RAB

Rhetorical Annotated Bibliography entry reading responses.

Ho, Sandy, “Canfei to Canji: The Freedom of Being Loud”

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Disability Visibility: First-Person Stories From The Twenty-First Century, edited by Alice Wong, Vintage, June30th, 2020.

Summary:

The author Sandy Ho starts her essay with the birth of her nephew. She describes an instance where she is reminded of her family’s outlook on disability, in particular the cultural origin of it. She explains that she had been told often as a child, she was lucky and should be grateful to have been born in the US. Her parents immigrated from Vietnam and Hong Kong before she was born, carrying the general sentiment towards disability that was common in East Asia at the time. For context Ho explains that, in 1968 Deng Pufang, a disabled man, founded the China Welfare Fund for the Handicapped and led the China Disabled Persons’ Federation. However, there would be no change in the openly hostile environment of East Asia until the 1980s. This is around the time Ho’s parents emigrated to the US. It was practically impossible for a disabled person to make a living and live a comfortable life before, but in the 1980s that was only gradually changing. People with disabilities were popularly considered useless. It was not until 1990s that a noticeable shift in attitudes occurred, with the introduction of the colloquial term “canji”, a word meaning sickness to replace the word “canfei”, meaning useless, when describing a person with Disability. Most of Ho’s relatives hold similar attitudes, some even encouraging her mother to abandon her at the hospital after her birth. Sandy ho starts to close her essay by discussing the tragedy of Sagamihara in 2016, an incident where nineteen disabled people where massacred, while twenty-six were left injured in a violent demonstration of the belief that disabled people should be euthanized. She makes a point; the saddest part of the whole crime is the fact that the Japanese government refuses to release the victims’ names to help the victims’ families from avoiding public shame for their relative’s disability. Sandy ends the essay by expressing how important she has found the struggle to express herself and exist in both her cultural world as an Asian American with a disability.

Quotes:

“Now I understand the exchange of silence for the comfort of other as oppression; in this case because I still fearing knowing how little value my life might hold for others.” (113)

“As a marginalized disabled person I want it all: for all of us to remain as fixtures in our shared world views, for the space to do more than survive, and for our voices and presence to experience the indelible freedom that comes with being louder. ”(116)

“Some relatives told [Sandy Ho’s] mother she should abandon [Sandy] at the hospital because [her] disability diagnosis meant [Sandy] was canfei, a “useless burden”.” (114)

Reflection:

This was one of the three sections of Disability Visibility that I found the most disturbing so far. Sandy discusses her experience in a less positive way than others have in this book. Not that any of them have been sunshine and rainbows. But Sandy is making a point to mention gruesome and ugly aspects of her knowledge of ableism. I appreciate this a considerable amount. While discussing positive aspects of being disabled is great, I think it is hard to fully grasp any situation without discussing the negative aspects of it. By no means is it a person with disability’s responsibility to convey these negatives, if they do not want to, they do not need to. But, It helps others gain insight when they do. Most of the events Sandy referenced, I did not know about prior. They are not really discussed, kept off the mainstream radar. Her sharing this has inspired me to do some more digging for issues surrounding disability and keep my eyes peeled for news relating to these discussions.

Disability Visibility: Last but not Least – Embracing Asexuality by Keshia Scott

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Scott explains her discovery of her asexual identity in this story, and its relationship with her blindness. She explains that she was always the last of her friends to achieve life milestones, and how as an impressionable teenager she had many insecurities and wanted to fit in with her friends. She was surrounded in her teenage years by other disabled people, and her insecurities about her appearance were amplified by her friends’ ideas of what the ideal woman was like. She explores her lack of interest in men and how throughout her life she has felt indifferent about sex. Many of her experiences with men that she recalls consist of groping and sexual harassment, and as she grew older she has felt more anxiety about explaining her life choices: to not be married, have kids, be sexual with other people. 

She details her discovery of pleasuring herself and the term asexual. She had a conversation with a classmate who said, “disabled people are either asexual or hypersexual” (126), and at first she was taken aback by the blatant ableism in this discussion. Later, she did more research about asexuality and realized that she had the wrong idea in her head about what asexuality was. Now she uses the term and has talk some friends and family about her identity.

