Month: November 2021

Why Crip Camp is Important

LimboLeave a comment

The film Crip Camp is a storytelling showpiece about the roots of disability rights and disability rights activists. While the documentary centers around the story of how the ADA came to be and activism in general, it offers an important theme of community and accessibility embedded in. We begin the film with a nostalgic 70s scene of campers at Camp Jened. Camp Jened is an all-inclusive camp for young teens with a disability. At the camp, the audience gets to see disability in a different light than usual as campers build friendships that stand the test of time as we see later on. As a student who never received education about disabilities or disability rights, this film struck a chord with me. I wish my high school had this built into the curriculum in some way. I believe it could fit really well into a history class and teach students to think deeper into human rights and politics.  

After establishing a community in Camp Jened the film jumps to a different time in campers lives as they’ve grown up and find one another again. The story mainly includes three campers named Judith Heumann, Stephen Hoffman, and Larry Allison that retell their story and how they all became close friends from beginning of camp to later in life. Not only is history important in this film for the obvious reason of laws being passed, but there is first a history of relationships that allowed there to be protests pushing for legislation to be passed. At Camp Jened, it was clear the space the entire time was about helping one another out beyond just physically. To create an atmosphere as such is not a difficult feat, but it is difficult to keep it going outside those safe walls. Authors Susan Burch and Kim E. Nielsen emphasize a social-relational model of disability for historians to refer to in their chapter appropriately titled “History.” With this model disability can be seen as shaped by the environment the person is in (Burch, Nielsen, 96). That is to say that if a person with a disability is around a culture not only inclusive to others like themselves but also a culture that is open for them physically and socially then they will thrive. Unfortunately, America has not been successful with that goal and that is where protests began which ignited the ADA.  

Coming from a small town with small minds, I can see how this might not always execute well when shown to high schoolers. The issue I believe just lies in the belief systems and how strong they are (always have been) surrounding disability. I will promise you that there will always be at least one or two students that will be open minded and that can change a classroom environment entirely. This film is going to be necessary for those environments. Another issue with rhetoric surrounding disability is the fact that most stories told about folks who are disabled are told by able-bodied people. The film can offer aspects of teaching that should and need to be acknowledged when discussing history such as psychological issues, sociological impacts, culture, and intersectionality. As Burch and Nielsen said, “Disability rights movements in all of their manifestations share central themes in history: struggle, citizenship, labor, power, violence, health, representation, and community.” (Burch, Nielsen, 97). In high school I believe it’s important to realize the power that groups create. If teens had more exposure to civil rights knowledge and more specifically how they came to be (like this film) I think it can be easier to see how they themselves can create change in the world when it’s needed.  

Something big I personally took from this film is how the community helped shape every part of action that was taken. I could be wrong, but I feel like if one is almost thrust into the world of politics because it’s demanded it can be exhausting quickly. By that, I mean when your rights are at risk, you feel the need to act because no one else will. However, Judy Heumann our main leader of the protests, had community all the way back from camp helping her. In their adult life they still found one another taking care of each other mentally and physically to better the whole nation.  

Major Project Proposal – “Disability and Science”

DjellibeybiLeave a comment

Disability and Science

An examination on rhetoric and science implemented by disabled people, written in a somewhat formal style reminiscent of ACS writing standards for scientific papers, but not strictly conforming to the guidelines. 

Questions:

  1. What is the rhetoric of disability in science?
    1. Popular examples:
      1. Stephen Hawking – Physicist, motor neuron disease
      2. Temple Grandin – Animal behaviorist, autistic
      3. Solomon Lefschetz – Mathematician, lost both hands.
      4. John Forbes Nash Jr. – Mathematician, mental illness (Beautiful Mind)
      5. Albert Einstein – Physicist, believed to be autistic
    2. Other examples
      1. Wanda Diaz-Merced
      2. Caroline M. Solomon
  2. How has their disability been reflected in their scientific pursuits? (What disciplines do they go for? How does their disability affect how they see their field of interest?)
  3. Pop. sci vs.  Academia (science tinged with personal stories vs. strictly factual analysis)

Potential Resources:

  1. Disabled Scientists Are Often Excluded From The Lab; Copyright © 2021 NPR. https://www.npr.org/2021/05/27/1000869161/disabled-scientists-are-often-excluded-from-the-lab
  1. Science and Disability: Interviews in the General Collection
https://www.sciencehistory.org/science-and-disability-interviews-in-the-general-collection
  1. Our Disabilities Have Made Us Better Scientists; By Gabi Serrato Marks, Skylar Bayer on July 10, 2019
https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/voices/our-disabilities-have-made-us-better-scientists/
  1. Celebrating scientists with disabilities – The Royal Society https://royalsociety.org/topics-policy/diversity-in-science/scientists-with-disabilities/

Crip Camp – Review

Djellibeybi2 Comments

“Disability history is inextricably entangled with all other topics of history.” – Susan burch and Kim E. Nielson.

