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.
| This means that ableism is connected with other forms of discrimination. It reminds me of the intersectionality approach we learned about earlier in the course. When the abilities are lumped into a group of people, this can create negative prejudices toward groups or ethnicities. For example, a sexist example is women being seen as physically weaker and more emotional than men. These stereotypes are damaging because they can create negative ideas toward women and continue the gender gap that we still see today. An age example would include the stereotype that older individuals are less cognitively competent than younger people, which can create a cycle of negative reinforcement or a self-fulfilling prophecy, where the abilities are seen as lesser, and the group is treated differently, which can lead to the abilities diminishing. A specific example would be a female who wants to be a firefighter and not being hired because of the stereotype that she is physically weaker than a male. This would show that ableism is connected to sexism, leading to a disadvantage for the woman who wants to be a fire fighter. |
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 had a score of 37% automatic preference for abled people compared to disabled. This does not surprise me much because, in my lifetime, I have had little to no experience or interaction with disabled individuals, so my automatic reaction is to be more comfortable with abled individuals. I think these tests are useful to uncover unconscious bias.
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B) Keywords
Exercise 3:
Add the keyword you contributed to padlet and briefly (50 words max) explain its importance to you.
| The social model of disability is a framework that looks at society’s role in someone’s disability. It sees the origins of disability as a result of the way the society is set up and whether the services are available to give the person the tools they need to succeed. Adding more accessible entrances or ways of transportation allows someone with a disability to feel as though they are able and reduces the stigma and discrimination that our society has set up.
https://www.thesocialcreatures.org/thecreaturetimes/the-social-model-of-disability
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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?
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?
| Fitzgerald and Long (2021) look at whether sports should be grouped by ability and disability. DePauw and Gavron (2005) show that there is a spectrum of ability and disability. Grouping by disability creates a more even playing field, allowing athletes with disabilities to compete. Grouping by disability would follow the medical model perspective. However, creating this separation reinforces the differences between groups, allowing for a divide.
Grouping athletes by ability would follow the social model of disability. It focuses on taking away the emphasis on impairment and focuses on ability or performance. The article says that the ability-focused route could reduce stigma and attitude barriers, which could lead to more inclusion. There are issues with grouping by ability because, depending on the person’s disability, they may be at a severe disadvantage. Therefore, sport being grouped by ability is not a universal fix. Reverse integration is a method being used to create normalcy for disability sports. It is when able athletes compete in disability sports, such as wheelchair basketball, etc.
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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. This idea is true as women are expected to do well in masculine environments but still look and act feminine. This reminds me of when women are forced to wear small or revealing uniforms. |
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
| d) Murderball does both of these things. I think that the film Murderball celebrates resistance to marginalized masculinity and also reinforces ableist norms of masculinity. They resisted marginalized masculinity by showing that disabled men are able to show masculine traits such as aggression and toughness, as seen in rugby. So, they are showing that being disabled does not take away those “manly” traits that society deems desirable or acceptable. They also reinforce ableist masculinity by showing aggression and trash-talking done by the men. The film can give the illusion that to succeed in sports, men need to be physically able and express their masculine traits.
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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.
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I both agree with the critique of the “supercrip” narrative shown in the video and disagree. The video shows disabled people achieving incredible talents despite their disability. Many, especially the athletes, are achieving skills and talent that an able person would not be able to accomplish. I think the supercrip narrative can lead to unrealistic expectations of disabled individuals, leading them to experience feelings of failure when they are unable to achieve the feats that these supercrip athletes are. I can see how watching this video could look discouraging to someone, say, who has recently been disabled due to an accident and must relearn how to kick a ball. However, I can see the empowerment in the video, especially when they added the clips of the individuals performing actions of daily life, such as holding a baby or brushing their teeth. The video repeats encouraging phrases such as “yes, I can”. Therefore, I think the supercrip narrative is present, as some of the people in the video appear to have superhuman abilities, given that they can, for example, play the drums with their feet. But the narrative is slightly reduced with the empowering phrases and the clips of everyday activities. A Paralympian example is Laurent Chardard, a Paralympic swimmer who lost his right arm and leg from a horrific shark attack (Olympics, n.d.). The article focuses on how he showed an incredible level of perseverance and focused less on his sports performance or how he has “superhuman ability”. This article is a good example of moving away from that “supercrip” narrative because an athlete who endured a horrible accident overcame it, and the media focused on his mentality and perseverance. However, the supercrip narrative may be more present in athletes who are born with a condition, rather than those who are in an accident. Olympics. (2024). Paris 2024 Paralympics. They will give us chills: Laurent Chardard. https://www.olympics.com/en/news/paris-2024-paralympics-they-will-give-us-chills-laurent-chardard |
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 supercrit narrative in my opinion. Firstly, the men portrayed fit that traditional macho cisgender male narrative discussed in the blog. The men being quadriplegic, white, and tough follow the stereotype of disabled people feeling the need to get as close to abled males as possible. Joe Soares is an example of this idea, as he is a disabled man who fits the traditional tough guy stereotype. Men are traditionally given more focus and praise than women, reinforcing those gender stereotypes on top of the supercrip narrative.
The film also has the element of making ordinary activities appear to be miraculous when disabled people perform them. The blog refers to the supercrip narrative as “inspriational porn”, meaning that disabled people overcoming adversity is used as motivation for other disabled individuals. The blog talks about how when the athletes overcome their disability, they are seen as more valuable or stronger than those who do not. This idea enforces the societal narrative that being disabled is wrong and that individuals should do everything in their power to act like an able-bodied person. |