At the end she explains her happiness with her independent life. That she is at grad school and many of her friends have taken different paths in life. At the end she explains, “The thought of sex is still uninteresting to me, the thought of having kids is still unpaltable to me, and still, all the time, learning what it is to be a woman, with all that this entails. I look forward to what happens next. And every day I’m still smiling.” (128)

There is a lot in Scott’s writing about the connections between disability and asexuality, which I found overlapped with a lot of what the keywords reading also talked about, that queerness and disability often go hand in hand. Howveer, what Scott and many other people in the asexual and disabled communities often points out, the two occur on their own. There is intersectionality to these communities, but they are not one in the same. Scott even discusses this, that she, “ couldn’t bear it if [her] sexuality ended up being determined by disability” (127) Asexuality could often be misdiagnosed as hypoactive sexual desire disorder, and many people on the autism spectrum also face a lot of stigma by often automatically being labelled as asexual. I’ve found too that in the asexual community there was at one point an effort to disconnect asexuality from disorder, but there was also quickly push back against this as asexual people realized that there was overlap in the communities and to try to fully separate them was to disregard disabled asexuals. 

Asexuality is very fluid, with different people falling into different levels of attraction, both sexual and romantic, so seeing Scott’s own detailed account of her relationship with her sexuality was very eye opening to me. And I am glad that she as a disabled asexual has written about her relationship between these two identities.

In Sickness and In Difference

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(I apologize in advance but I am doing two essays. I figured a few of us might choose one of them, but I still wanted to give my thoughts on it!)

CW: Sex toys

Keisha Scott’s “Last but Not Least- Embracing Asexuality”

Jamison Hill’s “Love Means Never Having to Say… Anything”

“Love Means Never Having to Say… Anything” begins with Jamison Hill’s desire to say “I love you” to his partner, Shannon. Hill recounts the times when he thought he was in love with previous partners, when he could still speak and have conversations with them, before defining his condition of myalgic encephalomyelitis, a condition that keeps him bedridden and unable to speak. Hill continues by speaking about how he had met Shannon and how their shared condition turned into a relationship, and how that relationship between two sick people can be just as good as a relationship between a sick person and a healthy person. He talks about the way they take care of each other and share their lives together without vocal conversation and he ends with his painful attempt to vocalize his love. The essay finishes with his failed attempt, but Shannon’s understanding of what he wanted to say.

“Last but Not Least- Embracing Asexuality” begins with Keisha Scott’s recounting of always being the last person to hit milestones. From her blindness, to getting her period late, Scott tells of how she felt different from everyone around her, but she desperately wanted to be a woman. She continues with talking about how all of her friends were interested in children, boys, and having sex, being jealous of the attention that her friends got from men, and the desire to gain respect by finally becoming a woman via getting her period. She talks about how she had started by conforming to gender norms for women but was still late in the process, how she first experienced desire to when she first saw porn and masturbated. Scott recalls being disillusioned with the concept of sex, how nothing felt right and that she took a while to understand the sensation of sex. Scott then talks about buying sex toys, dodging questions about sex and relationships, and feeling a “wrongness” that she didn’t align to societal norms. Scott continues by talking about how she took a course on feminism and sexuality and how a conversation about sexuality and disability made her to begin questioning the meaning of “asexuality”. Scott ends the essay by researching asexuality, finding peace in the narratives she read and explaining that she has no desire for sex or children, contrary to what the world around her says.

Quote Bank:

“When we are together, we spend weeks in bed, mostly holding each other, our bodies aligned like two pieces of broken plate glued back together” (Hill, 263)

“These failed romances remind me of the baffling incompatibilities two people can have, but also how love can transcend even the most insurmountable obstacles when you find the right person” (Hill, 264).

“I had never thought about it like that- the possibility of two sick people being in a successful relationship together” (Hill, 265).

“I started to read more on asexuality, read personal stories of others- both disabled and able-bodied – who were completely fine: some were married, some had kids, some have sex once in a blue moon, some have never had sex, some were single” (Scott, 127).

“I already faced discrimination and ableist views from society in so many other ways; I couldn’t bear it if my sexuality ended up being determined by my disability” (Scott, 127).

