as inadequate infant or child development, or exposure to dangerous working conditions, can manifest themselves in disability” (Filmer, 2008, p 150). Barriers preventing education participation are the same barriers preventing work participation. Low level of education then leads to a low income. Policy Not Implemented The fact that a high amount of those in poverty in Latin America and the Caribbean are disabled suggests that ratifying the UNCRPD is not enough. Simply passing policy does not mean that it is put into practice (Perez, 2017; Dudzik, 2020). “Researchers have noted global and regional inadequacy or non-existence of policy implementation and enforcement (Dudzik, 2020).” Every research study I found discussed the lack of implementing disability policy and is therefore an agreed upon conclusion. Studies that use quantitative data have stated that the data is often old, outdated, and sparse (Filmer, 2008; Pinilla-Roncancio, 2017; Grugel, 2017; Dudzik, 2020). The lack of data makes it difficult to measure the effectiveness of policy passed. Current research about the pandemic determined that social inequities are exacerbated in the midst of a pandemic and unequal distribution of assets leads to social tension (Sakellariou, 2020). During the pandemic, or any natural disaster, those with disabilities will be some of the most vulnerable to socioeconomic tensions (Gandelman, 2018). Qualitative Research Global South Disability Studies Academic Neocolonialism is a term used to describe the fact that gathering quantitative data doesn’t take into account the context of the local population but instead uses blanket terms, concepts, theories and data gathering mechanisms that are from the Global North. Theories, definitions, and critiques of disability studies are from the Global North, while effects of colonialism and post-colonialism from the Global North have actually produced disabilities for the colonized. Meekosha identifies factors of neocolonialism generated by the Global North that create disabilities for the Global South such as nuclear testing and dumping, global arms trade, sweatshops, civil wars provoked and supported by the Global North, famine, and poverty. The culture, history, geopolitics, and even causal factors for becoming disabled are all fundamentally different in these two places. Therefore, it is inappropriate to apply the same theories. Furthermore, allowing the Global North’s disability theories to dominate and be mainstream for the rest of the world is yet another form of post-colonialism. “Theories, definitions, and critiques of disability studies are from the Global North, while effects of colonialism and postcolonialism from the Global North have actually produced disabilities for the colonized.” Methodology Through the interview that I have designed, data will measure direct physical needs that the disabled population in Guatemala have such as medical equipment, prosthetics, architectural changes, and economic support, all of which can raise the quality of life of that person or family and mitigate barriers to inclusion and participation. The interview data will also identify the culture of disability there in Guatemala. Furthermore, I anticipate learning about the causes of disabilities to measure how many are created by colonial/postcolonial processes. Through Viviendas Leon, I began building a network for dispersing the interview through disability advocacy non-profits in the Lake Atitlan area of Guatemala. The project is not completed yet and there are no findings to share until I conduct the interviews. Conclusion In conclusion, qualitative data, such as personal narratives, can benefit various aspects of the disabled population. Researchers working with this form of data have unpacked nuances, background information, and the inter relational nature of systems generating a deeper understanding about weaknesses in the current infrastructure and how those can be improved The findings from personal narrative data can form a benchmark and used to implement supports. The other incredible factor about personal narrative is that it empowers people to find their voice, share their experience, and form a community. This community can then mobilize to make positive change. The people within this community can then use the dialogue created in sharing personal narratives to give rise to a local and relevant “disability studies” academic body of literature. The entire world can then learn about the culture of disability there in Guatemala.

Eugenics: Create Outliers and then Cast them Away Eugenics “Those who aren’t able to operate well within the construct of society do not have “top” genes." Upon taking a deeper look at the motivations of society in response to those who are impaired, one can see that the second framework that is tied to unconscious ranking of valuation is the concept of eugenics. This concept states that there is a top human specimen. Supporters believe that some genes are stronger than others. This human operates profitably and richly within the bounds and norms of society. Since they operate well, they are considered to have top genes. Those who are handsome, healthy, fit, and fit into society should continue their genetic line. However, “treating health and vigor as moral virtues for everyone harms people with disabilities and illnesses” (Wendell, 2020). This treatment harms people with disabilities because it classifies them as unfit and demoralized. For example, by creating a best of the breed category, eugenics then creates another category; those who are not operating well within the bounds of society. They don’t have good genes.These are people who are not adding profit to society, they’re not fit and they’re not successful. Therefore, those who aren’t able to operate well within the construct of society do not have “top” genes. Threat to Society Eugenics then goes on to say that those with “bad” genes pose a threat to the rest of society. “Eugenics sought to improve the body politic and to relieve it of the economic and social burdens of disease and degeneracy" (Rose, 2007). It stated that those who were defective were an active weight on society. That they held society back, posed a burden, and even a threat to the rest of the population. Here we see that eugenics has placed value on human life. The greater the ability to be a productive member of society, the more one was worth. Eugenics believed that the genetic line of the defective should be ended. Doctors practiced this through sterilization, abortion, euthanization, or the death penalty. As stated by Nikolas Rose, eugenics practiced “...the prevention of those who are members of defective or inferior sub-populations from reproducing through sterilization or extermination" (Rose, 2007). There is no space for flexibility or inclusion