What is the story behind the Americans with Disabilities Act? Very few people, I would say not many Americans, actually know how this act of legislation actually took place. This is disappointing, since the ADA is probably the greatest piece of American legislation ever passed since the civil rights movement. Now, offering a new narrative to the public is the 2020 film, “Crip Camp”, describing the lives and political activism of a group of disabled people who where influential in passing the ADA in 1990.

The film begins with the young disabled meeting each other at Camp Jened, the titular Crip Camp, one of the few camps at the time specifically designed for those with disabilities. The camp was started in 1971, and was influential in the formation of the early disability civil rights groups, fostering an independent spirit among the campers, encouraging them to be expressive, sexual, creative and happy and to seek a better life for themselves. The first half of the film describes the individual experiences of these campers, in particular, Judith “Judy” Heumann, Larry Allison, James LeBrecht, Denise Sherer Jacobson, and Stephen Hofmann, all of which offer their first hand accounts of the events that happen.

The second half of the film focuses on the civil rights groups and activities that these individuals became a part of as adults. Judy Heumann in particular became a pillar in the disability community, having helped found Disabled in Action and the Center for Independent Living. She was influential in spearheading some of the major disability protests about the implementation of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation act of 1973, organizing the sit in protest that took place between April 5 to May 4, 1977 at the San Francisco office of the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare. After that protest, she and the organizations she helped start continued to advocate for the rights of those with disabilities, and she became influential in the passing of the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990.

The film concludes by showing the remaining campers of Camp Jened meeting together at where it once stood, the camp having been closed since 2009. It’s a poignant and heartening ending to a film which documents the journey of a generation of disabled people. Such narratives are important, considering how history tends to remember the disabled, or rather not think of them, or worse- think of them as a nuisance and a pain. The film briefly covers this as it discusses this aspect of disability history when describing Willowbrook, an institution on Staten Island where many of New York’s disabled lived, and was notorious for being poorly staffed with a lack of food and supplies necessary for the care of the disabled – in one word, Hell. Campers from Willowbrook where said to have been practically stuffing their mouths with food because in Willowbrook they had been starving. Many of these disabled people who were institutionalized at Willowbrook would have no way to speak out about their situation or how difficult, dangerous, and horrible their lives where in such situations. It is important than to recognize when such people can speak out and tell their stories. Examples of this include the residents of the New York State Lunatic Asylum, who managed to speak about their experiences by making a monthly journal of poetry, editorials, essays, plays and art, in which they can talk about their lives, thoughts, and dreams. Such a tangible record of the lives of the disabled is rare, and we should appreciate the opportunities we have to enjoy them.

Already we are seeing the brave group from Camp Jened slowly vanish into obscurity, as many are dead or dying, and soon all we will have left of them are their stories. “We are all stories in the end.” As the 11th Doctor once told us. And we must remember; we must bear witness to those who have come before us, so that those who come after will have a brighter future. The work of these amazing people has given us all a brighter future and we must not squander it.

“Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.” -Ephesians 5:15

‘Crip Camp’ Could Be a Class Success!

CloverLeave a comment

(Author’s Note: None of the 62 chapters from Keywords are titled “Law”, so I chose Chapter 52, “Rights”, by Maya Sabatello, because I’m guessing that’s what the professor meant. It’s the closest, anyway.)

Hey You, Teacher,

If it were implemented in your Social Studies II class curriculum this semester, I think Crip Camp (2020)—yes, that Oscar-nominated, Sundance premiere documentary that was produced by the Obamas—would be of substantial educational value in teaching the full history of the American civil rights movement to your classroom. 

First, let me offer that the disabled position in America remains largely unacknowledged in our humanities classrooms. The significant piece of American history covered in Crip Camp is retold colorfully by the leading rights activists for Disabled in Action, including Jim LeBrecht, Judith Heumann, Corbett O’Toole, Ann Cupolo Freeman, and Denise Sherer-Jacobsen, ALL of whom are accomplished authors in the field of disability studies as well—which is something to provide extra material for your potential unit on disability rights. It’s a fast-paced documentary about the fight for American civil rights, filmed from the ground floor of the sit-ins and the sidewalks of the protests.