Reflection:

I chose to do two analyses because I identified so strongly with one, but I also understand that it might be a popular choice in our cohort. So firstly, I will talk about Jamison Hill’s “Love Means Never Having to Say… Anything”. There is a societal pressure that in relationships, certain things *have* to be performed. A romantic first kiss, a declaration of love, a passionate urgency in the early stages that gets rekindled over time. I think that Hill does a great job in subverting these expectations through his writing of his relationship with Shannon. He acknowledges that kissing next to your expended body fluids is not the most romantic thing, but for two sick people, it works because there is a mutual understanding of illness. He might not be able to vocally say “I love you”, but the ways in which they take care of each other are acts of love in themselves, not needing to be spoken aloud. As someone who is a hopeful romantic, I understand to the depth of his definition of “two broken plates glued back together”. There is a fascination with perfection in relationships as well, everything has to appear perfect at all times to the world because no one should know if you have tension in your relationship. However, Hill defines the two of them as broken plates, something deemed by society as “apart”, but together they are “whole”. While they might not be “broken” in the same way, it is through that brokenness that they find wholeness together. The art of *kinstugi*, or repairing broken pottery with gold, allows the artist to highlight the brokenness through something beautiful, and I think that is exactly what Hill has done in this essay. He has taken the brokenness and uniqueness of two people and shown how together, their love and understanding is so beautiful it is beyond words or expectations.

“Last But Not Least- Embracing Asexuality” is one of the most relatable pieces of writing I have read all year. Aside from being blind, the bulk of Scott’s essay was a reflection of my own experience with having chronic illness and discovering my sexuality. As a whole, Scott talks about the dual struggle of being different from her blindness, but then also not having the same feelings and desires as her peers. I have written about the concept of asexuality and disability before, but I will reiterate the point that those who identify as asexual are even more likely to be ostracized in the spaces they occupy. For one, if they are in heteronormative spaces, it is possible they will be ostracized for being disabled. But in disabled spaces, where people with disabilities have fought to be seen as regular sexual beings, asexuals are more likely to be ostracized for not pushing the sexual narrative. There is a unique difficulty that presents itself in these spaces as is, but to have a sense of dual-difference is even more challenging. Despite all of this, I cannot help but feel so validated in Scott’s narrative that she created. In a world that is simultaneously so sex-forward but prudish towards the expression of sexuality, to have any sort of dual-identity with asexuality can be a very lonely process. I can certainly identify with her finding peace in the stories that she read of other asexuals, and it brings me peace to read her narrative. From a disability studies standpoint, I would absolutely recommend anyone studying the intricacies of intersectionality to read this essay. It does a fantastic job at weaving together the truths of gender performance, societal expectations, sexuality, disability, and the general sense of belonging that plagues our existence.

Middle School Traumas

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There’s a Mathematical Equation That Proves I’m Ugly Or So I Learned in My Seventh-Grade Art Class by Ariel Henley

This essay was about a young girl with Crouzon Syndrome and how she found beauty in herself, even when everyone and everything is telling her otherwise. Her story is focused on her experience in a middle school art class where they learn about the golden ratio that mathematically defines feminine beauty within art. Throughout the class, this girl tries to find a way to be comfortable in her own skin and feel beautiful.

“Beauty is subjective” (46)

“”Fix me””(42)

“I have never understood mathematical equations or ratios, so the only thing I learned from her lesson was that these were the beauty standards a woman must meet if she wanted to be deemed worthy” (41)

I think the main take away for me from this essay is that beauty cannot be defined. It’s subjective to the eye of the beholder and there is beauty in absolutely everything around us. I also really liked that this was about this girl finding beauty and seeing herself as beautiful. I think often in these stories we hear about people dealing with physical deformation problems that end up finding beauty in their personality and they’re inside rather than their outside. I understand how important it is and that what’s on the inside matters but it’s nice to read a story where someone doesn’t give up on their personal appearance and finds beauty in their physical outsides as well.

Keywords for Disability studies, “Sexuality” by Robert McRuer

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The section for the keyword “Sexuality” discusses the connections between sexuality and disability. Specifically, with how queer identities mirror and often overlap with disability. The historical role of queer identities being labeled as disabilities heavily ties into the role of the “abnormal sexuality”, which McRuer explains connects the physical differences of disabled bodies to “abnormal desires”, which results in the abnormal sexuality. (168) There is a stigma around people with “abnormal sexuality” having excessive sexuality, which also contrasts with the stigma of some disabled people being seen as non-sexual people, often being initialized as well. 

McRuer discusses the historical impact that “shock therapy, sterilization, and castration”(168) have had on these communities. McRuer argues that a newer mindset has emerged that discusses alternative sexual experiences, and how this as diverged from a hetersexual/homosexual binary. McRuer quotes Foucault, who “famously insisted: that homosexuality materialized a ‘new species’ of person” (168), and examines how this “new species” would be increasingly regulated by the state for many years. 

The queerness of disability itself has challenged heteronormativity, which McRuer argues almost requires able bodied-ness. McRuer ends the section reflecting on how sexuality has continued to oppress disabled people, “but it has also become a profoundly productive site for intervention, experimentation and transformation”(170). I think this really reflects how in-depth discussion has brought this aspect of disability forward, and how continued discussion and awareness of these topics are vitally important marginalized communities. 

