Critical Disability Studies: How People Deal With Disabilities and The Position of Such Studies in The Society (Essay Sample)

Critical Disability Studies
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Table of Contents
1.1. Executive Summary…………………………………………… 3
1.2. Introduction……………………………………………………. 4
1.3. Field of study…………………………………………………... 4
1.4. Purpose………………………………………………………… 5
1.5. How inclusive is CDS………………………………………...... 6
2.0. The artefacts of disability
2.1. Introduction…………………………………………………… 6
2.2. societal perception……………………………………………. 7
2.3. Ableism………………………………………………………... 7
2.4. Overrepresentation and Inclusion…………………………… 8
2.5. Disability as a metaphor……………………………………… 9
3.0. Conclusion………………………………………………… 10
References…………………………………………………………… 11
1.1. Executive Summary
Disability is a major problem which has been left unaddressed in the society for a very long time due to the minute attention given to its critical nature. It is often taken as a weakness or inadequacy which is just a misfortune to have and therefore the society rarely accord people with disabilities any importance or respect. Critical disability studies or CDS is a model which has tried to address this issue of disability at the level of schools by teaching students of education all about the disability. They have mainly been incorporated from the grassroots and the lowest levels of the society. CDS is an interdisciplinary study and therefore cannot be classified under any subject or discipline. It runs across them all. There are several artefacts that researchers have used in the CDS to help further the research. These include the societies conception of disability, ableism which is the tendency of classifying people based on their ability, the sad metaphor of disability that the normal have adopted ad the inclusion of these disabled people in the research that concerns them.
Despite all the efforts that CDS has conducted, there are still criticisms on the model of approach and inclusivity since it does not work over a large area owing to the fact thatit is a cultural model.
Critical Disability Studies
1.2. Introduction
For the longest time, disability studies or even the aspect of disability itself has been considered a medical or psychological problem which has no accommodation in the social or political aspects and concepts (Holmes, 2015). This has led it to be seen merely as an inequity rather than a truth that lives with us and which we should appreciate and learn to live with. As a result, the disabled people have faced a huge bit of marginalization from the society because of the societal ignorance of their situation and the help that they need.
Unknown to people, societal norms and structure and the political perception of disability is a major factor that impacts the lives of the disabled. The only way this marginalization can be cured is by developing a sociological theory that will seek out to explain disability in a societal context and the remedies that can be availed at that level (Anorld, 2015). Critical disability studies are therefore a model that seeks to understand such aspects of disability and to push on disability activism.
1.3. Field of Study
Critical disability studies are a dynamic and interdisciplinary field of research with a myriad of divergent issues, meanings and interpretations as well (Hughes, 2017). It is an approach that centers the understanding of disability as more than just the ability or disability that manifests on the face of it, but rather as a cultural, social, political and historical experience (Goodley et al. 2019). It is not an approach that seeks to explain what disability is or what it can do but rather seeks to explain the impacts of the societal understanding of disability and its impact on the disabled people. it is a critique of how social norms and the social structures impact certain groups of people in the society and if and how this problem can be solved. It seeks to explain how certain systems of power operate in oppressing some of its subjects in the society.
It is an interdisciplinary approach that cuts across the lines of power and oppression and the seeks to explain the relationship between these elements and disability and its place in the society. It is more than an academic venture which means that it is a more realistic area of study with a practicality test and intention which seeks to actualize the academic part of it for implementation. It is mostly based either on social sciences or humanities but more often than not, cuts across several disciplines.
1.4. Purpose
Its main aim is to achieve disability activism and for this reason it is mainly based in the grassroots areas and is so intertwined with community scholarship and grassroots organizations. It also explains how gender, race, color, sexuality, citizenship, age among other factors are connected with disability (Meekosha & Shuttleworth, 2017). It is more contemporary than most other methods as it takes into consideration the current issues and understanding of disabilities ad for this reason differs so much from the traditional approach of disability in so many ways.
In adopting the several models of understanding disability, critical disability studies seek to equip a student of education with such information as is necessary to help them deal with children and pupils in the professional field. Disabilities are everywhere and vary in intensity and impact. For this reason, there is need for the professionals in the field of education to be acquainted with this fact and be educated on the best approaches of handling such disabilities in schools. This is especially critical because it deals with disabilities at a young age of school going children, where the story begins. It is at this level that one’s perception of disability and their approach towards disability will build or destroy a disabled child completely. If they are made to appreciate the condition at a young age, it will be difficult to terrorize them or marginalize them because it builds a self-esteem and confidence that is inerasable.
1.5. How inclusive is CDS
The issue with critical disability studies is how inclusive they are. In the UK for example, many scholars who have theorized this field of study, have made its understanding so narrow and limited to the confines of its boundaries (Miles, 2017). In the US also, most of the scholars only write about what affects them in their ow countries rather than write widely and incorporate a larger audience. Some of the early theorists on the subject actually termed it as “the white disability studies” this is because their study mainly focused on the white communities rather than disability as a universal problem which needs universal attention.
2.0 The Artefacts of Disability
2.1. introduction
In theorizing disability and dwelling more on critical disability studies, the main aim is to advance a sociological theory of disability and trying to get the answers from that point. From this approach, it is evident that there must be the incorporation of cultural artefacts and societal norms to build on the understanding of disability. This could be the place of divergence as there are so many cultural artefacts in different regions of the world and which operate differently from each other. However most of the cultural drivers and norms of the society are known and are the major players in advancing disability marginalization and objectification. These include; religion, collectivist practices such as Ubuntu, community and kinship networks and the significance of household and informal economies.
In the words of Shakespeare, “normal” people have the tendency of grouping people as either normal or deviant or disabled. This gives a hit that there exist huge barriers in the society which prevent the so called “normal people” from interacting and associating with the disabled people. over the years though, several researchers have been able to lay down some of the artefacts that they consider in advancing their res...