The documentary follows the above cast during their youth at the disability-centered “Woodstock” (Ann Freeman) which brought them together and shaped their confidence—straight on through their fight to get Act 504 signed, a critical piece of civil rights legislation which was first vetoed by Nixon (quote: “it would be just impossible in terms of cost”), but later weakened and delayed under Secretary Joseph Califano, with all attempts to enforce the act abandoned by Reagan in a horrendously bigotted effort to deprive the largest minority group in the country of their rights to protection from discrimination in federally funded public spaces (and in organizations and businesses nationwide). Because the fight still continues, your classrooms, were they to include Crip Camp in their curriculums, might notice one term continually appearing—rights. But the fight for disability justice does not only include these adoptions into law, like Act 504. Rights is more complicated than that; which is almost exactly the message of Crip Camp going into today’s world. Perhaps it would allow your students to expand their perspectives on discrimination, society’s attitudes, and law.

Maya Sabatello’s chapter “Rights” from Keywords for Disability Studies offers that “basing disability claims for justice merely in terms of legal rights, without a concept of moral rights, is inadequate”, because if the legal rights were boiled down to their core, it would be exposed how “Traditional Western liberal theory assumes that rights are private, individualized, and autonomous”. Contrary to this, the interest of disability activists, including those in Crip Camp, has always been on “group rights”, which “focus on collectives that have shared interests and aim at protecting cultures, ways of life and practices that are presumably not sufficiently protected by the assertion of individual interests” (page 159). So, as Crip Camp’s core activists (along with machinist unions, Black Panthers and supporters) persist through three weeks of hunger striking, months of government sit-ins, and a generation of “really serious, radical action” (Jimmy LeBrecht), they fight for their rights in the law, but also for their rights to exist together as an identity without friction or hardship. Sometimes this can be as plain as the right to not be “sidelined” (Judy Heumann) in a public space with your presence, but other times these rights are less obvious to the nondisabled, like the right to privacy. As one Camp Jened camper, Nick, put it: “I think what Nancy is talking about is that everyone in their life sometimes wants to be alone. I think that’s one of the major rights.” The story really only begins with Act 504, but Crip Camp teaches students to fight for the full extent of their rights, the way Sabatello describes.

 So, Sabatello’s understanding of legal rights and group rights, together, helps encapsulate Disability in Action’s goals and expectations for the implementation of Act 504. And although the world has come a long way from the incomprehensible atrocity of the institution-era, you may still be tempted to avoid showcasing this film to your classroom because of its graphic depictions of abuse in institutions like Willowbrook—I urge you not to. Though uncomfortable for students, that scene provides additional understanding of the stakes of this fight for civil rights by the disabled in America. It was not very long ago.

Of the above reasoning, might I add—aren’t these EXACTLY the kinds of topics you’d want to use to stimulate class discussion? What does Social Studies in American classrooms concern at its heart, if not the rights and freedoms of the country? As the famous clause “all men are created equal” has taken nearly 250 years to prove effected, much of that catch-up is contained already in your Social Studies curricula—and here is one more opportunity for learning. The relevance in humanities classrooms is abundant, across the board, but this is magnified by the under-evaluation of the disabled position in history as a minority group. As Corbett O’Toole said in Crip Camp, “There are moments when history shifts”. This film is an artful reliving of one of the most important ones of the last century. I hope that your Social Studies curriculum this year does not overlook a highly educational piece of American literature which could be supplemental to your classroom’s emergent concept of rights and freedoms.

Sincerely, 

Clover

A Future High-School Teacher

Clover’s Major Project Proposal for ENG401

Clover2 Comments

“Text to Speech: An Annotated Selection of Autistic Poetry”

My aim for this project is to explore the poetic work of autistic poets, synthesize and catalogue their texts by larger themes and concepts, and provide some biography for each author in the context of my selections. I will include my own bookbinding, illustrations and print for the final anthology, though it may be published digitally as well. I will also include a foreword/afterword in which I break down some of the larger literary themes (e.g. the inner world, communication, etc.) I have observed in autistic poetry, explain why I chose each poem as representative of its category, and perhaps tie back to some of our earlier readings on disability studies. The current title I chose because one of my largest themes thus far in researching autistic poetry is ‘translation’, but that may change.

2) Central Question 

What are the rhetorical and literary parameters of an “autistic” genre of poetry? What themes occur often? What are the common style elements (e.g.  free verse, first person), and where is most poetry being produced (at an academic or personal level)? What effect does this have on the literature, and why is that important? I’ll also be looking for the rhetorical boundaries of autistic poetry that I’ve noticed in my research.