One thing that really resonated with me is connecting queerness to disability. Specifically the author categorized heteronormativity being perpetuating the expectation for the norm to be cishet, allosexual, and able bodied. With LGBTQ+ identities being labeled disabilities throughout history, the connection to sexuality and disability is impossible to deny. I really feel as though the connection between the two could further the destigmatisation of these communities. 

What also really stood out was the discussion of sterilization and the medical attempts to “fix” disabled people, or to prevent them from having children. This is a very horrifying aspect of this discussion, that shows the painful aspects of what dehumanization and othering made people think it was okay to do this to disabled people and reading about it really angered me. 

The authors terminology was also really fascinating, especially with how efficiently McRuer was able to convey such complex concepts. “Abnormal sexuality” to note was a very effective term that is fluid enough to cover both the stigma of excessive sexuality and of reduced sexuality. It was also really eye opening for McRuer to use film and literature from these times that reflect the historical oppression of sexuality in the disabled community. Using examples from William Faulkner’s The Sound and the Fury (1929) to show an example of a disabled man who is castrated for his disability, as well as using examples of Shakespeare and the movement to show disabled people in a nonsexual light. This also helps really put into perspective the vast timeline of these issues, and how this has been going on for centuries.

RAB: Disability and Queer

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“Queer” by Tim Dean, selected from Keywords for Disability Studies edited by Rachel Adams, Benjamin Reiss, and David Serlin

Summary: 

This piece introduces the historical connections between queer studies and disability studies by first discussing the word queer. Originally, queer was used as a derogatory term to stigmatize not only members of the LGBTQ+ community but those in the disabled community too. Now it is decently well-known as a reclaimed term for empowerment. Dean points out that both queer studies and disability studies challenge the effects of normalization in society when it comes to identity and access. When I say identity, this can include sexual orientation, gender expression, physical appearances, personality itself and much more personal attributes. One example given comes from early activist groups and their slogans. Queer Nation began the chant “We’re here, we’re queer, get used to it.” And it was common for disability rights organizations to chant “Not dead yet.”  

Then, the term heteronormativity comes into play. Queer itself, is not supposed to challenge or simply be different from heterosexuality, as it challenges heteronormativity. The way Dean explains heteronormativity relates to heterosexuality because it’s based off covert expectations that makes sense of the world. The term is linked to another concept created by Adrienne Rich (lesbian feminist) known as compulsory heterosexuality. Dean claims that compulsory heterosexuality depends on compulsory able-bodiedness. Heteronormativity assumes that a body engaging in sex is healthy and able-bodied to fit the idea of “normal.” Lastly, the concept of “crip theory” is introduced because of its influence from queer and disability studies. Instead of focusing on physical aspects and capabilities of bodies and environments around them this field goes one step further. It wants to take a deeper look at abstract social expectations of what the human body should look like and how someone should behave or perform daily due to heteronormativity.  

Quotes: 

“Indeed, able-bodiedness appears to be even more compulsory than heterosexuality because the former requires the latter” (pg. 144) 

“Queer approaches to thinking about disability and sexuality argue that neither the human body nor its capacities are biologically determined” (pg. 144) 

“In other words, normalization does not exclusively bolster the interests of the so-called normal, since it also puts them at risk” (pg. 144) 

Reflection: 

One thing that I focused on was the idea of normalization. I like how this author framed it, and the references he provided when discussing it piece by piece. While I can’t be positive I fully grasp it from this reading, including Goffman’s take helped. If I’m following correctly, normalization could be a framework that anyone is capable of straying from. That goes to say that anyone is capable of later in life becoming disabled, therefor being stripped of their “normal” social status. I would also argue that while I view a standard normal as being the straight white able-bodied male (and doubtful that will change soon) I think norms can sometimes exist on a continuum. We create new norms and once those are established if you don’t fall in line or can’t make the cut, you are not normal anymore. Normalization is an identity vacuum that exists to continuously eradicate accessibility, education, and mutes every minority.  

Secondly, something this piece reminded me of is the power of taking back hurtful language. Growing up, I vividly remember learning as a young child that “queer” meant weird. It meant different, gross, and was not a word to be associated with. Being a member of the LGBTQ+ community and being able to then grow up and see us take back these terms for empowerment meant a lot. I never knew queer studies and disability studies had this historical, powerful link in that way. Typically, I always emphasize how crucial vocabulary can be, and this author solidified that more for me. It’s not just how we speak about identities but how we don’t speak about them as well. Having learned some bits and pieces of queer history it’s saddening interconnections to other communities like this do not get mentioned or credit.  

