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.
| Growing up with a physically disabled half-brother was an eye opener in terms to the ableism that is imbedded in society. The world has had to adapt to be inclusive and accessible, because historically it has not been, and continues to not be. So, in the terms of my brother, he was hit by a car at 9 years old, and has been in a wheelchair ever since, and now has a permanent traumatic brain injury. I found that people who become disabled and people who are born disabled experience these ability concepts differently. However, I believe they could both agree on ability security. While life is much more challenging when you are not able bodied, Sean — my brother— would agree in saying he is able to live a decent life with whatever set of abilities they have. In Sean’s case, he was privileged in a sense. My father and his mother advocated hard for him to get the support he needs, as well as the monetary compensation he requires to live. This is not the case for all disabled people depending on their social surroundings and community. I do believe there are many communities that do foster a positive environment for disabled people, by providing social supports such as a PSW. Along with this, society is slowly accommodating disabilities, however I do find them to be centred around those with physical disabilities. They have installed automatic door openers, handicapped stalls and bathrooms, chairs and seats, and much more. However, society still has to accommodate and adapt for those who have mental disabilities. Moreover, in regards to ability identity security, once again I would have to say that it depends on the individual. For example, Sean is not at ease with his disabilities, and finds himself very frustrated and angry at himself, and due to this has been diagnosed with severe depression. It is all very circumstantial. Because Sean had 9 years with an able body, it will take a lot longer for him to feel comfortable, and it is possible that he never feels at ease with his disability. On the other hand, there are many disabled folks who have come to terms with their disability. For example, Sean has found a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) group that meets once a week for coffee, and has started organizing group outings. This has been so beneficial for Sean because more than half of those in the group are at ease with their disability. Since he joined this group, I have noticed the change in vocabulary he uses when he speaks about himself. Most negative terms have now been replaced with positive ones, and that has not gone unnoticed. Therefore, I believe that there must be community support in order for disabled people to come to term with their disability, because of the systematic ableism within society. Concerning the education world, I have noticed during my 3 years at Trent, that there are many supports for disabled folks, while also having many road blocks for disabled folks. For example, Trent has an SAS program that I am apart of, and I found it to be quite easy to apply and be recognized for my accommodations. On the other hand, I do not believe Trent has done enough for physically disabled folks. Only one residence building has an elevator. That in itself is concerning. Many of the wheelchair ramps are closed during the winter because they do not plow them and causes a lot of difficulty for folks to simply go to class. The classes I also do not find to be accessible. There are some in the newer buildings such as the Student Centre, but most other buildings have not been fully accommodated. All in all, society still has a lot to work on for our world to be accessible. |
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.
| In the test I got equally comfortable towards disabled and able-bodied people. I was not surprised with this at all because I grew up with a physically and mentally disabled half-brother. My brother is 14 years older than me, so he has been disabled my whole life, but not his whole life. Therefore, I feel just as comfortable around disabled people, as I do with those who are able-bodied. I do think my result would be different if I did not grow up with this type of representation because of how ableism has been systemically engrained into society. Buildings are not accessible for all people, customer service is not accessible for all people, the work force is not accessible for all people. What makes this worse is that not all disabled folks are recognized as disabled and therefore do not get the supports they deserve. |
B) Keywords
Exercise 3:
Add the keyword you contributed to padlet and briefly (50 words max) explain its importance to you.
|
Ableism is the discrimination and prejudice people hold against people with disabilities. This term refers to the social differences people with disabilities experienced compared to able-bodied folks. Socially, able-bodied is the expected baseline, so when someone goes against this, people get scared and angry because it is something different from what they are used to.
|
B) On Disability
Which of the following are NOT defining characteristics of the medical model of disability?
Focus on surrounding environment and Focus on removing barriers
Drag the words into the correct box
The social model of disability argues that society disables people by imposing
Fill in the missing word
The social model focuses on removing barriers instead of medical intervention.
Notebook Prompt: What do Fitzgerald and Long identify as barriers to inclusion and how might these apply to sport in particular?
Fitzgerald and Long (2017) identified a few different barriers when it comes to inclusion. The first being inaccessible transport. In terms of sports, athletes often must travel for away games and tournaments, and once they reach professional sports, national, and international games and tournaments, and even the Olympics. However, this does become an issue and a barrier for disabled athletes, especially those who are physically disabled. If they need to take a bus for their game, the team must accommodate for this and find an accessible way of transport that is much harder to find then a typical school or coach bus. In some cases, the disabled athletes travel separately, and this entirely deteriorates the attempt of inclusion. Next, they mention building and amenities. Once again, this does prove to be an issue for disabled athletes. While many buildings have been adapted to accommodate people with disabilities, there are still many that have not. For example, if the athlete is not able to climb stairs, but the building requires you to climb stairs to enter the court, field, ice, etc. Many buildings do not have elevators or escalators which finds itself to be very helpful for people with disabilities. Lastly, they mention the barrier of lack of opportunity and prejudicial attitudes. Physically disabled people are written off very quickly in terms of sport simply on looks alone which is extremely discriminatory and prejudicial. While there are leagues for disabled folks to play within, they are far less common, and far less known. Due to this, they do have a complete lack of opportunity even though they excel in their sport. For example, the Special Olympics are not followed or even known about, while the Olympics are watched from all over the world. In terms of mentally disabled folks, they also experience prejudicial attitudes because society has determined that they are not worthy of time or space.