3) Product Design

Product: A hand-bound, hand-curated and illustrated annotated anthology of autistic poetry.

Design: Poems will be categorized into sections by observed thematic elements, ranked by frequency (perhaps this could manifest as section headers, i.e. ‘Communication’). Each section will have an introduction with the results of my research in it. Each poem will have an artwork to the left of it, and a rhetorical analysis and biography on the back of the right page where it sits. All my images will be drawn without reference from the imagery of the poem I am working on. This will be a variety of media; fabric arts, collage, painting, etc. So, the final product will be very multimedia. I plan to do between 20-50 poems.

4) Production Plan

How will you go about creating this product? What are the steps you have in mind? The big dates to keep in mind:

  • From November 1st to November 8th, I will be gathering poems, observing trends, categorizing poetry I find and making my selections for the anthology.
  • I’ll share what I find with Andrew so he can give me some pointers during conferencing between November 8th and 19th, and in this time I will begin to bind my blank book and afterwards I will begin to block sections and draft thumbnails of my art ideas for each poem.
  • Between November 19th and 29th, I will be drawing, painting, printing, etc. I will show Andrew my biographies, artwork, and analyses to see what he thinks. I’m a poetry student so this is very familiar to me by now, though; I’m mostly looking to streamline and do my final curations of the project’s material.
  • From December 1st through 8th, I will finish my introduction, conclusion, and section headers to paste in the book.
  • I will present the product before December 8th.

5) Consultation

  • I would prefer to meet with Andrew early on in the process, around November 5th or so, so I can get his opinion on my identification of genre parameters, and what I’m observing across gross categories.
  • I would also like to meet with Andrew midway through, for some help with rhetorical analysis of the poetry and including relevant biographical detail. Perhaps I can give some details of my introductory and concluding portions here to make sure that I’m staying on track.
  • Besides that, I feel as prepared as I could be at this point!

6) Citations

  1. https://the-art-of-autism.com/the-art-of-autisms-third-annual-art-poems-for-peace-initiative/ 

“The Art of Autism”’s annual Poems for Peace, a selection of art and poetry by autistic youth and adults. This is an excellent source to draw from.

  1. https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/the-spectrum/poems

The “National Autistic Society”’s autstic poets’ digital library. Again, very impressive library, most of what I need to begin my search is here.

  1. https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/44776034-stim

The GoodReads page for Lizzie-Huxley Jones’ Stim: An Autism Anthology, which I have ordered. Not sure exactly what will be in the book, but it can’t hurt.

Major Project Proposal: The Beauty of Disabled Gods

Turnip Friend2 Comments
  1. Title:
    Disabled Gods of the Modern Age
    Why aren’t there more disabled gods in mythologies around the globe? Why are many of the ones who do exist disabled because of violence committed against them? I propose a series of paintings featuring possible new disabled gods fit to be worshipped by the modern person who values the disabled community and the power of the people within it.

  2. Central Question:
    Through this series of paintings, I want to explore how disabled people are represented in various religious traditions by features some well known ones including Greek god Hephaestus, Egyptian god Bes, and the Hindu god Aruna. However to supplement these existing gods, I will make up gods of all races, sexualities, genders, sizes, ages, and disabilities. Through working on this project I hope to better understand how media representation influences our culture’s view on disabled people, taking care to make their godly domains and powers influenced by their relationships with their disabilities in ways that highlight the beauty of their disability. My aim is to be respectful of existing polytheistic religions while simultaneously recognizing a lack of deities in world religions that have disabilities, due to the widespread levels of hostility towards disabled people throughout the world.

  3. Production Design:
    My collection of paintings will be in a quasi-zine format in the sense that they will all be bound together in a booklet. I’m not sure about the sizes of the paintings but my projection is that they will be around 6 inches by 9 inches each. When the booklet is opened, on the left side there will be an in depth description of the god as well as quotes and analyses taken from some of the readings we’ve consumed in this class. On the right side will be the painting so the viewer can reference the information on the left as they view the image. Ideally, I will make ten different paintings, some being real gods from world religions, and others being the ones I have invented. The beginning few pages I will introduce the concept of the piece, how it is influenced by disability studies, and what I hope to achieve with its creation.

  4. Production Plan:
    My first course of action will be deciding which disabilities these gods will have, how best to represent them in a respectful manner as well their other intersecting identities after researching their specific disability. I will decide how to represent any prosthetics or tools they use such as wheelchairs, canes, and other equipment. Next I will decide upon their names and domains of power. I will collect images off of the internet for inspiration concerning the aesthetics of each god as well as how to visually represent their disability based on the real people with the disability. I may take inspiration from some of the stories featured in the book Disability Visibility while making sure to give those writers credit.