Margrit Shildrick: Disability and Sex

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Summary:

The author begins by explaining how the world sees sex: a paradox of too much or too little, of joyful or shameful, of scientific or pleasurable, of normal or not. After giving cultural context, they elaborate on how disability and sex are at play. Disabled folks don’t have access to sexual education which only amplifies a negative stigmas both within and outside of the disabled community. They then go on to explain why sex and disability are such a tricky intersection (quote number 2) and how it stems from a cultural anxiety regarding sex and the body. They break down the Deleuzian model and emphasis the importance of navigating desire opposed to embodiment. The author reinvents the widespread understanding of what sex/sexuality is. Lastly, they explain the relation to queer and disability studies in action. The closing of the chapter summarizes the issues of how sex and disability is viewed and where we can advocate going in the future.

Quotes:

“…disabled people, like everyone else, understand their sexualities in multiple different ways, which do not fit easily with the convenient models of social management” (Shildrick pg. 164)
“If those who count themselves as nondisabled have laregly disavowed the conjunction of disability and sexuality, experiencing what can only be regarded as the “yuck factor” when faced with the realities of sexual desire in all their anomalous forms, then we might conclude that it is because sexuality is always a site of deep-seated anxieties about normative forms of embodied being” (Shildrick pg. 165)
“…understandings of disability and sex have encouraged scholars and activists to confront questions of embodiment, and more specifically, the circulation of desire” (Shildrick pg. 165) *so good*
“…the term “queer” goes much further in being explicitly defined as against all forms of normativity” (Shildrick pg. 166)

Reflection:

I loved this chapter (I know that isn’t great analysis, but I just have to start with that). It went well in tangent with some of the queer theory work I’ve been reading. The author emphasized the need to tear down stereotyped preconceptions of sex (both within and outside the disability community). They provided alternative definitions of sex and embodiment, which I see as a powerful tool for advocacy. In addition to explaining the tangible intersections of sex and disability, they dove into the heady complexities of challenging everything we’ve been taught. I also appreciated the type of language the author used; very plain, with lots of examples.

Reflective Annotated Bibliography Two: O’Toole and Lewis (Chapter 14, “Crip”)

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Summary:

 In Chapter 14 of O’Toole’s Keywords for Disability, Victoria Ann Lewis describes the loaded history of the word “crip”, and the way that crip genres of identity have been expanded upon since the 1980s. Once a slur used as a diminutive of difficulty (i.e. “crip course” (46)), the term “crip” has adopted an ironic affection, and is now most recognized by academics among other terms that reclaim the stigma of disability. 

Since then, the term has exploded throughout disability discourse: from “crip it” (47), to “crip zen” (46). “Cripping”, like “queering”, is now considered an effective means of demonstrating “dominant assumptions and exclusionary effects” (47) when applied to media. The two are repeatedly referred to in tandem throughout Chapter 14.

In conclusion, “crip”, sometimes written as “krip” to distinguish from the infamous gang, is showing no signs of slowing down, and goes to show how the allowance for self-definition can be generative of new forms of expression within, and beyond, the community.

Quotations: 

1) “With the emergence of the disability civil rights movement in the 1970 s, ‘crip’ gained wide usage as an informal, affectionately ironic, and provocative identification among people with disabilities.” (46)

2) “While there are examples of ‘crip’ converted into a verb as far back as the fourteenth century, where we read of ‘a beeste that was broken and Cripped ,’ our contemporary usage seems to have originated in academic discourse as a critical strategy borrowed from queer studies.” (47)

3) Sandahl also notes the two positions [queerness and cripness] share ‘a radical stance towards concepts of normalcy’, a position that McRuer describes as a shared ‘resistance to cultural homogenization’”. (47)

Reflections:

Lewis’ text, though brief, paints a bright future for the use of “crip” as a type of strategic language. I will say, in case my personal experience is not sufficient, that I think it’s wonderful that verbiage can inspire such feelings of community, ownership, and empowerment when they once inflicted pain. Affectionate terms are a great way to increase comfort, and promote self-confidence. Lewis’ paper also underscores the intersectional lines between queer and crip theory, which is equally fascinating, and I think exploring that shared history would make for a great essay. However, I would not personally advocate for the use of this term, because in my own experience I’ve seen it used mainly as a pejorative.

