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 am a disabled person and I am lucky to have physical mobility and do not need to use, on most days, a mobility aid. With this physical ability, I can work and go to school without the risk of being fired for being absent due to not being able to get out of bed or move without extreme pain. However, that does not mean I am not in pain 24/7. I would say because I have an invisible disability, I live with ability identity security and ability security well. It is easier to exist when people do not assume you are disabled. I can work because I can move my body on most days, which means I can make a wage to live on. I can attend my classes, which means I can get a higher education and make more money one day. I am also very connected to my disability and the community surrounding it, and it is easier to live within a disabled body when you have a community.
I have many friends with disabilities who cannot work, cannot attend school, or marry their partners because they are on disability and cannot live on a single-wage income. These friends can not foster a secure ability security or identity security because their surroundings are limiting them due to their disabilities. It is disappointing to see how jobs will threaten to fire you because you take too much time off work to recover from or exist in intense pain. How schools will not accommodate disabilities, and how the government sees disabled people as lesser than able-bodied people. In my experience, Trent has not given me any issues with my disability. Mostly because I have not disclosed it. I tell my professors because I often have doctor’s appointments, but Trent offers little for physical disabilities other than making the campuses (mostly) accessible. Others, though, with intellectual disabilities, have had a lot of trouble getting access to support and resources, though that is not my story to tell. |
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.
| The results were surprising because as a disabled person; it said I preferred able-bodied individuals. In no way do I think I am perfect and I think ableism is so deeply ingrained in our society that many of my subconscious choices do favor able-bodies. However, I think this was a very black-and-white thinking test, which can be challenging for neurodivergent (myself included) participants to understand. Having fast-paced, good/bad and disabled/ able-bodied choices became very confusing, especially when they switch sides and options. This was a fine test, but it reflected a person’s comprehension more than ableism. Could someone with an intellectual disability have more difficulty doing or understanding this test than a non-disabled person, and does that reflect the disabled person’s ableism? This was a decent test for a participant to associate with an internal bias. It also has a lot of flaws in comprehension and accessibilty, which is ironic given its content. |
B) Keywords
Exercise 3:
Add the keyword you contributed to padlet and briefly (50 words max) explain its importance to you.
| Supercrip is another word for inspiration porn, used by networks or advertising to show disabled people and athletes as something inspiring or heroic. It is an advertisement that focuses on overcoming a disability through hard work and dedication. It is used in a “positive light” showing disabled people “overcoming” their disability. It dismisses disabled experiences and gives able-bodied individuals the impression that disabled people should only ever be praised or viewed when they are doing something that mirrors an able-body. It is an ableist form of media that perpetuates stereotypes and casual ableism. |
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?
The systems have been put into place with able-bodies in mind, so many organisations will be unwilling to redo their entire system to be more inclusive and accessible to disabled people. This can make it particularly challenging for disabled athletes to find a place outside of specific disabled groups within sports. Many organisations will be unwilling to adapt their team system or setup because ableism is so deeply ingrained within the way their system is set up.
The medical model, that many doctors and medical staff hold, that disabled people need to have care to become more able versus making the world more accessible and inclusive. It can make for sports to be inaccessible because accessibility does not need to be put in place according to the medical model. It can put strain or pressure on disabled individuals to hold a “goal” of being “healthy” and able-bodied without giving them proper resources to thrive as a disabled person who has plenty of skills and abilities already that would thrive in sports.
Through the medical model, they also point out the perspective many able-bodied individuals have where they see disabled people and athletes as less than because they are disabled. The concept of disabled people needing a cure or to be “fixed” is a huge barrier and be seen in sport through not letting disabled people participate or have as much attention in the mainstream as able-bodied athletes.