    -By November 13th, I will have the general information on each god solidified and a general structure for the presentation of my research.
    -By November 20th, I will have done at least one rough draft of each of the paintings.
    -By December 4th, I will have all of the final drafts of the paintings completed as well as my writing done.
    -By December 8th, I will have the booklet put together and the finishing touches done.

  5. Consultation:
    My biggest concern with this project is the possibility of accidentally representing any of the disabilities I choose to feature poorly, and so I would love to check in with you on my ideas for each one once I have them, to make sure I’m being respectful. My goal and intent will be to use person/god first language as well as with the way they are depicted because the last thing I want is for them to look like a fantasy-world versions of medical images. I worry that the premise of this project might be skewed by my perspective as a non-physically disabled person, and so if you have any concerns with any part of this project I would love to go over them. My proposed project is very art-based, and less research-based focused mainly to inform my choices in the production of the pieces, so if the level of research I plan to do at any point seem subpar, I want to supplement it to the best of my ability using the readings we’ve gone over in class as well as outside readings I’ve found on my own. I can also have a conclusion section at the end of the booklet where I go into more depth on the research that informed the project if you think that would be beneficial.

  6. Citations:
    A few possible readings that may influence my project:

https://www.greekmythology.com/Myths/Figures/Teiresias/teiresias.html

Disabled Gods: A Critical Disability Studies Analysis of Ancient Greek Myths (umsl.edu)

What is Metis? | Dolmage | Disability Studies Quarterly (dsq-sds.org)

Adding a personal touch to the Disability Rights Movement,”Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution

TuesdayLeave a comment

To begin “Crip Camp”, the viewers are introduced to a cast of colorful people all who attended or worked at Camp Jened. The cast is comprised mostly of people with disabilities so they offer a rarely seen view on the 1960s and 1970s. Each cast member gives their accounts of their time at the camp, not at camp and how it impacted their views on life. The film transitions to focus on the campers’ life after the camp, in particular the community they had become for each other. Many of the campers were in the frontlines the Disability rights movements allowing the viewer to get a more in-depth view of the protests for the enforcement of the Architectural Barriers Act.  A while providing examples of why it was necessary. The film provides context and details for a not necessarily informed audience well, making it a good introduction to the disability rights movement. The use of personal narratives allows more complex issues for the disabled community, such as access, independence, and sexuality, to be shown in way that person with no background knowledge in disability studies can digest. “Crip Camp” is a great guiding piece when introducing the fight for Disability rights to a new audience. It hooks the viewer with personal details, sometimes employing nostalgia to invest the viewer but the film does not rely too heavily on this tactic. It remains relatable to both a younger and older demographic, making perfect to introduce disability studies to older teenagers.

The films central message discusses how inclusion and exclusion affect the lives of disabled people. The start of the film is sets up view of the campers’ lives in a place where they felt included, where they had access to live life. One camper is makes a remark about never being sidelined at Camp Jened, relating to a broader aspect of access,” linked to a more inclusive society with greater opportunities for social and political participation (pp.15),” as put by Bess Williamson in Keywords for Disability Studies. Williamson asserts that the issue of access has two distinct facets that occasionally limit each other, one the access to be a citizen, to be a person and the other to have the ability to enter and move about a space(pg.14-15). The films central conflict the occupation of the San Francisco federal offices, Highlights the fact that physical access allows people to access their citizenship and personhood, but first they need to be seen as person by those limiting their access. The film overcomes this barrier easily by displaying the person first then calling for better access.

The film is most suited for an audience who has passed their late teen or is actively in their late teens. There are a couple points in the film that would need to be skipped due to graphic language, but for the most part they are not central scenes to main conflict of the film, they are just a couple of many scenes humanizing the campers. Due to nature of film’s topic a certain level of maturity and care is needed in the audience to get the full extent of the film’s message. That being said, for people to grow into this film’s ideal audience, showing them “Crip Camp” and discussing it with them is great step to take. I do urge any teachers thinking of showing “Crip Camp” to consider their classes and what type of discussion would be the most productive for their class. “Crip Camp” is a film with layers and certain groups may attach to one layer over the others, so any discussion or viewing should not be structured like a one size fits all.  Also some background information on the ADA, ABA and early disability rights movements may be necessary to contextualize parts of the film. 4/5

referenced sources:

Willianson,Beth, “Access” ,Keywords for Disability Studies.  Edited by Adams, R.Serlin, D., & Serlin, D. H. (2015). NYU Press. pp.14-17