Kuppers, Petra, “Performance”

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Keywords for Disability Studies. edited by Rachel Adams, Benjamin Reiss,& David Serlin. NYU Press, 2015.

Summary:

The section, “Performance”, begins with three scenarios in which people with various disabilities may find themselves. Scenarios where they may be exaggerating or playing up the symptoms of their disability to receive the assistance they need. Kuppers makes the distinction that these are all subconscious performances of disability, they are done out of survival instinct. Then, a second type of performance is introduced. This second type of performance is purposeful with the intent to display disabilities. Purposeful performances of disability bring the focus away from the individual and towards community, whereas subconscious performances are meant to bring focus to the individual. Kuppers turns her attention towards the ethics of disability-centric performances. She asserts that a performer must carefully consider what narrative they are supporting and conveying with every detail of their performance. For example, considering if their role or parts of the script promote the segregation of differences, through excluding performers with disabilities, displaying harmful stereotypes, or the performance is inaccessible. The point of the purposeful depiction of disabilities is to break down existing stereotypes, humanize people with disabilities and include them in the art world. Kuppers ends this section by describing how the lives of disabled people can be highlighted and illustrated through art  performances in a way that positively impacts all, especially others with disabilities.

Quotes:

“How to live artfully; how to move nimbly through discursive fields, tipping past stereotype traps; ducking the diagnostic, medica and charitable gaze: These are the kinds of guerilla skills most disabled people learn in a disabling world.” (pg. 139)

“In different ways, these staged performances in public all subvert some expected scripts (…) and leave others untouched.” (pg. 138)

 “Wider aesthetic issues include how disability performance practice is influenced by the histories of the freak show, by cultural fascination with the grotesque, by eugenic discourse, by the kind of audience engagements characterized by sentimentality, by notions of virtuosity and its space in modernist and post-modernist practice.” (pg.139)

Reflection:

I found the opening section on subconscious performance to be the most interesting thing discussed in this section. I can see how what Kuppers was talking about could be misused to justify the faking-it myth. But the exaggeration discussed, I think can be found everywhere. It is just a part of communication. Most people play up their sexuality to advertise to potential partners; women and men will sometimes over express their gender; Minority culture groups will practically brand themselves with their specific culture. My impression that non-binary people are not trying to fit into overly defined category like the binary genders most of the time, so there is no real way to over perform. We dramatize a simple thing about ourselves when we want others to no beyond a doubt that aspect of our lives is true. Our performances are ingrained into our subconscious from life experiences. This makes the fact that a person with disability may over emphasize their disability to receive assistance accessing basic necessities and rights incredibly sad. This leads into purposeful performance. I got the impression that the types of performances Kuppers was referring to in this part were for the purpose of normalizing disabilities. Making it so that people with disabilities will not be conditioned to put on unintentional performances to receive help, to be seen. This is why scripts surrounding or including disabilities need to be carefully thought out, why more disabled people need to be included in performance art without their disability being made into a spectacle.

Disability and Race

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  • Race by Nirmala Erevelles
  • This essay is about the direct connection people make between the experience of people of color and the experience of people with disability. Erevelles walks the reader through the pros and cons of this. The author’s argument is that essentially by saying ‘disability is like race’ people are trying to push disability into a broader social recognition as a political minority. Erevelles continues to explain how this has assisted the Disability Rights Movement in moving forward but at the same time created violent and oppressive overtones for disability. She then comes to a conclusion, “Thus, more robust and complex analyses of race and disability are necessary for us to move beyond the initial conceptual space of analogy.” (Erevelles, 148).
  • I found this essay intriguing, especially as a person of color. I thought it was interesting how the history of disability and race lined up in some ways. For example, Erevelles writes, “They were transformed into spectacles for popular consumption and economic profit” (Erevelles, 146). The best example I can think of this is circuses, originally the circus was a compiled group of ‘freaks’ from around the world. These so-called freaks were people of color and people with disability, put on stage for people to make fun of or laugh at, even sexualizes, so others could make money. I understand why disability and race should not be made a direct analogy, in my mind it belittles both group’s experiences, but I do see how making connections like this help us empathize, learn, and understand each other further. I think another thing that stood out to me was the fact that institutions mix race and disability into one big category, specifically in schools. Erevelles writes, “Special education classes became the spaces where African American and Latino students were ghettoized” (Erevelles, 147). This was something I could connect to because people with color and disability were immediately grouped into the special education classes, and that is one thing that I experienced throughout my life that I look back on now and see as problematic.