Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
Limiting Domestic Space
Despite young disabled women's exclusion from family assumptions of marriage and
childbearing, some are nonetheless taught the basics of housekeeping (Rae 1993). Yet,
even here it has been found that low parental expectations of an individual's ability to
contribute to the domestic routine adversely impacts opportunities to do so (Hirst and
Baldwin 1994). Individuals who require personal assistance or adaptation to the physic-
al environment are likely to have very limited or no experience of managing domestic
affairs.
Susan was clear that her mother did not expect her to be able to “cope” living out
of the parental home. Boadicea had a similar experience following the breakdown of
her marriage: when she was offered a local authority house, her mother voiced her ex-
pectation that Boadicea “would never be able to manage by herself,” and as a result she
agreedtoremainintheparentalhome.Susannotedthattheinaccessibilityofthekitchen
in her parents' home also presented a barrier to her participation in this space. More
telling from her narrative is the construction of the kitchen as a dangerous place, full of
potential hazards. Perhaps prompted by her mother's desire to protect Susan from harm,
this approach is arguably more fitting toward the education of a small child rather than
that of a young woman. Exclusion from the kitchen created a barrier to Susan's oppor-
tunities to learn to cook, a basic skill required for independent living:
“When I lived with my mother, it was a big 'no no' for me to go into the kitchen be-
cause there was so many things that could happen, I could spill pots over me” (Susan
41-46years).Boadicearecountedsomethingsimilar:“She[mother]woulddothecook-
ing, I would ask her if it was okay for me to do the cooking but she said no” (Boadicea
46-51 years).
The exclusion of these women from the domestic space may well have been intended
to protect them, but would inevitably lead to their dependence upon others to prepare
and cook meals for them, with all manner of consequences later on. “Normal” in public
space is the art of “passing”: “Even though we are all different, not all differences are
noticed” (Michalko and Titchkosky 2001, 202). The normalization process inherently
magnifies physical difference because it focuses primarily on alteration of the body's
physical appearance (Tremain 2002).
Asexual stereotypes of disabled women are sustained by contemporary media images
where they are often portrayed as being in need of care and assistance, being unable
to undertake feminized roles. For example, a Royal National Institute of Blind People
(RNIB) 2002 poster campaign to “raise awareness of sight loss” implied blind women
couldnotfulfilltherolesofwifeormotherbecauseamongstotherthings,theycouldnot
host a dinner party, undertake housework, care for children, read their children stories,
or make their child smile (Jennings 2002). The very nature of charity advertising tends
