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.
| I believe that the authors were using this statement to help explain that forms of oppression or discrimination most of the time go hand and hand with each other. Usually someone who is facing one form of oppression will often face another form in some sort of way. People will often try and justify these forms of oppression when they are in positions of power or come from a more privileged group of people. One example of this would be men trying to justify having more power over women or using their power in a way to oppress women who have more than one form of oppression against them. Another example would be people of color getting less medical attention based on their race, sex, and the belief that they come from a lower class. |
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.
| On the test I got the results “Your responses suggested a moderate automatic preference for Physically Abled People over Physically Disabled People”. Doing this test was fun and it was interesting to see my results along with the results of other people who have completed the test. Seeing the slight preference for abled body people result that many received did not shock me. I was expecting there to be more of a preference then there was. As a society we have a preference for able bodied people all the time. |
B) Keywords
Exercise 3:
Add the keyword you contributed to padlet and briefly (50 words max) explain its importance to you.
| Ableism:
Ableism is a form of oppression or discrimination against people with disabilities. Ableism stems from this idea formed by society that people with able bodies are superior. The way our society functions and runs benefits people who have able bodies in order to keep people with disabilities oppressed. Ableism can interact with other forms of oppression such as racism, sexism, ageism, and classism to make these people face a harder time in our society. |
B) On Disability
Exercise 4: Complete the Activities
Focus on the surrounding environment and focus on removing barriers
Restrictions- full participation- environments
barriers- medical
Exercise 5: Notebook Prompt
What do Fitzgerald and Long identify as barriers to inclusion and how might these apply to sport in particular?
Fitzgerald and Long identified low incomes; long working hours; religious observance; shortage of facilities in areas with large minority ethnic populations; language barriers; and racism as barriers to inclusion. They believe that these factors can stop people from having a chance to partake in sports or make it harder for them to partake in them. These can apply to sports in particular because all these barriers will change if someone can play sports and the challenges they will face when trying to play sports. The lack of income or shortage of facilities are two of the biggest barriers when playing sports as it stops many from playing.
C) Inclusion, Integration, Separation
Exercise 6: Complete the Activities
Inclusion
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?
| Should sport competitions be integrated?
I believe that there should be an option for sports competitions to be integrated with each other. Fitzgerald and Long look at this question and most of their discussion shows that sports should be integrated and many people with disabilities would like for sports to be integrated. If sports were integrated people with disabilities might feel more welcome within the sports communities and as though they have a place in sports. Fitzgerald and Long said if sports accommodate people with disabilities a little they would be able to compete in sports competitions as well as anyone else. There have been people with disabilities who have been able to compete in integrated sports. This worked out well and everyone felt welcome. |
Part Two: Making Connections
A) Gender, Sport and Disability
True
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
| Murderball celebrates a kind of resistance to marginalized masculinity
In the documentary they talk openly about their masculinities and their sex lives. To many people these ideas around masculinity would be seen as outside the normal or what most people expect yet these men are okay with that. They know their lives might look a little different compared to other men but they are celebrating that and not letting their disabilities stop them. They talk about different creative ways they experience sex and how it is not seen as “normal” but it works well for them. They also talk about how rugby is a very big sport within their community which might shock many people as they believe it can only be played by strong physically abled men. They play rugby as a way to express their masculinity even if it is not in a “normal” way. All of these point make me believe that Murderball celebrates a kind of resistance to marginalized masculinity.
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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 agree with the critique of supercrip narrative in this video. The definition of supercrip is someone who is able to overcome their disability in a way that can be seen in a public way leading to them feeling inspired. Throughout the video it shows different athletes with disabilities competing within different sports. They are showing us the public that just because they might look a little different from others does not mean that they can not play sports as well as others. I feel like the video was made in order for abled body people to feel inspired by these athletes and not just feeling happy for them because they are good at the sport. With videos about the olympics they make them in a way that shows us how people are good at the sports but this one felt like it was made for people to feel inspired or happy instead of just broadcasting their talent.
One example of this would be a man by the name of Cody Caldwell. Cody Caldwell is a wheelchair rugby player for team Canada. Cody has played in the following games Paris 2024, Santiago 2023, Tokyo 2020, Lima 2019, and Toronto 2015. I picked Cody Caldwell as he is from Peterborough, Ontario and got his start in the sport at a young age. Cody has shown his amazing talent and all the skills he has to offer starting off in 2013 when he joined the national team and started to represent team Canada at events. Cody showed the world is talent and it inspired his family to take part in this wheelchair rugby journey. His father, mother, and brother are all active parts of the wheelchair rugby world. His father serves as an equipment manager for Team Canada, his mother as a table official at national competitions, and his brother as a nationally certified referee. They all come together to show Cody’s talent and how people will disabilities can excel at sports as well. |
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)
| The film Murderball does play into the supercrip narrative in certain ways but it also goes outside the narrative in other ways. The film shows the men excelling at the sport of rugby and how they are preparing for the olympics that are coming up soon. The film shows how the men are pushing past their disabilities so that they can play the sport that they enjoy. The film can leave people feeling inspired and that anything is possible after viewing.
However, in other ways the film goes outside this narrative of supercrip when the men talk more deeply about their feelings and how this can play a role in their emotional, psychological, and social health. The men talk about how sometimes having a disability can make life harder or even make you feel as though you do not have a place within society. Being able to talk about these feelings is outside the gender norm for men making it that people might not feel as inspired. Men talking about their feelings is something that is seen as negative in our society giving some people the impression that these men might be less of a man for talking about their feelings. Although not everyone feels this way and many people might even feel empowered after seeing them being so open about their feelings. Hopefully it would inspire and show younger boys that showing and talking about your emotions is okay and not something that should be looked down on. The idea of supercrip is to show someone doing outstanding things and pushing the norms that are placed on them. When men are able to push outside these norms with disabilities it is often seen as amazing and inspiring. The men are supposed to be physically strong and it is celebrated when they are able to push past the barriers placed on them because of their disability. Women however do not always get the same reaction as women are supposed to stick within their gender norms and not be able to push past these physical barriers placed on them. This can lead to people not feeling inspired about what they can do and might even look down on the women for try and push past these physical barriers.
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