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?
| Question Two: This question is complex because it is based solely on perspective. Based on what sport is, I believe it is both. Sport is participation because it requires a group of athletes to come together and work as a team to achieve a goal. Without that team, many sports would be non-functional and lose its value. Participation is a key aspect of sports and is required for many sports to exist. Participation is also key to sports because it is ingrained in the culture, while competition is only an aspect. Many people participate in non-competitive sports! Sport is also competition because it is the most mainstream aspect of sports, especially within major sports leagues. Competition is based on ability and skill against others, which can be an entertaining way to view sports. However, a key difference between participation and competition is perceived ability. Sports as participation can include anyone who will try the sport. Sport as competition is typically viewed only through able-bodied skills and abilities that we commonly see through sports streams and on sports teams. Both statements are true, but I find in the mainstream media that sport as competition is commonly viewed with only able-bodied individuals and not inclusive to disabled athletes. |
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
| D. Murderball does both of these things. I chose D. because it both challenges and enables stereotypes of traditional masculinity. For example, it challenges it by showing men being emotional. Many scenes show the men being emotional and mourning their able-bodied lives and wishing they could return to them. Also, there was Joe’s transformation where he grew in his love and appreciation for his son and openly showed his love for him.
Murderball demonstrated that disabled men can have loving and sexual relationships with other people and not let their disability impede having those opportunities. The film also showed perseverance and to not let go of your abilities and dreams, no matter your body’s ability. However, it enforced ableist norms of masculinity by normalising aggression, not only on the court but in real life, and the reality of letting their wives or female partners take care of them and want them to be pitied so they’ll receive love. It also showed how men should be attracted to or feel at home in sports, while doing anything else, like Joe’s son playing his viola, lacks a certain masculinity. It reinforced the idea that men have to be athletically inclined to be men. |
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.
| Yes, I agree with the critique of the “supercrip” narrative in this video because I find it is simply inspiration porn. I agree with Loeppky when he said it highlights their disability over their abilities and skills. These “inspirational supercrip” videos show how they do everything despite something, they are superheroes and athletes because they are disabled, not because they are good at what they do and trained hard to be there. I find these videos to be disturbing because you would never see something like this for an able-bodied person. You would not hear about how far they’ve come because they have blue eyes or are tall. You only hear the bodies of disabled people being spoken about in a way that pulls them back from their “true potential”. There is nothing super or inspiring about these athletes, they are impressive, talented and amazing because they trained and have a knack for the sport. They’re good because they are good, not because they are disabled. A “supercrip” in the 2024 Paris Paralympics was Ali Truwit, a swimmer who won silver in the 400-meter race just 16 months after losing her leg in a shark attack. Many news outlets shared her story as inspiring and participating in the Paralympics despite her recent limb amputation. She was cast as an American hero, an inspiration to all, and the image of bravery and facing your fears. However, her resilience was often overlooked. I heard very little about how hard she had to train to regain mobility, and how long it took her to reenter the water after the attack. I found they overlooked her pure ability and skill as an athlete and a person and highlighted her disability and how far she had come in the eyes of the able-bodied onlookers. While in no way am I dismissing her accomplishments because she is an incredible athlete, I wish the news outlets would not overlook her training, skill, and athleticism to focus on her limb difference and how she got there. It highlights the wrong detail, putting her limb loss over her ability. |
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)
| Murderball does and does not play into the supercrip narrative. Many aspects of Murderball feel like they applaud the players for going beyond their disability and doing more than expected of them. For example, when Mark is in the panel and shares his story of meeting Keith and introducing the rugby wheelchair. He mentions it was inspiring to him to get to share wheelchair rugby with him and teach him something new he can do with his disabled body. That moment felt like it played heavily into the supercrip narrative as it showed the audience that the rugby players were inspiring others to do more than expected with their bodies and that Keith could do more. It presents the sport as a choice anyone can make if they are determined enough, even though it depends wholly on ability, skill, and interest, not on whether someone will put in the work. It also comes from a very privileged perspective, as the rugby wheelchairs are extremely expensive and custom-made, which is not accessible to everyone. However, I found the team to be generally inclusive and showed the players not letting their disability impede their sport, while still acknowledging their abilities. For example, there were people of colour on the team and those with limb differences and various mobility ranges who all played together, while not highlighting their disability. Gender informs supercrip as it plays into stereotypes. For example, there is a moment where they are describing Mark with his goatee and tattoos and they call him intimidating and explain how more people on the court avoid him because of it. This highlights his traditional masculinity and how he utilises it to intimidate others, but it also shares the message that disabled people lack that traditional intimidation factor and he needed external features to “replace” it. Supercrip focuses on people’s lack of and not on what they have or can do. |