C) Inclusion, Integration, Separation
Which of the following is premised on the social model of disability?
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?
From my perspective, I believe making sport competitions integrated would be a huge step towards the social inclusion of people with disabilities. I will use the Olympics as my example to further my point. The Olympics are a hugely anticipated event that receives a massive amount of funding, and opportunity for athletes. While there are Special Olympics, I believe this segregation is harmful. Firstly, if their disability does not harm their sport performance, there is no reason to separate them from the able-bodied athletes. For example, if an athlete with a prosthetic leg is able to run to their full capability and qualifies for event, I don’t see a reason for the athlete to be separated. However, with sports such as sledge hockey, it is not possible for these athletes to compete against hockey players, because it is not the same sport. I believe in this case, the event of sledge hockey should still be a broadcasted Olympic event, but separate from the hockey event. This would create more traction for the sport itself, while also bringing awareness to disabled athletes and their talents. |
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).
| 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:
I found this documentary to be very open and honest by broaching subjects that are considered to be taboo. This created an open environment for these athletes to open up about certain aspects of their masculinities that are questions, and how they celebrate their difference in this aspect. I found this to especially be prevalent when they shared their sexual experiences. The players mentioned that as men, their masculinity is often questioned in terms of how they can perform sexually. While they explained that people find it to be an uncomfortable topic of discussion, however none of the athletes find it to be that taboo, which shows how much more comfortable they are in their masculinity than people assume. There is a collective assumption that disabled people, particularly men, have a marginalized masculinity. This is assumed because society has made it so men asking for help, are not real men. In the documentary, while an athlete is putting his groceries in his car and a stranger asks him if he needs help getting in the car. It’s like these people are pitying these men, and this socially emasculates them. Instead of internalizing this, and worrying about what others think, these athletes resist this rhetoric, and continue their lives as they have learned to live it. |
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.
In the “We’re the Superhumans” video from the 2016 Rio Paralympics, I believe they fully played into the idea of supercrip narrative. Supercrip is the idea that people with disabilities who participate in everyday life are almost considered superhuman which is supposed to feel inspiring to folks. A great example of a supercrip athlete is the Malaysian Powerlifter Bonnie Bunyau Gustin, who managed to lift more than three times his body weight. This was extremely incredible to watch and so impressive for Bonnie. However, I believe that this notion of superhuman abilities reinforces ableism. Firstly, it takes away the focus of systematic barriers that impede disabled folks in their daily lives. Disabled folks must result to these superhuman abilities to be able to complete regular tasks such as eating cereal as shown in the 2016 Rio Paralympics video. Secondly, disabled people must showcase their abilities to be recognized in society. For example, if Bonnie were to have only lifted his body weight, while still completely impressive, he would not receive the same praise. Disabled people therefore must go above and beyond to be praised in society. Simply living day by day is not enough for society, we expect disabled people to prove themselves while able-bodied people do not. While I understand how this type of marketing brings awareness to disability, that’s where it ends. There is no follow-through to address the ableist problems that make living with a disability much harder, and sometimes even impossible. It should not have to be a miracle that disabled folks can participate and excel in sports. There should be some sort of support for those who live with a disability to play sports, because as discussed throughout the entire course thus far, sport is a great social asset that should not only be accessible to able-bodied people.
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)
Personally, I do not find the film Muderball to play into the supercrip narrative. The men in the documentary are simply living their lives through sport, and are not attempting to be the epitome of supercrip. The film does a great job at showing how disabled people can live their lives to the fullest without having to be superhuman. The majority of these men were not born disabled but went through a traumatic incident that rendered them disabled. While this could have two outcomes: either you resent your body now, or you learn to live differently. These men, while it took adjusting, have learned to live differently in a way that makes them incredibly happy. Therefore, they do not hold the ableist mindset that they must outperform one another to prove themselves socially. While they explain that they have encountered ablism directed towards them, they have fought back to break this barrier. Furthermore, I do believe gender plays a part in the supercrip narrative, especially for men. With the social norms that have been put in place, men are expected to not show weakness and to be tall and muscular. However, when you are disabled, it is not possible to conform to all these gender norms. Therefore, disabled men would be expected to prove themselves in society by showcasing superhuman abilities that would “make up” for the traditional gender norms they cannot fit into. In the film Muderball I believe these men show how comfortable they are with their masculinity even if it does not adhere to the traditional gender norms. This I find to be far more impressive than if they were to showcase superhuman abilities because within modern western society, men are not commonly known to be comfortable in their masculinity unless they adhere directly to the traditional gender norms that have bene put in place for men.
