AQIESH | May 29, 2017 Amanda Kraus, Ph. D. From Helpless to Heroic! Challenging Disability Biases for a More Socially Just Approach to Campus Access &Inclusion AQIESH | May 29, 2017 Amanda Kraus, Ph. D.
Re/Framing Disability Prevalent Emerging Due to a physiological difference, diagnosis, injury or impairment, individual is at a deficit, must be cured or pitied. The environment disables people with impairments by its design. The individual is the problem. The environment is the problem. Disabled by impairment. Disabled by design. Fear, separate, less-than. Access is a right, not a special need.
Universal Design Our responsibility Impact Identify and remove barriers to access Incorporate access into design initially Inclusive and welcoming environments Sustainable design Equitable, respectful experience for all The design of products and environments to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design.
Framing Disability in Context of Social Justice - Key Terms Social Justice: a society that affords all groups full and equal participation, equitable distribution of resources, where members are safe; process and a goal Oppression: discrimination, bias, bigotry, lack of power or access, experienced by members of a subordinated group Structural/Institutional versus Individual Privilege: benefits bestowed upon someone based on membership/perceived membership in a dominant group, conscious or unconscious Social construction: collective behavior/ideas, created by and agreed upon by members of a certain culture Power: what these benefits yield
3 Characteristics of Systems Organized Around Privilege Dominated by… Center around… Identified with… Need to dismantle these systems in our practices
What do we think we know? stereotype (N) A widely held, fixed, oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing bias (N) Prejudice or tendency in favor of or against one thing, person or group compared with another, usually considered to be unfair Model minority myth and other “positive” examples Super Crip phenomenon: When not pitied, persons with disabilities are sometimes seen as “heroes,” or in other words, outrageously admired for their “courage” and determination. This stems from the belief that life with a disability must necessarily be horrific and unsatisfying, and as such, we must admire persons with disabilities for being able to live “the way they do.” Much like portraying disability as a form of lesser self-worth (as is often the case with the “disability as pity” stereotype), placing persons with disabilities on a pedestal is another way to denote this social group as “other”.
How does this show up? Negative: “Positive”: Disabled people are: Tragic, pitiful Scary Lazy Liars Angry, chip on their shoulders “Positive”: Disabled people are: Heroic Special Resilient Deserving of preferential treatment, help, attention
Metaphor Descriptors - consistent, othering, subtle…? She turned a blind eye… It fell on deaf ears… He was crippled with debt… He’s a real stand-up guy… You’d have to be crazy to… Paralyzed with fear… He’s a lame duck candidate… I can run circles around… Descriptors - consistent, othering, subtle…?
Responses to video What pulls at your heartstrings What’s the message? The song: Fix You Id you work hard enough, believe, faith, you can be cured
“With great power, comes great disability.”
I’m Not Your Inspiration, Thank You Very Much! - Stella Young
Microaggressions Everyday verbal, nonverbal, and environmental slights, snubs, or insults, whether intentional or unintentional, which communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative messages to disabled people based solely upon their group membership/disability status. Subtle, stunning, automatic, “put downs”, dismissive looks, gestures, tones… So pervasive that they are often overlooked or dismissed as innocuous Even well-intended Consistent with ableist culture Up to the “victim” to define
Microaggressions Microassaults: Explicit derogations meant to hurt victim (name calling, avoidance, etc.) Microinsults: Words and actions that convey rudeness, insensitivity, demeaning attitudes Microinvalidations: Excluding, negating, dismissing thoughts, feelings or experiences
Microaggressions Microassaults: Explicit derogations meant to hurt victim (name calling, avoidance, etc.) Microinsults: Words and actions that convey rudeness, insensitivity, demeaning attitudes Microinvalidations: Excluding, negating, dismissing thoughts, feelings or experiences
Microaggressions Microassaults: Explicit derogations meant to hurt victim (name calling, avoidance, etc.) Microinsults: Words and actions that convey rudeness, insensitivity, demeaning attitudes Microinvalidations: Excluding, negating, dismissing thoughts, feelings or experiences
Disability Themes Desexualization Denial of identity Denial of privacy Patronization/Infantilization Spread effect Second class citizen/Burden Denial of identity Inspiration Disability as a choice Access as a privilege Avoidance Helpless/Secondary Gain DO YOU SEE HOW THESE THEMES RELATED TO HISTORICAL CONTEXT AND PERPETUATE DISEMPOWERING BEHAVIORS? Keller, R.M. and Galgay, C.E. (2010) Microaggresive experiences of people with disabilities. in Sue, D.W. (Ed.) Microaggresions and marginality. Manifestation, dynamics and impact. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley and Sons, Inc. (241-268).
Death by a thousand cuts… How does the cumulative impact of microaggressions impact a student’s experience in higehr education?
Reflect. What is the impact? Subtle, random, seemingly harmless, well intended consistent, hard to explain… Adds to the burden…
Small group activity
Reflection… What do disabled individuals come in with? What are our professional responsibilities with respect to microaggressions? How do disabled and non-disabled people participate? How does this culture shape our campus community? How do we respond, dialogue, educate? Reflection…
How does this show up in our work?
How do we frame disability and disabled students? Professional interactions Do we represent access as the norm or a special privilege? Do we engage with disabled students like they are heroes? Or like they are patients? When we talk with faculty, how do we frame disability? Job titles Do our job titles reflect the medical model? Processes Burdensome? How do we frame disability and disabled students? Perhaps can relate this to our activity/discussion on application
References Adams, M., Bell, L. A., & Griffin, P. (2007). Teaching for diversity and social justice. New York: Routledge. Johnson, A. G. (2006). Privilege, power, and difference. Boston, Mass: McGraw-Hill.