The Social Construction of Disability by Susan Wendell, 19

The Social Construction of Disability

by Susan Wendell, 1996.

THe Social construction of disability

The Pace of Life

“...the interaction of the biological and the social to create (or prevent) disability.” (Wendell, 1996).

“The social construction of disability through expectations of performance.”

• Wendell suggests that disability, like gender, is socially constructed;

• Social factors such as physical injury as a result of war, lack of access to basic resources for survival, e.g. clean water, medicine, shelter, and nourishing food;

• The architecture of our society is built for the able-bodied, making it inconvenient to those with disabilities - for some, the architecture of our society is the only thing that disables them. Is there anything else we can say about this?

• “...constructed through the failure or unwillingness to create ability among people who do not fit the physical and mental profile of ‘paradigm’ citizens. “ (p. 104).

• Socially constructed for, and often taken for granted by able-bodied people;

• Marginalizes people with any kind of disability - Wendell shares her personal struggles with the Pace of Life;

• Wendell says that society demands that we are always increasing our performance level - this can be disabling to everyone who is already working at a high (or their maximum) pace;

• Society values - quantity of performance over quality and uniqueness of what one can offer.

Wendell refers to “paradigm citizens” multiple times throughout this article. What do you think a ‘paradigm’ citizen might look like?

Does anyone have a similar experience to wendell that they would like to share?

Opening thoughts...

Susan Wendell

Who is disabled?

The social

desconstruction of disability

• Born November 13, 1945;

• Former Philosophy and Women’s Studies professor at Simon Fraser University;

• Diagnosed in 1985 with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis - Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, that causes profound tiredness that cannot be relieved with rest. It also causes muscle pain, weakness, trouble with mental concentration and insomnia.

• Author of The Rejected Body: Feminist Philosophical Reflections on Disability.

“...what can be socially constructed can be socially (and not just intellectually) deconstructed…” (Wendell, 1996).

How do you define disability?

• Strengthening public health services - more access;

• Changes in architecture - construction with accessibility in mind;

• People with disabilities as key stakeholders and decision makers in community projects.

Obstacles to the

deconstruction....

Thanks for being a great audience!

Remember, self-care is a radical act!

Are these proposals for deconstruction realistic/possible?

Why or why not? Is there more that could be done? Discuss and share ideas.

• Attitudes - viewing disability as a personal or family problem rather than a matter of social responsibility.

• Public adoration of disabled 'heroes' - celebrated for participating in everyday tasks, e.g. getting out of bed.

• Charity/help organizations are often run by able-bodied people exclusively, and work on the belief that what they are doing is an act of kindness, rather than a social responsibility.

Here are some of my favourite resources should you be interested...

• www.spooniesurvivalguide.com/ - Simple tools to improve living and thriving with a chronic illness.
• Yoga/stretch
• Rest
• Whole Foods Market

"Everyone should have access to opportunties to develop their abilities, to work, and to participate in the full range of public and private activities available to the rest of society."

Cultural Construction of disability

I’m not your inspiration, thank you very much - Stella Young

How does culture contribute to the construction of disability?

What are the implications for people who do not identify with their biological sex, and identify as someone with a disability?

What do we know about the intersection between the social construction of disability, and feminism? Think about how Wendell describes the difference between the stigma faced by women and by men under the cultural construct of disability.

Presented by Georgia Robinson