Caucus Handout

Zobel Caucus
Social Model of Disability
June 15, 2009
Related Course Readings: DSR Ch2. 14, 16, 18

General Questions/Topics from Readings:
How are disability activists representing themselves online in words and image?
How do the specific artifacts mirror or differ from the models we read about for this week?
What similarities or differences can be seen between first-world (USA) and second-world (India) disability activism?

Groups:
1: Kim, Jessica, Lora, gz
2: Diane, Debra, Christine, Sean

Before going forward or reading/viewing the materials, please:
Review all readings (obviously), but pay close attention to Charlton’s discussions of class. Please think about/brainstorm around ideas of class, class privilege, and how those privileges are expressed in the experience of the disabled and non-disabled. Then, please consider how these same privileges impact the disabled and poor in non-first world countries that have no government support for the disabled. Finally, rather than focus on the identity, remember Siebers’ emphasis on the body and reread the Wade quote he cites on 179.

Activity 1
Both Groups:
Tom Shakespeare, in Chapter 16 of DSR, presents the basic pros and cons of the social model of disability. In brief, the social model of disability is that disability is something that society and culture impose upon people who have physical impairments—this disability prevents people with impairments from fully participating in their culture and society (198).

Here is a heuristic from Shakespeare’s pros and cons (199-202):
Strengths Weaknesses
Politically Effective Neglect of the significance of impairment on people’s lives
Identifies social barriers to remove Assumes that disabled people are oppressed
Psychologically effective—improves self-esteem “crude distinction between impairment (medical) and disability (social)” (201)
Utopian ideal of barrier free society

How does the following representation match up with the strengths and weaknesses as put forth by Shakespeare?
Disability activists in DC this past April
http://www.adapt.org/freeourpeople/cca09/report04.htm

To Prepare for Class:
Review the Heuristic
Read the article

In Class:
There should be a little discussion of this during group work; however, activity is designed for an all-class discussion. After we discuss this as a group, it will lead into activity 2.


Activity 2
In Chapter 18 of DSR, James Charlton discusses class and hegemony. Near the end of his piece, he writes, “Television shows depicting the helpless and angry cripple as a counterpoint to a poignant story about love or redemeption… Most despicable are the telethons “for” crippled people, especially, poor, pathetic, crippled children. These telethons parade young children in front of the camera while celebrities like Jerry Lewis pander to people’s goodwill and pity to get their money. In the United States surveys have shown that more people form attitudes about disabilities from telethons than from any other source” (225).

Group 1: Kim, Jessica, Lora, gz (both groups, please read and view the video)

This is a link to a disability activists’ rallying call in India. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ldg0Vkz5X8
When considering the benefits of class and privilege, it is vital to recognize that globalization and economic policies as well as activism have impacts around the globe. That is why I chose this video—how does it mirror modes of activism we have read about? What can we learn from the video? What does it mean that the activists are speaking in English?

Some additional questions to consider:
Where does this fit into the social model of disability and the activism we have read about?
How does the specific video or video channel your group is to review specifically challenge hegemony? Does it unintentionally reinforce hegemony?
What kind of consciousness or awareness of disability does it promote?

Group 2: Diane, Debra, Christine, Sean (both groups, please read and view the video)
Go to YouTube. Find user: stumpsclub.
Or, click this link: http://www.youtube.com/user/stumpsclub
Review two or three videos there. What is your response?
How is this person treating/representing disability?
What reifications of class and/or gender are represented?
How does the specific video or video channel your group is to review specifically challenge hegemony? Does it unintentionally refinforce hegemony?
What kind of consciousness or awareness of disability does it promote.
What, if any, connections are made to bodies and the pleasure or pain that bodies experience?
Do you regard this material empowering?