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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 say that abilities are used to justify other forms of oppression, they mean that society will often place value in the things that we are capable and incapable of doing and its often used to establish or reinforce systemic hierarchies. An example is that often society will portray women as physically or emotionally weak. These narratives are rooted in power dynamics and discrimination to oppress another group of individuals.
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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 was doing the quiz and i managed to mess up the last two tasks but the score was 37% for preferring abeled bodied people over those who have disabilities. this was shocking to me I was genuinely expecting a lower score. I work at planet fitness where I see all kinds of bodies and ive always thought everyone was so beautiful and im always so proud of all the people that come into the facility. Overall I dont believe that these kinds of tests are overly useful just because I truly do not believe he score reflects my true attitudes towards those who have disabilities.
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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.
| social model of disability: The definition of the social model of disability is the view that a disability is a result of societal attitudes and barriers rather than an individuals impairment. This is important to me because it reflects our need for societal change and that people who are impaired are still people.
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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?
| Should sport competitions be integrated: This question is most interesting to me and the most complex. Sports competitions can promote inclusivity and aid in breaking down stigmas and stereotypes and they can create an outlet for individuals who share similar stories to share and feel comfortable together. While it does promote inclusivity, there is also the risk of potentially overlooking some needs of disabled athletes. The risks may be surrounding lacking accessible equipment and particular rule modifications, if these two factors are lacking there may be new barriers created for the athletes to overcome. I think to make competitions for disabled athletes more meaningful, is going beyond finding an area for athletes to meet but to ensure they feel supported, feel equal and most importantly seen. This model would allow for all disabled atheletes to feel safe and included, and creating a space for everyone to feel empowered.
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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).
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 The film murderball aims to challenge and reinforce traditional ideologies surrounding masculinity. The film shows in one portion men with spinal cord injuries as powerful, being compettitive, and emotionally complex atheletes, whcih is resisting marginalized masculinity. this film is aiming breakdown the stigma and sterotype that disabled men are not as masculine, they are weal or that they are dependent. Murderball reveals that diasbled men are independent, masculine and very much capable. Murderball challenges this sterptype by presenting disabled men as sexually active, skilled and reclamining space in sports. I find this very empowering and it confronts societies stigma and sterotypes surrounding disabled men.On the other hand, murderball also reinforces ablesist norms by traits that are often seen as hyper-masculine such as aggression and physical dominance. The players in the film are presented as tough, and competitive framing it as representation of their worth. This slightly aligns with abliest ideologies surrounding the need for “overcoming” disability by mimicing able bodies masculinity. |
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 agree with the critique of the supercrip narrative. The clip is not so much focusing on the athletes disabilities but more so the fact that they are so inspirational and are fully capable of dong what able bodied people can do. While the clip tries to convey a positive message it ultimately is feeding into societal stigmas that diabled people must overcome their disability rather than taking the perspective that there needs to be systemic and structual changes that provide support, equality and inclusion. Overall this would reduce disabled peoples stories and ignores their drive and perseverance as athletes. A recent example from the 2024 paralympics and the treatment that British swimmer Alice Tai was portrayed. She won gold and her achievements were incredible, but they were often calling her the one legged swimmer, refereeing to her now amputated leg. Her injury she recently endured led to the loss of her leg, and while its important to understand that the loss of a leg may be challenging, her now disability is not something she had to overcome but something she persevered through. Its minimizing her dedication and efforts to being an incredible athelte and contrasting it with her disability. This approach is creating the idea that their worth is placed in their ability to mimic an able bodied persons standards or ability to inspire others . This approach also does not address the systemic issues and inequalities that are posed to disabled people. these issues are but not limited to accessible facilities, lack of funding, and healthcare disparaties . While it is important to celebreate an individual, framing them as superhuman reinforces abelism and sets a standard that they must overcome their disability to be respected. |
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)
| Yes, in my opinion murderball plays into the supercrip narrative, but only in some ways because I also believe that it challenges it. The athletes in murderball are portrayed as aggressive, competitive and they are very capable which is the typical sterotyipcal portrayal of masculinity. While this does challenge the idea that disabled people are dependent or passive, but it also reinforces the idea that disabled people need to overcome their disability. They do this in superclip by making these men exceptional becasue they are able to defy their disability through sport. Rather than addressing the true systemic issues that are present the film emphasizes person strength. The athletes narrative centers around proving people wrong, proving worth and reclaiming their identity through rugby. This reinforces the supercrip ideal by showing that value is through achievements, being motivated and resiliance, rather than just embracing disability. From Ben Mattlins critique, he also shows how gender plays a prominent role in how supercrips are portrayed. In the film murderball the traditional ideologies of masculinity were portrayed such as aggression, competitiveness and dominance, rather than actually reimaging what it means to be a man with a disability. in murderball they lacked showing how men actually do have softer qualities and that is just as masculine as being competitive or tough. Instead it aligns putting value and success in how well a man can perform in sports and measure up to able bodied athletes. In mattins blog he describes the cultural preference for disabled people which is muscular, white, male, and macho, all of which are qualities that align with typical ideologies of what masculinity is. Overall murderball and supercrip do share similar naratives or contribute to each other because they both unintentionally reinforce the idea that disabled men have to be heroic or need ot overcome their disability to be inspiring instead of jsut showing an ordinary lifr and identities. Both able bodied and disabled individuals are equal and we must treat them as so.EXTRA CREDIT: The film murderball resists the dominant disability narratives, placing quadriplegic men in a high contact wheelchair rugby league, a sport that is traditionally reserved for hyper-masculine able bodied men. The film embodies these quadriplegic athletes with the traditional narratives surrounding masculinity. This alone subvert the stereotypes we know that disabled men are often weak, dependent or passive. The athletes in the film also challenge the ideas that disabled men are asexual or are dependent on others. The film reveals that these men are powerful, capable of sexual relationships and intimacy. There are many interviews with the atheletes, and in particular there is a scene where the one athelte is speaking about getting another athelete ” laid”. There are also other wholesome moments in the film where they reveal this men dating, being fathers, and ultimately pushing back agains the view that disabled men are invisible or asexual. While there is only a small window for vulnerability to be revealed, they show subtle moments of the players being emotional, rather than emotionally resistant/ resilient which is a typical idea society has about masculinity. There are moments when the players express fear, touch on trauma, and reveal that this isn’t just about their physical trauma but that the emotional trauma is more of the challenge. These moments are important because it goes against the idea that men must be emotionally numb or resistant, making it more normal for men to show emotion. These athletes also challenge and subvert the idea that they are dependent on other people and incapable of being independent. they redefine interdependent, they redefine it as relying on your teammates for moral support, and relying on medical support system, showing that you can still rely on others and still have autonomy. This redefines interdependence as not being alone but working together to support each other through our own challenges. Murderball aids in our understanding of disability and masculinity, and offers a model of resistance with it being both realistic and prideful. |
