5
Section one: The fundamentals
A)
Exercise 1: Notebook Prompt
Many of you are likely familiar with the concept of “ability inequity,” which the authors of this article define as “an unjust or unfair (a) ‘distribution of access to and protection from abilities generated through human interventions’ or (b) ‘judgment of abilities intrinsic to biological structures such as the human body’.”
However, they go on to identify the following “ability concepts” that are less familiar:
1) ability security (one is able to live a decent life with whatever set of abilities one has)
2) ability identity security (to be able to be at ease with ones abilities)
How prevalent are these forms of security among disabled people you know? Or, if you identify as a disabled person, would you say your social surroundings and community foster and support these kinds of security? Furthermore, while the focus of the article is on Kinesiology programs, it is also important to reflect on how academia in general accommodates for disability. If you feel comfortable answering this question, what has been your experience of postsecondary education to date?
-OR-
The authors also observe that “Ableism not only intersects with other forms of oppression, such as racism, sexism, ageism, and classism, but abilities are often used to justify such negative ‘isms’.”
What do you think this means? Provide an example.
| When the authors observe that “Abelism not only intersects with other forms of oppression, such as racism, sexism, ageism, and classism but abilities are often used to justify such negative ‘isms,’” they are discussing how the intersectional nature of a person identity can result in compounding and overlapping forms of oppression and discrimination. Essentially, ableism does not exist in isolation; it is influenced and impacted by other social factors and systemic forces. An example of this could maybe be the stereotypes surrounding Black athletes that disproportionately value physical prowess over their intellectual capabilities. |
Exercise 2: Implicit Bias Test
Did anything surprise you about the results of the test? Please share if you’re comfortable OR comment on the usefulness of these kinds of tests more generally.
| I wasn’t very shocked by my results but I will admit it was quite harder than I thought it would have been, and I really had to focus on making sure I didn’t get things mixed up once they switched the keys. I do find the accuracy of these to be rather debatable; I almost think that if it started the opposite way, with disabled people and good words associated with the same button first, people’s results would be much different. |
B) Keywords
Exercise 3:
Add the keyword you contributed to padlet and briefly (50 words max) explain its importance to you.
| Ableism, like other ‘isms’, is the bias, prejudice, or discrimination against disabled people, and is premised on their presumed physical and/or mental inferiority to able bodied people. This manifests in several ways on both the individual and systemic levels to create physical and social barriers to their equal participation in society. This is important because it directly contributes to the marginalization of disabled people, preventing them from the same levels of access and freedom that most in society are afforded. |
B) On Disability
Exercise 4: Complete the Activities
Exercise 5: Notebook Prompt
What do Fitzgerald and Long identify as barriers to inclusion and how might these apply to sport in particular?
In complete honesty (and I have no idea why; I think I’m starting to lose it), I do not exactly understand this question as it relates to the text, but I answered to the best of my abilities. Fitzgerald and Long critique both the medical and social model of disability, arguing that the social model focused on the removal of disabling barriers (such as inaccessible transport, buildings and amenities, lack of opportunity and prejudicial attitudes), fails to consider how the very foundations of these sports remain premised on a non-disabled norm. Additionally, these perspectives fail to recognize how the intersectional identities of disabled people can compound to amplify experiences of discrimination, posing some unique additional barriers to participation that can not be addressed solely through a lens of disability.
C) Inclusion, Integration, Separation
Exercise 6: Complete the Activities
Exercise 7: Notebook Prompt
Choose ONE of the three questions Fitzgerald and Long argue disability sport needs to address and record your thoughts in your Notebook.
- Should sport be grouped by ability or disability?
- Is sport for participation or competition?
- Should sport competitions be integrated?
| Is sport for participation or competition?
I sat with this question for quite some time since it really is quite thought provoking and challenges the ways we subconsciously think of or construct sport. I think that the authors are ultimately correct in positioning this as a continuum, with it existing as both purley for participation, purley for competition and everything in between. This is influenced by personal preference for playing sports for fun or playing to win/be the best and since people have a wide variety of motivations for engaging in a sport, everyone should be afforded the opportunity to play at a level or ‘competitiveness’ that suits their needs and desires. As such, it requires a more nuanced approach than the dichotomy of participation and competition since the two are not inherently mutually exclusive. |
Part Two: Making Connections
A) Gender, Sport and Disability
Exercise 8: Complete the Activity
The paradox that sportswomen habitually face (as the authors observe, this isn’t confined to disabled sportswomen) involves the expectation they will be successful in a ‘masculine’ environment while complying with femininity norms in order to be recognized as a woman.
True or false?