here. Those who are not effectively creating profit and working well within society must die, as stated within the Eugenics movement. Exemplary Humans “The greater the ability to be a productive member of society, the more one was worth.” On the flip side, the genetic line of those with the top genes should be continued and exemplified through artificial insemination and reward systems. This desire is not always overt. It can happen in such delicate ways as “parental desires for a perfect child in an age of manipulated consumerism and reproductive choice” (Rose, 2007). The desire for population purification can happen on the most inherent and unconscious level, as we see with parents. One of the main defining points of rank is one’s health and one’s job. An impaired person faces a bodily barrier which then leads to social, educational, and workplace barriers. If a person is successful, they’re considered a prosperous value creator. Once again, a human’s worth is tied to their work, more specifically tied to how much profit they’re creating. We Don't Want to Be Reminded, In addition to this, much of society doesn’t want to see ill health. It reminds the population of death and pain. Things many don’t want to think about. “Suffering caused by the body, and the inability to control the body, are despised, pitied, and above all, feared. This fear, experienced individually, is also deeply embedded in our culture" (Wendell, 2020). We are taught to fear not having control, and to fear pain. Our culture does not recognize that at some point in everyone’s life, they will be impaired and reliant on others' assistance. So, instead of valuing reciprocity and various body abilities, we turn our cheek, create a divide, and exclude the impaired. The danger here is that the population is following a ranking system of and valuation of a human soul. This ranking system tells the population, some people are worth more than others. Those who are worth less, don’t need our attention, effort, money or care. They don’t need to be included. “The public world is the word of strength, the positive (valued) body, performance, and production, the able-bodied youth. Weakness, illness, rest and recovery, pain, death, and the negative (de-valued) body are private, generally hidden, and often neglected. Coming into the public world with illness, pain, or a de-valued body, we encounter resistance to mixing the two worlds; the split is vividly revealed" (Wendell, 2020). Therefore, the public doesn’t want to see illness because it reminds them of their own mortality. In Conclusion, If frameworks like this are not changed, those with limited mobility remain unable to participate in life and create profit thereby raising themselves up within this valuation system. Therefore, the structure of the system itself ensures that those with impairments will remain in the category of value takers, burdens on society, and excluded. Much of the conversation within the disabled rights community is in regard to changing structures: playgrounds, classrooms, work places, conference rooms, etc. in order to make them more accessible. The first thing that needs to be addressed is the ranking, rating, and valuation system that all are unconsciously participating in. When this is realized, underlying motivations can be changed. When underlying motivations change from work hard profit first to comfort first human life equality, then we will see greater flexibility in public and private spaces since architecture is an extension of the human mindstate.

Work Ethic: Work Hard or Go to Hell With innovation and technology that we have, with the social activists and widespread communication that we have, why is exclusion of those with limited mobility disabilities still so prevalent? Something is happening on a deeper, internal level. An inner ranking system. There are two main theoretical frameworks that lend a hand to delving deeper and fully understanding why exclusion is happening in relation to a ranking system. These two frameworks are the Protestant work ethic and eugenics. Therefore, by understanding these two theoretical constructions one can understand a ranking system that is taking place subconsciously which acts as a barrier to embracing those with limited mobility. Work Ethic: Work Hard or Go to Hell “The worker who was more efficiently producing products was considered closer to God than a worker who was not.” The workplace has adopted ideologies. What once was God’s law, has now become secularized and omnipresent. According to a variety of religions, God gave a commandment to work. This work was linked to divine glory, and was a religious duty. It held with it such high stakes as being allowed into heaven or not. Improvement in production served the common good and was considered Godly. Therefore, the worker who was more efficiently producing products was considered closer to God than a worker who was not. These ideologies are so deeply intertwined into our thoughts and internal ranking system. Therefore, since these ideologies are intertwined they happen on their own at a level that we are largely unaware of. No Pain, No Gain The idea that work needs to be hard; “no pain, no gain” is also related to this framework. “Loss of time through sociability...is worthy of absolute moral condemnation” (Weber, 2013). Enjoying work, or working comfortably then wasn’t work at all but something that would send you to hell. The thought then follows, if you are in an alternate physical position putting your comfort first, then you are not working hard enough. Therefore you are immoral and not worth God’s grace; morally condemned. Idle Time, “Each and every minute you devote to work, brings you closer to God.” The idea that work must be constant is also related to this framework. In regard to work, Max Weber states, “it is infinitely valuable because every hour lost is lost to labour for the glory of God” (Weber, 2013). Each and every minute you devote to work, brings you closer to God. All time must be devoted to hard work and hard labor. This statement implies that if you take even a minute off, you have lost God for that amount of time. In Conclusion, This framework has huge psychological implications. This way of understanding work is deeply ingrained in all of us. So deeply ingrained, that we don’t realize when we are creating value judgements with such voracity as moral condemnation. Therefore, the piece of the iceberg that is visible above the surface may say “I want inclusivity”, but the grand piece of the iceberg below the surface is saying “labor must be constant and hard, labor must come as first priority not you and not your comfort.” This presents a barrier to embracing those who need unique structures in order to work productively. This barrier thereby creates poverty and a disabling society.