Take a moment to reflect on this paradox below (optional).
B) Masculinity, Disability, and Murderball
Exercise 9: Notebook/Padlet Prompt
Watch the film, Murderball and respond to the question in the padlet below (you will have an opportunity to return to the film at the end of this module).
The authors of “Cripping Sport and Physical Activity: An Intersectional Approach to Gender and Disability” observe that the “gendered performance of the wheelchair rugby players can…be interpreted as a form of resistance to marginalized masculinity” (332) but also point out that it may reinforce “ableist norms of masculinity.” After viewing the film, which argument do you agree with?
a) Murderball celebrates a kind of resistance to marginalized masculinity
| I feel like option D would be the most accurate to describe Murderball as it actively resists marginalized masculinity by challenging the stereotypical narratives that position disabled men as weak or subordinated. This film captures the ways in which disabled men are just like every other man in their everyday emotions, motivations, and desires. However, in doing this the film positions these men with typical heteronormative and hegemonic values of strength, they are seen as being aggressive and dominant, engaging in the same activities that any man would enjoy like drinking and having sex. They speak in what would now be considered slightly derogatory ways about women although this language would have been more normal at the time the film was produced and frequently resist any attempts of others to provide aid. In this way the film and these men can be understood as appealing to hegemonic masculinity as a way to distance themselves from marginalized masculinities. |
Section Three: Taking a Shot
A) Resistance
B) Calling out Supercrip
Exercise 10: Mini Assignment (worth 5% in addition to the module grade)
1) Do you agree with the critique of the “supercrip” narrative in this video? Why or why not? Find an example of the “supercrip” Paralympian in the 2024 Paris Paralympics or Special Olympics coverage and explain how it works.
| I do think that the video made an honest effort to be as diverse and inclusive as possible. The video depicts a variety of activities and skills being performed by people of diverse gender and racial backgrounds with a variety of different disabilities represented. However, it is not without its shortcomings. I do agree with the perception that a ‘supercrip’ narrative is employed in this video as the focus is largely on the fact that the individuals depicted are disabled and not just a showcase of their skills or talent, something prominent within these frameworks. I am under the impression that this video was not made with disabled viewership in mind. By mixing clips of disabled people playing sports or instruments combined with everyday tasks like getting gas, they send a message that every act a disabled person does is an extraordinary accomplishment and outside the possibility of their capabilities. Not only is this insulting, but it is also just far from the realities of disabled individuals who, as depicted in Murderball, are able to live completely independent lives. Furthermore, it positions disabled people as inspirations rather than people in a way that signals they are only worth discussing when they ‘overcome’ their limitations. In the 2024 Paris Paralympics, this supercrip narrative was profoundly evident in the media coverage surrounding Gabriel Araujo, the Brazilian para swimmer who took home three gold medals. He gained significant mainstream attention due to his unique swimming style attributed to his lack of arms and legs. His ability to ‘overcome’ his physicality and swim despite his lack of limbs was a common theme throughout his coverage and, although very impressive, does fall into the supercrip narrative that values exceptionalism and resilience. |
2) Does the film Murderball play into the supercrip narrative in your opinion? How does gender inform supercrip (read this blog for some ideas)?
(300 words for each response)
| Overall, generally speaking, I do not think that the film carries a ‘supercrip’ stereotype since sport is not used as a way to overcome one’s disability but more so as a way to deal with the social perceptions of it. Although the film is not perfect, it does align with some elements of the ‘supercrip’ narrative in that it depicts disabled individuals performing at an extraordinary level and defying the expectations of their disability in doing so. Their involvement in rugby at an elite level is also what enables them to be taken seriously and recognized as athletes, a source of pride for many of the men involved, both players and coaches. However, this narrative is somewhat challenged throughout the film as athletes are progressively shown as more than just physically exceptional but also as people who deal with real emotional and practical challenges. It is this depth that adds more nuance and challenges the typical “supercrip” stereotype. Moreover, the ways in which these ‘supercrip’ narratives are informed by gender becomes evident in the presence and use of masculine ideals, with many of the participants using the aggressive sport to reassert the masculinity they feel they’ve lost through their disability. This connects to broader social narratives that impose a narrow definition of acceptable masculinity and manhood that are predicated on strength and resilience, something that disability can be seen as contrasting. Overall, the film does an excellent job of counteracting this narrative surrounding disabled masculinity, highlighting their normalcy and how their dreams, goals, and desires are like those of any other man. In doing this, they are able to work away from stereotypical scripts assigned to marginalized masculinities, with sport providing an avenue to align themselves with narratives of strength and resilience. |
